Favourite Haunts :: Ghostly Spectres at Oxford Castle



St George's Tower, Oxford Castle
© Ghost & Girl

But, soft; behold! lo, where it comes again!
I'll cross it, though it blast me.—Stay, illusion!
If thou hast any sound, or use of voice,
Speak to me...

- William Shakespeare (Hamlet)

 

Oxford Castle: Famous for many reasons, but the Black Assize is what comes immediately to mind.

 

It was the year 1577, and England was divided by the Reformation. Rowlande Jenkes, a Roman Catholic bookseller, was brought before the assize court for being 'saucy and foul mouthed'. When the verdict was given, and it was ordered that he should lose his ears, Jenkes cursed the court, jury and city.
 

Oddly, townsfolk began to drop like flies shortly after. The dead included two Judges, the Coroner, the Sheriff, a clerk and many members of the court and jury. As no women, children or the town's poor befell the illness, it was rumoured that Jenkes used black magic to bring about the deaths. However, the contemporary opinion is that it was probably an outbreak of Gaol Fever, and due to the close proximity and heat within the courthouse it had spread like wildfire.

Oxford Castle is an important example of a motte and bailey castle. The history of the castle is well documented as it played a key role in the history and development of Oxford itself. The motte survives well and contains a rare well chamber as well as the archaeological remains from the stone keep built on it.

It is one of only two surviving towers within the city of Oxford. After the Civil War, the castle, like many town castles around England, was converted for use as a prison, a purpose it served until 1996 when it was closed due to its unsanitary conditions.

The most dramatic moment in the military history of Oxford Castle was in 1142, at the height of the Civil War between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. The Empress' army was besieged within the castle, and it seemed that surrender was imminent. Legend has it that the Empress was lowered over the castle walls in the dead of night, wrapped in a white cloak so as to camouflage against the snow. She crept through King Stephen's camp and across the frozen Thames to safety.  



Oxford Castle Unlocked is a truly unique tour experience. On a bitterly cold December morning, we were greeted at the entrance by the truly terrifying Executioner, who led us directly into St George's Tower where our tour began.





Julia Ann Crumpling, Oxford Castle
© Ghost & Girl

Whilst hearing grisly tales of its previous occupants, we then proceeded to climb the steep Saxon tower. As we stepped into the "water tank" room, I sensed a male presence towards the right end corner. Our tour guide then explained that the room was supposedly haunted, but never mentioned as to whom, or what might be haunting it, nor of any reported experiences associated with the room.
Next we were shown into the crypt, which lies beneath St George's Tower. The crypt is thought to date back to the Saxons, making it the oldest standing structure in England. It is within this crypt that the Executioner proceeded to tell us about the spirit of a little girl, who is most often felt by women. The girl, a former inmate of the Victorian prison, is thought to be Julia Ann Crumpling. She was only seven years old when she was sentenced to seven days hard labour for the crime of stealing a pram.

 

Julia is reported to have been seen throughout the prison. She likes to place her hand in visitor's hands, and tug on their clothing. She is  also often seen weeping in the crypt, asking for her mother. 

The crypt is also haunted by a monk known as Bernard. Visitors often report feeling a heaviness in the air, a hand on their shoulder, hair being tugged, and even the smell of beer.

We then walked onto D-wing, part of the later prison built in the eighteenth century. Here  our tour guide 'processed us' (mug shots and all!), allowing us to be admitted to the prison. We were then free to  take in the atmosphere and read up on prison history from the displays, or return to any part of the castle to explore further on our own.

As there were still no other visitors about, I decided to head back down to the crypt to take some photos. Whilst with the tour, I felt quite at peace within the crypt, but as I ventured back on my own the atmosphere seemed to change, and I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder. I was fighting with the voice inside my head and the flight instinct that were telling me to high tail it back up to the prison where the rest of my family were.

 

But I stuck it out, and I took the photos I'd gone there for, using my iPhone5 (no flash).



It was a few days after the tour that I finally had the opportunity to review the photos I'd taken that day at Oxford Castle. It was this photo (below), that I took in the passage between the crypt and the lower prison, which has left me with more questions than answers. 

