Scare yourself at least once a day, they say. It’s good for you. From Casper to Marley, even the more mercurial ghost of Christmas future. Beetlejuice, the Nazgul and Balrog. We all like a little of the scarier side of life. A writer will even enrich their story by embracing their own darkness and weaving their words around the emotional fallout that follows.
Samhain has been celebrated in Britain for centuries and originates from Pagan Celtic traditions. It was the time of year when the boundaries between this world and the otherworld are believed to be thinnest. The spirits of the dead can easily mingle with the living once again.
When Christians adopted this festival, it was called All Hallows’ Eve, now Halloween, followed by All Saints’ Day, although it still retained elements of remembering and honouring the dead.
Loved ones who have recently died are remembered, and their spirits are often invited to join the living in a celebratory feast.
Not only did the Celts believe that the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead dissolved on this night, but they also believed that the presence of spirits aided their priests in making predictions.
Every October 31st, the celebration of All Hallows’ Eve, which lasts late into the evening, is now more commonly known as Halloween. Households hand out sweets to children at the call of “trick or treat”. Groups of friends will find trails, houses, and theme parks that advertise “spooky” or “haunted” and see who is brave enough to enter.
Jack-o’-lanterns often sit on porches as little works of carved pumpkin art. Families will use cobwebs as decorations instead of using brooms to clear them. Blood, skeletons, and screams are in abundance …
Sleep well on that night ….
Cool photo – the only book I’ve read is Harry Potter.
Thank you so much, Nora. Harry Potter is the last one I read of these. I thought that after seeing the films so often, it was about time I read what JKR actually wrote :-))