If you've ever noticed that in the Lowcountry of South Carolina (as well as Georgia, parts of Florida, and North Carolina) there are homes with porch ceilings painted a light blue with a hint of green, there is actually a reason for the hue. The color is known as haint blue. Traditionally, there are many pale shades of blue-green that qualify as haint blue, but there's only one place you'll likely find it -- on the ceilings of the porches of some Lowcountry homes. If you've ever seen blue porch ceilings in South Carolina and wondered "Why are porch ceilings painted blue?" -- read on!
Perhaps you recall seeing it and thinking it was an odd but beautiful choice for a porch ceiling. (This image shows it on the ceiling of the main porch at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant.) But do you know the real reason why people put haint blue on the ceiling over the entrance to their home?
The tradition is derived from the Gullah and Geechee peoples that inhabit the sea islands and coastal plains from the Carolinas down through Florida.
The African Americans that make up the Gullah and Geechee populations here developed their own Creole-based language and brought along some cultural traditions, as well. Many are steeped in superstition and some even in voodoo.
And those haint blue ceilings of porches in South Carolina are no different. The Gullah and Geechee believe that malevolent, restless ghosts, called "haints" sneak into your home and cause all sorts of trouble.
The haints supposedly hate water and won't cross it. The Gullah Geechee answer is to paint the porch ceiling haint blue to ward off the haints.
The haints see the blue, think it's water, and won't set foot on the porch, much less cross it to enter the front door. Placing the color on the ceiling serves to further confuse the haints and possibly even trick them into thinking they are upside down.
The next time you encounter a porch with a haint blue ceiling, you'll know the answer to why ceilings of porches in South Carolina are blue and that haints are simply not welcome.
Did you know about the reason behind the tradition of haint blue porch ceilings in South Carolina? Want to learn about another Gullah Geechee cultural belief? Read all about the creepy boo hags that sit on your chest when you're asleep, suck the air out of your body, and then slip into your skin and use your body for their nefarious deeds all night long.
You may also enjoy reading: Haint Blues: Strange Tales from the American South.
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