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This Is Why Outhouses Have A Crescent Moon On The Door

If you have paid any attention when using an outhouse, you might have seen that they have a crescent moon on their doors. Do you know why? 

In this article, we will try to find the answer to this question. We will go through two theories to do so. 

One theory suggests that the crescent moon means that that kind of outhouse is meant to be used only by females. On the other hand, for men, the outhouses had the symbol of the sun on the door. 

The symbols of the moon and the sun on the doors of the outhouses were mentioned for the first time in the book “The Little Red Schoolhouse” in 1972. 

It said that in schoolhouses this was a very accepted arrangement where the outhouse was placed between the privy and the school. 

The entrance between the boy’s and the girl’s outhouse was divided by a fence and distinguished also by the symbols of the sun and the moon.

Another theory says the crescent moon on the doors of outhouses was very commonly seen in cartoons or comics in the period 1930-1950. It is thought that it served for the ventilation and permitted light.

The truth is that no one knows with certainty its true meaning. What do you think its purpose is?

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