Why Should You Avoid the 'Witching Hour?'

The Witching Hour, as defined by folklore, myth, and religion, is a time in the dead of the night specified as three AM to four AM. It is a time that is said to be avoided by everyone of various faiths. Why is it so dreaded? Is the time always three AM to four AM? Where did the Witching/Haunting Hour get its name from? What do ghosts have to do with the Haunting Hour? Well, let’s get the answer to all these questions, and get to the bottom of all this hocus pocus.

This hour is dreaded because of the fact that it is associated with Evil. Ghosts, Witches, and Demons are said to be at their strongest at this hour. Black magic is also thought to be its most powerful at this time of night. So, it is dreaded because not only is it the dead of the night and you can’t see anything, but things that go "bump" in the night scare people. If you believe in the supernatural, then you should believe in the Haunting Hour because it’s terrifying to many who stay awake during this time. The supernatural have their powers heightened, making the things that go bump in the night all the scarier.

The Haunting Hour is said to be at three AM because of the mocking of the holy trinity with three knocks, and the association of the number three. However, this time varies, for some say it’s shortly after midnight, some say three AM, and some say midnight exactly. So, are they all right? Or, is only one right. Well, the answer is that it varies. The reason the Haunting Hour is so powerful, and why darkness has a grip on this time, is said to stem from it being a time at night where people are asleep and don’t pray often. Praying keeps the evil at bay, but at night, when everyone is asleep, no one is praying, and everything evil comes out to play. So, they’re all right then? It varies, but they’re not all wrong.

The term Witching or Haunting Hour comes from a time when witches were most powerful at night. It’s also possible that, due to older sleep patterns at night, humans used to sleep in two installments during the winter time. With scarce light sources, and 14-hour winter nights, it made sense to sleep in two installments. So, it’s entirely possible that “witches” were up at midnight til three or four AM doing their deeds, and that Satanists could’ve started their rituals at this time, too. So, that seems to be where the term derived, from the 17th century.

Ghosts are said to be affected by the Haunting Hour, as well as demons and angels. This is because, in the dead of the night, it’s said that the veil between the worlds of natural and supernatural is lighter, sometimes granting great power, and sometimes granting visibility, to the supernatural. So, the ghosts gain the ability to play tricks, show themselves, and act more volatile during this hour and time of night. So, yes—Ghosts are part of the things that go bump in the night, along with gremlins, ghouls, demons, and witches. It is because of the thinning in the veil that they become visible.

So, the Witching or Haunting Hour is called Witching or Haunting Hour depending upon which area of the world you live in. Ghosts and spirits, angels and demons, witches and magicians, and gremlins and ghouls are said to haunt and appear frequently during this time, and gain great power, too. The term derives from a place in the distant past, where people used to sleep in two installments to get through the long winter nights. The time of the hour varies, some even suggesting that evil is granted power during the entire night (sunset to sunrise), but it’s typically talked about being between midnight to three AM in many cultures. So, if you find yourself up at 12 AM to three AM, just go back to sleep. You don’t want to run into the things that go bump in the night.