 

Do you see what I see?
Passage between the crypt and the lower prison at Oxford Castle.
Original photograph. No filter. No edits.
© Ghost & Girl



Every single photo that I took prior to this one does not share the same anomaly, nor anything like it. I have shown the photo to several friends - some keen on the paranormal, others not - asking what they see. Each can make out the same image as I: A women dressed in a high-waisted skirt and white blouse. Her hair is parted in the middle, and it appears as though she is leaning over the railing, her gaze directly on me as I took the picture.



I'm the first to admit that this image may be no more than pareidolia (matrixing), brought about by the construction of the stonework, the angle of the light, or a combination of both.

 

And yet, this is the only photograph in which I can see her. I'll leave it to you to draw your own conclusion.


Close up: A ghostly encounter or no?
© Ghost & Girl

Have I captured one of the ghostly spectres of Oxford Castle, or is my mind merely playing tricks?

 

 

 

For more information on Oxford Castle, visit these websites:

Oxford City Guide: Oxford Castle

Oxford Castle Unlocked

Oxford Castle: History and Photos

 

 

To learn more about pareidolia, try this link:

Live Science: Seeing Faces in Unusual Places 

 

 

Laura  

[Find out more about your hosts here]

 

Danger & Death in Las Vegas :: Guest post by author Rae Gee

© Rae Gee
www.raegee.co.uk

Las Vegas: The place you visit to lose your inhibitions and, if you're unlucky, your cash as well.

 

It's not a city where you'd expect to find spirits of the non-alcoholic variety. But this oasis in the desert was built on mob money. And, with that money, came the mob's rules on how the city was run. Urban legends abound of mob debtors buried in the foundations of casinos. Bodies have been discovered buried in the desert.

 

Las Vegas also holds one record that no city wants to have associated with it. It's the suicide capital of the USA with 19 suicides per 100,000 people (the national average is around 12 per 100,000 people). Some of these sad deaths are in relation to the local economy while others have been visitors who've discovered the anonymity Vegas offers is the place for them to spend their final moments.

 

Because of this, Vegas appears to be a hot bed of ghostly activity. Some of the city's most famous residents are still said to haunt their old... haunts. Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, one of Vegas's most infamous mobsters, is still said to reside in the Flamingo, while flamboyant pianist Liberace is apparently still at his old restaurant, Tivoli Gardens. Houdini and Elvis (obviously!) also appear to have found their forever homes in the heart of Las Vegas. 

 

I had my own paranormal experiences while visiting Las Vegas.

 

© Rae Gee
www.raegee.co.uk

Staying on the 25th floor of the Luxor pyramid was unique in more ways than one. The rooms open out onto the hotel's massive atrium, giving a bird's eye view of the food court, check in desks, and entrance. It wasn't uncommon to encounter non-Luxor guests in the elevators, all of them going to the upper floors to take in the view. Music echoes through the large space which, by day, is lit by bright lights. By night, the lights are dimmed a little, giving a more ethereal feeling to one of the largest pyramids outside of Egypt.

 

I'll admit now that the Luxor is the hotel I've always wanted to stay at. Ever since I started dreaming of Vegas back in the late 1990s, the hotel I saw myself at was the black pyramid of the Las Vegas Strip. So when I had the chance to visit with friends, it was almost like a prophecy when they told me where we'd be staying.

 

And while it was a lot of fun to meet up with my earthly friends, what was equally interesting were the friends I made in other realms. One in particular stands out and I noticed them on the second day I was there.

 

When I exited the elevator, I hung a left and walked along one of the hallways that overlooked the atrium before taking another left to my room. On this particular morning, I was returning from the pool. As I stepped out onto the first corridor, I saw something fall into step beside me. The dark shadow caused me to stall before I began walking again. It felt female and never did I feel threatened by it. Instead, the being had a sense of wistful happiness, as though it was now free to spend the rest of its days in a place it had loved.

