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{{About|the folklore belief}}
{{About|the folklore belief}}
{{wiktionary}}
{{wiktionary}}
In [[Occult|occult belief]], the term '''witching hour''' refers to the time of night at which creatures such as [[witch]]es, [[demon]]s, and ghosts are thought to appear and to be at their most powerful, and at which [[black magic]] is thought to be at its most effective. This is because the period from 3AM to 4 AM is the span where there are no Catholic church services and prayers which are marked by the [[Canonical hours]] which are also three regular hours in length. In modern times this fact is mostly forgotten so the term is usually used to refer to [[midnight]],<ref name=":0" /> with 2 AM is recognized as the witching hour by true pagans{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}. Adversely, the term '''devil's hour''' applies to the hour of 3 AM or 3:15, the suggestion being that this is an inversion of the time at which Christ died at Calvary.
In [[Occult|occult belief]], the term '''witching hour''' refers to the time of night at which creatures such as [[witch]]es, [[demon]]s, and ghosts are thought to appear and to be at their most powerful, and at which [[black magic]] is thought to be at its most effective. This is because the period from 3AM to 4 AM is the span where there are no Catholic church services and prayers which are marked by the [[Canonical hours]] which are also three regular hours in length. In modern times this fact is mostly forgotten so the term is usually used to refer to [[midnight]],<ref name=":0" /> with 2 AM recognized as the witching hour by some neopagans{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}}. Adversely, the term '''devil's hour''' applies to the hour of 3 AM or 3:15, the suggestion being that this is an inversion of the time at which Christ died at Calvary.


The term may be used to refer to any arbitrary time of [[Luck|bad luck,]] or in which something bad has a greater likelihood to occur (e.g., a baby crying,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.babble.com/baby/baby-health-safety/the-latest-research-on-colic-and-crying-baby-baby-health/ |title=Cry, Cry, Cry: The latest (not entirely reassuring) research on colic |first=Vivian |last=Manning-Schaffel |publisher=Babble.com}}</ref> a computer crashing,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gigaom.com/2009/10/27/macbookpro-fail/ |title=3 Times Unlucky or the Start of a Larger Trend? |first=Om |last=Malik |publisher=GigaOM |date=27 October 2009}}</ref> stock market volatility,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stocks.about.com/od/advancedtrading/a/0911triplewitch.htm |title=Beware of Stock's Witching Hour |first=Ken |last=Little |publisher=About.com}}</ref> crimes, etc.).
The term may be used to refer to any arbitrary time of [[Luck|bad luck,]] or in which something bad has a greater likelihood to occur (e.g., a baby crying,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.babble.com/baby/baby-health-safety/the-latest-research-on-colic-and-crying-baby-baby-health/ |title=Cry, Cry, Cry: The latest (not entirely reassuring) research on colic |first=Vivian |last=Manning-Schaffel |publisher=Babble.com}}</ref> a computer crashing,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gigaom.com/2009/10/27/macbookpro-fail/ |title=3 Times Unlucky or the Start of a Larger Trend? |first=Om |last=Malik |publisher=GigaOM |date=27 October 2009}}</ref> stock market volatility,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stocks.about.com/od/advancedtrading/a/0911triplewitch.htm |title=Beware of Stock's Witching Hour |first=Ken |last=Little |publisher=About.com}}</ref> crimes, etc.).

Revision as of 05:11, 16 May 2016

This article is about the folklore belief. For other uses, see Witching hour (disambiguation).
Look up witching hour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

In occult belief, the term witching hour refers to the time of night at which creatures such as witches, demons, and ghosts are thought to appear and to be at their most powerful, and at which black magic is thought to be at its most effective. This is because the period from 3AM to 4 AM is the span where there are no Catholic church services and prayers which are marked by the Canonical hours which are also three regular hours in length. In modern times this fact is mostly forgotten so the term is usually used to refer to midnight,[1] with 2 AM recognized as the witching hour by some neopagans[citation needed]. Adversely, the term devil's hour applies to the hour of 3 AM or 3:15, the suggestion being that this is an inversion of the time at which Christ died at Calvary.

The term may be used to refer to any arbitrary time of bad luck, or in which something bad has a greater likelihood to occur (e.g., a baby crying,[1] a computer crashing,[2] stock market volatility,[3] crimes, etc.). In medieval times, midnight was when it was believed that witches emerged to practice the occult. Women caught out late at night could have been suspected of witchcraft if they did not have a legitimate reason to be out. It also seems that kidnappings happen during this hour [citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Manning-Schaffel, Vivian. "Cry, Cry, Cry: The latest (not entirely reassuring) research on colic". Babble.com.
  2. ^ Malik, Om (27 October 2009). "3 Times Unlucky or the Start of a Larger Trend?". GigaOM.
  3. ^ Little, Ken. "Beware of Stock's Witching Hour". About.com.
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