We spend quite a bit of time relaxing and socializing on our front porch. My front porch ceiling is painted white, and to be honest, I’ve never really considered it much. However, if you’re from the South, you may have thought about porch ceilings before – because many of them are painted blue! Although some people say painting a porch ceiling blue is strictly for aesthetic purposes, there’s actually a longstanding history in the South about why people paint porch ceilings this color.

Gullah folklore reveals that spirits, referred to as “haints,” are unable to cross water. Because of the horrendous history of slavery and violence existing in the South, the belief was that spirits would become trapped on plantations, haunting the current and future residents of the homes and properties. Painting the front porch ceiling blue was a way to imitate water, preventing these spirits from making their way into the homes. Some residents even took the blue paint theme all the way, painting window shutters and doors as well.

So the next time you’re in the deep South and notice a blue porch ceiling, you’ll know why it came to be!