 

© Rae Gee
www.raegee.co.uk

Upon my return to the UK, I spent time researching deaths at the Luxor hotel. Surprisingly, only two people have ever jumped from the open corridors and down in to the atrium (the hotel has seen no need to fit plexi-glass atop the four foot walls that separate people from the immense space beyond them). One of them was a man. And the other was, reportedly, a lady of the night who'd contracted HIV. She took her own life because of her illness and sadly crashed into the buffet. Because of the disease in her bloodstream, the hotel tore down the buffet and replaced it with the food court.

 

She jumped from the 26th floor, the floor above my own.

 

Needless to say, I felt comforted by her presence and I'm glad I was able to make contact on some level. One day I hope to go back and have a proper meeting with her.

 

Las Vegas hosts a haunted tour (which I hope to take the next time I'm there). You can find it here.

Rae Gee 

[Rae Gee is the author of the Veetu Industries series of LGBT steampunk novels, published by Torquere Press. To find out more about Rae Gee and her books, visit www.raegee.co.uk, her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.]

 

Favourite Haunts :: Edinburgh South Bridge Vaults & Greyfriars Kirkyard



A city beneath the city: Edinburgh Vaults



"There are mysteries which men can only guess at, which age by age they may solve only in part." ~ Bram Stoker

 

 

Scotland loves a ghost story. The country has all the key ingredients necessary for one: Dark, gloomy skies; a dark and bloody past; old stone towns with old cobbled streets; and an abundant ancient folklore.

 

It is easy to be consumed by the possibility that ghosts abound as you walk down the Royal Mile, with the fog settling in around you...

 

 

SOUTH BRIDGE VAULTS - NIDDRY STREET SOUTH

 





Notice by the entry to the Niddry Street Vaults

The history of the Edinburgh vaults is somewhat sketchy. The vaults were initially used as storage for the businesses above, all of which vacated in the 1700s due to the increasingly poor conditions.

 

When the industrial revolution swung into motion, they became dwellings for the city's poor. Prostitution, murder and other atrocities were rife, and then, rather mysteriously, at some point during the 1800s the residents abandoned the vaults and the whole place was sealed with rubble, and promptly forgotten. It wasn't until the 1980s that they were uncovered, completely by accident.

Edinburgh was a superstitious place at the turn of the 18th century, both of real and imagined harm. The citizens' fear of what the unearthly and supernatural could inflict was exacerbated by their inherent mistrust of the invading English, which resulted in the building of the defensive Flodden Wall, part of which is still visible in the city today in Greyfriars Cemetery.

 

The enclosed city forced residents to live virtually on top of one another: Rather than expanding out, Edinburgh went up.

When the South Bridge was finally completed in 1788 it was deemed to be an appropriate and fitting honour that the Bridges’ eldest resident, a well known and respected wife of a local Judge, be the first to cross. Unfortunately, she passed away prior to the opening and crossed the bridge entombed in her coffin. Naturally, the superstitious locals pronounced the bridge cursed and subsequently refused to cross it.

 

Some of the paranormal experiences reported in the vaults include sightings of a man known as "The Watcher"; disembodied footsteps and voices; a small boy referred to as "Jack"; unexplained cold spots and the feeling of unease; and let's not forget the infamous "Mr Boots".

Inspired by these reports, on 30 October this year, the night before Halloween, I booked a City of the Dead tour for both the Niddry Street Vaults and Greyfriars Kirkyard. After weeks of rain, the night was completely clear and calm, and our tour was fully booked with around thirty adult participants.

 

Whilst the tour was informative from an historical perspective, I was surprised to find the time spent within the Niddry Street Vaults short, uneventful and somewhat disappointing. This may be influenced by my having recently watched the Ghost Adventures paranormal investigation of the Edinburgh Vaults, though: I had imagined them more vast. However, I now know that there are two underground vaults: Blair Street and Niddry Street. In addition, there is also Mary King's Close (an underground close), so I suspect most paranormal investigation shows encompass parts of all three.

Our tour guide was both knowledgeable and humorous, but I found our tour lacked the telling of the ghost stories that you come to expect from a well-organised ghost tour. We did hear one or two, but I found our guide spent more time on Edinburgh's historical past rather than on its ghosts, which I found perplexing since it was almost Halloween.

 



Niddry Street

However, well before our guide had even mentioned the little boy ghost known as Jack, I had picked up on an unseen presence standing to the back of the group, which I felt to be a child. I could not tell if that child was male or female, only that it was a child of around 5 or 6 years of age.

