Edgar Allan Poe, the macabre poet, is worth quoting on Halloween.
Why Jack-o-lanterns Are Politically Incorrect
The custom of hanging out orange lanterns on Halloween has its roots in Protestant-Catholic conflicts in Ireland. Other holidays this time of year with a similar theme are William of Orange’s birthday (November 4) and Guy Fawkes Day (November 5). Customary observances of a public nature, even if of dubious origin, are valuable community builders.
Rosie’s Rituals for Remembering
Rosie spends a good deal of her life dressing up and playing a part so Halloween really doesn’t excite her. This year was different. Inspired by a recent death in her community Rosie dressed up. Here, she talks about her rituals of remembering.
A Ghost Walk in Britain’s Most Haunted City
The city of York — England and perhaps Europe’s most haunted city — is home to The Shambles, considered Europe’s most picturesque street, and to Europe’s second largest gothic Cathedral, but it’s also a perfect location for ghost walking tours.
Are These Pumpkin Carvings For Real?
A few days ago, the good folks at StumbleUpon served this amazing story up to me and I thought I would share it with our readers. Apparently, Ray Villafane can carve petrifying pumpkin portraits in just two hours. These have to be seen to be believed and are truly remarkable! Read the whole story here […]
Days of the Dead
The “Day of the Dead” should perhaps be more appropriately called the “Days of the Dead,” since from October 31 to November 2, all across Mexico, deceased loved ones are memorialized during this time. In urban areas the custom is treated much like our own Halloween, but in rural Mexico it is still an intensely religious holiday with roots going back into the mists of pre-Columbian times.
Living Ghosts
I believe there are living ghosts. People you bump into in life who influence you, make an impact and move on, who become part of who you are as a person, part of your makeup or character. People who nudge you awake, like ghosts, just passing through.
The Boy In the Theatre: A True Ghost Story
An abandoned, original old movie theatre still holds ghostly customers from its past and calls to its former owner in her dreams.
Ghost or What?
What are ghosts? What are they really? Are they tickles on the back of your neck, a shiver along your spine, a shadow crossing the kitchen floor? Out of the corner of my eye, I occasionally see motionless grey shadows, forms sitting in chairs and hallways, but I never feel threatened.
The Old House
Julia McLean doesn’t believe in miracles or ghosts but there are some things that happen in her old house in Normandy that simply can’t be explained away with logic.