Few People Know The Real Reason Porch Ceilings In The South Are Painted Haint Blue In Color:
Raise your hand if your porch ceiling is painted light blue. Welcome to the South, where a light blue front porch ceiling is a common feature of many homes, especially older ones.
It originated in the Gullah culture of South Carolina, where porch ceilings were painted “Haint Blue” to ward off evil spirits from the home. Because rumor had it that spirits wouldn’t cross water, porch ceilings were painted light blue or greenish-blue to mimic a water surface. The Gullah tradition spread throughout the southern states, and warding off ghosts is one big reason people give for the haint-blue ceilings found on porches of homes.
But there’s another, perhaps even more common reason cited for such a practice. Light blue ceilings are said to discourage wasps from building their nests on the ceiling of your porch, because the light blue color tricks the unwelcome insects into thinking the ceiling is part of the sky. Apparently, spiders (and perhaps even other bug pests) are discouraged from hanging out on the porch for the same reason.
There’s some question whether it’s the color that actually repels these insects or the fact that lye, a natural insect repellent, was mixed in with the paint when this tradition started.
Plus, light blue is a cool, refreshing, calming color that reflects plenty of light into the shade of a front porch, making it the perfect canopy for a pleasant interlude spent swaying gently in a rocker or a porch swing while you watch the world go by.
🔹Read more at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haint_blue
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