What Are Hex Signs?

Hex signs are pieces of folk art native to the Pennsylvania Dutch country of Lancaster County in southeastern Pennsylvania. They are round pieces of wood painted with symmetrical and, usually, geometrical designs.

Makers

The Pennsylvania Dutch, who are actually of German (Deutsch) descent, are the inventors and practitioners of the folk art.

Display

Hex signs are found hanging on barns where the two sides of the building's roof come together to form a point. When you see hex signs, you know you're in Lancaster County.

History

Hex signs were created in the second half of the 1800s, painted onto barns, then later on wooden circles that hung on barns. Tourists now buy them to decorate their homes.

Function

There is dispute about the functions of hex signs. Folklore has it that they keep away evil, others say the art is prayer, while others say the signs' function is merely decorative.

Design

Certain designs are traditional---stars and rosettes, for instance---and are said to have meaning. (Stars and rosettes mean good luck.) The signs might also depict creatures such as birds of paradise (peace and happiness).

Colors

The colors used also have meaning. Violet, for instance, is said to mean sacred things. Besides violet, colors used in the signs are white, black, brown, blue, yellow, red, green and orange.

References

• The Story of the Hex Sign-Amish Country News
• What Do the Hex Signs Mean?
• Hex Signs