 

Was this presence Jack?

 

GREYFRIARS KIRKYARD & THE COVENANTER'S PRISON

 



On a fine day, Edinburgh's Greyfriars Kirkyard is a peaceful place with a fine view of Edinburgh Castle. It houses a well-preserved section of the Flodden Wall, and is surrounded by ornate and impressive mausoleums.

 

It is also a popular haunt for tourists on the trail of Greyfriars Bobby, a somewhat famous little terrier in Edinburgh's history. A statue of the little canine is located just outside the Kirkyard gates, and it is local belief that touching the terrier's nose will bring good luck.

 

Greyfriars Kirkyard Gates

Greyfriars Kirkyard dates back to the 1560s. The land, formerly a monastery garden, was given to the city by Mary Queen of Scots to be used as burial grounds to cope with the overcrowding in St Giles churchyard. 

 

In 1679, following the Battle of Bothwell Brig, 1200 supporters of the National Covenant were brought to Edinburgh. Four hundred were held in Greyfriars Kirkyard in an area now known as the Covenanters Prison. They spent more than four months there, awaiting trial. During this time they had no shelter, and were given a daily food allowance of just 4oz of bread. Conditions were so inhumane that the Covenanters Prison is often described as the world’s first concentration camp.

Greyfriars Kirkyard has also received attention in recent years due to the Harry Potter phenomenon. It is believed that the grave of Thomas Riddell, who died in 1806, and nearby William McGonagall were the inspiration behind JK Rowling's Voldemort and Professer McGonagall. The nearby George Heriot's School is also said to be the inspiration for Hogwarts.

 

Greyfriar's Kirkyard

Paranormal experiences seem to be confined to the Covenanters Prison and the Black Mausoleum. The majority of these seem to be poltergeist activity: Visitors have passed out for seemingly no reason; they have been punched, scratched or tugged.

 

There have also been reports of shadow people, of cold spots and a feeling of unease upon entering the Covenanters Prison. It is alleged that the malevolent activity started when a homeless man stumbled into Mackenzie's tomb one night seeking shelter, and desecrated the sealed tomb.

Our tour entered Greyfriars Kirkyard after having toured the vaults. The cemetery was still quite active - generally churchyards tend to be a place to avoid late at night, but not so Greyfriars! 

 

The City of the Dead tours are reportedly the only tour group given access to the Covenanters Prison; due to the alleged poltergeist activity, the council has closed this particular section off from the public.

 

Our tour guide led us through the prison directly to the Black Mausoleum, which is resting place of George Mackenzie, the man responsible for imprisoning the Covenanters. His mistreatment of the Covenanters led to his nickname "Bluidy (Bloody) Mackenzie". I noted the sudden change in mood of our tour guide, who seemed almost afraid to tell any of the experiences in this particular location. He seemed to be on guard, and the air was decidedly tense.

 

However, is the ghost reported there really a spirit or poltergeist? Could it be possible that the majority of experiences are actually due to psychokinesis (an alleged psychic ability allowing a person to influence a physical system without actual physical interaction)? I do wonder.

 

Regardless of who or what is haunting the Covenanters Prison and the Black Mausoleum, our tour group had no disruptions, although I did pick up on a restless energy within the Covenanters Prison upon entering through its gates. Otherwise, I felt quite at peace within the walls of the Black Mausoleum, and whilst I find the mistreatment of the Covenanters to be truly appalling, perhaps this sense of ease had something to do with the fact that I am of Mackenzie blood, after all...

Whilst I could think of nothing more exhilarating than to investigate these locations for myself, by myself, it must be noted that for anyone interested in the ghostly and historical aspects of Edinburgh's past, you need to book a tour to explore its underground vaults, as well as the Covenanters Prison. If I were to go back, I would book a tour that explores the Blair Street vaults and Mary King's Close as well. 

 

A visit to Edinburgh Castle is also highly recommended, as is Saint Giles Cathedral.

 

Edinburgh is definitely a city worth visiting, for its ghosts and its history.

