Many houses in Pennsylvania (around Harrisburg) have big red stars on the side. Do they signify anything?

Answer 1

The first Pennsylvania State flag, which bore "The arms Pennsylvania worked thereon", was adopted by the Executive Council in 1778. It was used to identify the State's wharf in Philadelphia. The flag is listed several times in the inventory of State property in the custody of the watchman. (Background color is not stated, however one theory is that the The background may have been red. This would be in keeping with the red background of the majority of surviving PA revolutionary colors. And, the red facings authorized for PA troops in 1779. Note: many but not all of the surviving Revolutionary War colors do have backgrounds which match their 1779 facings.)

These colorful decorations seen on barns and houses in the area, are not really superstitious symbols at all. The bright patterns and geometric forms, known as Hex Signs, were used by the ancestors of our Pennsylvania German settlers on birth certificates, furniture, pottery, textile, etc. Indeed many are thought to have come originally from religious motif designs, the two main patterns being the Sun and Tree of Life. While many people today use Hex Signs purely for decoration, the Amish have not painted and do not paint hex signs on their barns.

One of the more familiar geometric hex signs is the 8 Pointed Star. It features a large, eight-pointed star usually blue in color. Nestled between the star’s points are alternating red tulips and stylized sheaves of wheat. A smaller eight-pointed star forms the design center. The stars and sheaves of wheat symbolize abundance and goodwill. The tulips provide faith and trust in mankind. Overall, this design ensures abundance in our lives and goodwill to all. Its striking appearance and design clarity make it a popular choice for decorating large buildings.

Here is a brief history of the Barn Star according to The-Artistic-Garden:

The barn star originated approximately 300 years ago with religious refugees (which included Amish and Mennonites who are commonly referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch). It started with painted geometric symbols such as the hex sign and has evolved into multi-dimensional stars. They were once painted directly onto the barns but in the 70's, craftspeople began using roofing tiles to make them. Post 90's, thin sheets of steel were being used. Unfinished ones tend to rust and have evolved as quite a popular decoration. The barn star was referred to as a symbol of good luck to farmers and this belief is passed on today. Each color has a significance.

The five-pointed star, when portrayed with crossed lines, is called a pentagram. When the pentagram is drawn with two points up it is said to be a symbol of devil worship: the two points at the top supposedly symbolizing the horns of the devil. In the past, however, the pentagram was used by the Norse as a symbol of protection from evil and as a symbol called the "Seal of Solomon" in Jewish mysticism. Today 5-pointed stars are used as a symbol of merit, of a job done well (as on papers in grade school) or as a symbol of excellence (as in movie and restaurant ratings), on sheriff's badges, flags and by the military of many countries.

In current hex sign mythology, the 5-pointed star is purported to be a symbol of protection from fire and lightning or a protection for livestock, a meaning closely related to the use of these stars by ancient Norsemen. In general, the 5-pointed star, displayed with one point at the top, is considered lucky.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

barnstar (or barn star) is a decorative piece, often in the shape of a five-pointed star but occasionally in a circular "wagon wheel" style, used to adorn a barn

Barnstars remain a very popular form of decoration and modern houses are sometimes decorated with simple, metal, five-pointed stars which the makers describe as 'barn-stars'. They are often deliberately distressed or rusted, alluding to the traditional decoration.

On older buildings in the Pennsylvania Dutch area of the United States it is still possible to find barnstar-like building adornments which are painted, rather than wooden or metal, known as hex signs. Strictly speaking, they are defined apart from barnstars and visually bear only passing resemblance, but the two are often confused and their names are even regarded as interchangeable.Some hex signs incorporate star shapes, while others may take the form of a rosette or contain pictures of birds and other animals.

Answer 3

As far as I have researched it, originally it was an Amish good luck sign that non-amish folk started hanging on their homes as a decorative folk art.

Answer 4

Hmmm I don't know, but would like too.

Answer 5

that's where the kgb went after russia collapsed??????

Answer 6

russia idk