2006-07-04 14:45:47 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
You couldn't take a lantern in the outhouse for fear of it blowing up with all of the gas in there so some wise guy cut a hole in the door so that you could see by the light of the moon. It is only a crescent so other people can't see in but it lets light in.
2006-07-10 08:57:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having a door, sometimes decorated with a small crescent moon-shaped hole The significance of the moon has never been fully explained. In Germany, a heart-shaped hole is traditional. In recent centuries, the finer inns began offering "his" and "hers" outhouses. But, because most people were illiterate, symbols were used on the outhouses to show which was "his" and which was "hers". Pictures of the sun and moon were the obvious choice. From ancient times, the "sun" had been a symbol of all that was masculine and the "moon" of all that was feminine.
In Western societies, there is at least one seat with a hole in it, above a small pit.
In Eastern societies, there is a hole in the floor, over which the user crouches.
A suitable distance away from any freshwater well, so as to minimize risk of contamination;
Sometimes having a roll of toilet paper available. Catalogs from retailers specializing in mail order purchases, such as the Montgomery Ward catalog, were also common before toilet paper was widely available, often kept in a can or other container to protect it from mice, etc. Old corn cobs, leaves, or other paper was also used.
Check out the link below.
2006-07-04 14:51:07 · answer #2 · answered by wolfmano 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard it was done that way so that at night, if you had to use the bathroom, or outhouse in this case, you could see some sort of light coming in from the moon. It does make sense when you think about it.
2006-07-04 18:12:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
So at night when people used them the light from the moon would seep through there and light up the outhouse.
2006-07-04 14:51:42 · answer #4 · answered by Diane M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in earlier times when not many people knew how to read. stars were carved in the door of an outhouse for men, and crescent moons were carved into the doors of outhouses for women. it is not specified why the stars for men and why the crescent moons for women. so apparently the mystery goes on.
2006-07-04 14:55:27 · answer #5 · answered by nittamakus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the female symbol for women were a moon and star (men were the sun) we had to sit down for our -ahem- business. So the outhouses were made mainly for women because dudes were stand-ups.
For since guys refer themselves to the "Alpha" of our race, they shared our privacy. But the little moon is decorative.
2006-07-05 05:11:03 · answer #6 · answered by kc 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Evilist is correct....The moon that is often found on the outhouse door stand for the ancient sign- luna- or womanhood.
2006-07-04 14:51:03 · answer #7 · answered by Christal 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ventilation :-)
No, OK... there were originally outhouses with both sun and moon cutouts, back in the day when people may not have have been able to read "his" and "hers" signs.
The sun cutout stood for "men only", the moon for "women".
2006-07-10 05:06:58 · answer #8 · answered by IanP 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The outhouses with the moon on the door were for women.
http://www.jldr.com/faqs.html#moons
2006-07-04 14:48:15 · answer #9 · answered by Evilest_Wendy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ive heard of buts being refered to as "moon" so maybe thats why
2006-07-04 14:47:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