 

Further reading:

The Ghost that Haunted Itself by Jan Andrew Henderson (filled with visitor experiences at Greyfriars)
City of the Dead Tours
Real Mary King's Close

Laura  

[Find out more about your hosts here]

 

Favourite Haunts :: A Sea of Ghosts on Kangaroo Island (Karta)

Land of the Dead: Kangaroo Island, South Australia
© Ghost & Girl

"Ngurunderi’s final act on earth was to leave instructions for his people, that after death, they should follow his steps to the western end of Kangaroo Island.  There he leapt from a pile of rocks into the sea, where he drowned, but his cleansed spirit rose to the sky, to await the arrival of his descendants."

~ Ngurunderi's Final Action, Ngarrindjeri Dreaming

 

 

South Australia's Kangaroo Island lies 112km south-west of the city of Adelaide, and is Australia's third largest island. Today it is inhabited by around 4000 people, most of whom live on the east coast of the island, closest to the mainland. Over half the island is national parks and protected wilderness areas, and the largest of these are found on the island's western end.

 

The island has been inhabited by Europeans since the early 19th Century. It was sealers, escaped convicts, and awol sailors who first took up casual residency on the island. These were rough, uncouth men, infamous for kidnapping Aboriginal women from Tasmania and the South Australian mainland, to keep as slaves. A number of these women died in their attempts to cross the unforgiving waters surrounding the island to return to their people. Only one woman is known to have survived the journey.

 

When the island was first occupied by Europeans, they found it uninhabited by Aborigines. However, the presence of Indigenous Australians on the island is undisputed: There is archaeological evidence that suggests Aboriginal people occupied the island as recently as 2000 years ago, but their history on the island stretches back at least 16,000 years. Why the indigenous population chose to leave the island remains a mystery; however, the Aboriginal groups on the mainland refer to Kangaroo Island as "Karta", which means "Land of the Dead", the stories of which is reflected in their Dreaming.

 

For example, the Ngarrindjeri people regard the island as the place to which the spirit travels after death, where it meets with the ancestral spirits for the final journey into heaven. The Ramindjeri also refer to the island as being the "gateway to star heaven in the Milky Way". It is also said that the ghost of a Ramindjeri woman makes her presence known by appearing to people on the island in the form of a small, native bird.

 

Weir's Cove, Cape du Couedic, Kangaroo Island
© Ghost & Girl

The island was settled by the British as part of the Colony of South Australia, with the first ship of free settlers arriving at Reeves Point on 27 July 1836. However, a shortage of fresh water and suitable materials for building saw the settlement moved to the mainland less than four years later.

 

The waters surrounding Kangaroo Island are notoriously treacherous. The island has four lighthouses, all still in operation: Cape Willoughby (1852), Cape Borda (1858), Cape du Couedic (1906), and Cape St Albans (1908). Destructive cliffs make up most of the island's coastline, and the lighthouses have been integral to the safe passage of ships in and around the island for more than 160 years.

 

Kangaroo Island is infamous for its shipwrecks, with the west coast of the island being particularly unforgiving. One tragedy is that of the Loch Vennachar, which sailed into cliffs off remote West Bay in 1905. All 27 crew on board perished, and only the remains of one sailor was eventually washed ashore, later buried in the silver-grey sand-dunes of the bay.

 

The island presented a difficult, and sometimes tragic way of life for its inhabitants, too. The island's lighthouse keepers and their families were completely isolated, not just from the mainland, but for a long time there were no roads connecting the lighthouses to the rest of the island. At Cape Borda and Cape du Couedic, supplies were brought in by ship and hauled up the cliff-edge at Harvey's Return and Weir's Cove respectively. Sailors, light-keeper's and their family members make up the island's early dead, the magnitude of which can been seen in cemeteries like that found at Harvey's Return near Cape Borda.

 

Cottages at Cape du Couedic, Kangaroo Island
© Ghost & Girl

If you believe the reports, it seems that some of these dead continue to wander their island home. The old light-keeper's cottages at Cape Borda are now rented out to visitors as self-contained accommodation, and many who stay report ghostly happenings, which includes the apparition of a small girl in and around the cottages themselves.

