People are Painting Their Porches Blue… This is the Reason Why

If you’ve ever wondered why people are painting their porches or porch ceilings blue and what that color signifies, there’s actually a unique history behind it.

Painting a porch ceiling blue originated in the American South around 200 or so years ago, with those colors ranging from light “sky” blue to a greenish blue.

The practice of porch painting traces all the way back to the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of Central and West African slaves, who were living in the low country of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Gullah folklore explains that ghosts – often referred to as “haints” (and pronounced “haunts”) in the Creole dialect – were unable to cross water.

The Gullah Geechee people would paint exterior portions of their homes blue, including porch ceilings, shutters, doors, and window frames, in an effort to repel evil spirits.

the “haint blue” color was meant to mimic water that spirits could not cross.

The Gullah tradition of painting porch ceilings blue lives on in many Southern states today, although many people likely don’t know the true story behind it.

BobVila reports: “Blue porch ceilings also appeared in the Northwest (where the Aurora Colony, a Christian commune, was founded) as well as on East Coast Colonial and Victorian homes from Philadelphia to Boston.”

Thanks to our friends at GOPNewsfeed.com for contributing to this story.

Howard Roark

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