When You See Big Barnstars On Montana Barns This Is Why

We've all seen them, those big giant 5 pointed stars on the sides of barns that dot the rural Montana landscape. They've even moved into the city as you can now see them on the sides of houses in town. You may have thought they were just for decoration but there is a reason they are placed on barns.

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A barnstar also know as a primitive star or "Pennsylvania star" as they are sometimes called, started off as a mark of the barn builder, but they also had a bit of a deeper meaning as well. According to the Taste of Home website

The primitive stars were commonly installed on barns by early Dutch and German settlers to ward off evil. The stars are known to bring good luck to farmers, too.

Think of them almost like a horseshoe mounted over a doorway. Even the colors of the barnstar matters as well, as Taste of Home explains,

A brown star is known to symbolize friendship and strength, while white stands for purity and energy. A violet star is considered holy, while a green star symbolizes hope for growth and fertility on the farm. If you see a blue or black star, they symbolize protection for the farm. And a bright sunny yellow star? It holds a meaning of love of man and the sun.

So while people may have in recent years started to use them just for decoration, you might just be bringing a bit of good luck into your home as well.