 

The visitor books at Cape du Couedic report similar ghostly activity in and around the old cottages. An "old man" is frequently reported, as are countless tales of strange, unexplained sounds and lights coming from within the cottages, including those that should be empty, and the unshakable, eerie sensation that one is never quite alone, no matter where on the Cape one finds themselves.

 

It was far too easy for me to relate to this unfathomable sensation of being watched during my own stay at Cape du Couedic. The three charming light-keeper's cottages are set in behind a rise that provides suitable protection from the winds that roar in over the cape, with the lighthouse a short stroll to the top. Renting one of the assistant keeper's cottages in the off-season meant that we were the only two people for miles, surrounded by windblown scrubland on one side, and the brutal mass of the Southern Ocean on the other.

 

We arrived at the Cape just on sunset. The blinds on the cottage windows were all drawn, and the place appeared to be completely uninhabited - by the living, at least. But from the moment we stepped out of our car and made our way to the cottage entrance, it became undeniable that our first impression of the cape as uninhabited wasn't entirely accurate.

 

I was completely restless the entire first evening of our stay. Inside the cottage, it felt as though we were constantly watched. I know it sounds terribly cliché, but this sensation was so intense that it made the hairs on the back of my neck remain permanently raised, as if something was hovering just behind me, deliberately staying out of sight. Whenever I looked up, or turned around, or walked out of one room and into another, I could not escape the feeling that at any moment I would find a stranger staring at me from within the shadows.

 

Then on the first night, not long after I had dozed off, I was woken suddenly by what I thought was someone whispering in my ear: "My name is John..."

 

I live in an old, stone house, and am therefore familiar with the sounds that old, stone houses make in the night: The pop and crack of the roof and floorboards as the house cools; the knocking of the stones and the rattle of sash windows and doors as it shifts and settles; the howl of the wind as it makes it way down the chimneys. And for the first two nights at Cape du Couedic, the wind howled and the sea crashed in a way that only the Southern Ocean is capable of, and all the noises we heard during those two nights we could confidently say were nothing more than the normal sounds that an old stone cottage makes during nights of wild weather.

 

On the third night, though, we were blessed with perfect calm. The eerie sensation of being watched and followed had abated, and we found ourselves quite comfortable within the walls of the old assistant keeper's cottage. It made for an undisturbed sleep.

 

Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island
© Ghost & Girl

However, in the early hours of that last morning, before the sun had even peaked above the horizon, I woke from my slumber, unmoving, but fully awake and alert. Outside it was perfectly still, not even the sound of a bird could be heard. And then, just as it had been reported countless times in the visitor books, there came the sound of movement from the other end of the corridor outside the bedroom: A shuffling, thumping and tapping, the distinct sounds of someone pulling on boots, followed by footsteps proceeding down the hallway to the front door, first becoming louder at their approach, before gently fading away.

 

The tales of the ghosts of Cape du Couedic do not reveal, nor even hazard a guess at the identity of the spirit whose footsteps are so regularly heard making their way down the hallway in the cottage. I like to think that it is one of the old assistant light-keepers making his early-morning check of the lighthouse.

 

Whilst it's easy to make assumptions, it's more difficult to confirm if any of the assistant light-keeper's stationed at Cape du Couedic, and resident of the same cottage, were actually named John. It'd be a neat coincidence if there was, though.

 

 

Want to know more about Kangaroo Island (Karta)? Try these links:

Kangaroo Island: A Rich History

Flinders Ranges Research: Kangaroo Island

Aborigines on Kangaroo Island

Nunkuwarrin Yunti: Ngurunderi

Wulde Waiirri: Kangaroo Island Aboriginal Cultural Tours

Sarah  

[Find out more about your hosts here]

Making the Paranormal Normal :: Halloween as a Ritual of Inversion - An Australian Perspective

© Ghost & Girl

"For a while, we pull these fearful and painful realities into a relatively contained and public context. We share them with our children. We create a special and safe moment during which danger and death, skeletons and strangers can safely be part of our existence...Halloween reverses the usual order of many things in many ways". ~ Ken C. Erikson, Anthropologist

 

 

Here's the deal: I have never celebrated or participated in Halloween. Ever. I can muse about ghosts, and theorise about life after death, but Halloween presents me with a difficulty: How does one write about something one has no experience of?

 

You see, in southern Australia (where I have lived all my life), October is spring. Here the days are getting longer and warmer. It hasn't rained solidly in at least two months. The ground is dry, the grass is beginning to crunch underfoot, and the plants are finishing their spring bloom in preparation for summer shut-down.

 

October 31 in Australia bears no relevance to the ancient Celtic calendar that brought about Samhain, which lead to All Hallow's Eve and, in time, Halloween. In Australia, the first day of November marks the beginning of summer: Beltane. If Australians wanted to be serious about Halloween and keep in line with its history and traditions, then the reality is that it would need to be celebrated not in October, as it is in the Northern Hemisphere, but on the Southern Hemisphere's Samhain, which falls on April 30.

 

There is limited information as to why Australia, despite its shared cultural and religious history with Europe and the Americas, never adopted the tradition of Halloween. There are suggestions, however, that the seasonal differences may have played a major part, or perhaps the religious influences at the time of settlement had something to do with it as well. It might even be that the arduous life of a settler (whether a free one or not) simply couldn't accommodate the traditions of the Old Country.

 

However, whatever the reasons for its initial absence from the Australian calendar - an absence that existed for more than two hundred years, I might add - in recent times, Halloween has been creeping its way into our lives.

 

Or, at least, into our supermarkets and department stores.

 

The arrival of Halloween to Australian shores is the result of clever marketing techniques from the big-brand, American-owned companies that influence all our purchasing habits. But despite this, the introduction of Halloween might be just what Australia needs.

 

In the past decade or so, Halloween has become a thing in Australia. People throw costume parties and children go trick-or-treating in their neighbourhoods. I was surprised to learn during my own investigations (read: intense questioning of local residents), that even in a small town situated on the edge of the desert, Halloween has been the thing to do for the past fifteen years. And not only that, but with each passing year it gets bigger and better, with more people becoming involved.

 

But don't think for a minute that this is your typical, Northern Hemisphere Halloween event. There's no history behind the existence of Halloween in Australia. It's only cultural influence is American pop-culture.

 

So, why then do we do it, if we have no seasonal, cultural or historical ties to the tradition?

 

I asked this question of a parent whose two teenage daughters have dressed-up and gone trick-or-treating for the past ten years. Her response was this:

 

"You'd think it'd be about the candy, but it's not. It's about the make-believe, about being a kid. It's the experience of it that has them wanting to do it again, year in and year out, no matter how old they get".

 

When I first decided that I would write this post, I wanted to write about Halloween as a ritual of inversion. A ritual of inversion (or reversal, as it is sometimes referred) is an event that permits people to participate in something that goes against the accepted norms of one's society.

 

Halloween is the time of year when it is okay, in fact acceptable for people to dabble in danger and death. It's the time when ghost stories are encouraged rather than scoffed at; when monsters and strange events become the topic of conversation; when one can dress up as a mythical creature without ridicule; and when all the things that make up the paranormal become the normal. All those things we'd rather not think about, let alone discuss or participate in at any other time of the year, become accepted practice during Halloween.

 

This is what makes Halloween a ritual of inversion, and perhaps it is the reason why Australians seem willing to adopt it and make it a part of their annual calendar. There was nothing like it before. When I was growing up, one didn't talk about death, or ghosts, or monsters. It was either taboo, or didn't exist. Now children make up songs about ghosts on their way to school in the morning, and choose out costumes for trick-or-treating, and attempt to scare each other silly with the scariest story they can come up with. 

 

And since it's Halloween, that's perfectly okay.

 

From an Australian perspective, Halloween presents one with the perfect excuse to become involved in the paranormal. Australia needs Halloween, simply because it is a ritual of inversion. It's cultural influences, and even its seasonal irrelevance seem unimportant in light of the fact that Halloween acts as a social pressure-release valve.

 

That is, Halloween makes it okay to talk about and participate in those things that might otherwise raise eyebrows; to celebrate not only the make-believe, but shared experience with death - and what comes after it.

 

Sarah  

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Samhain :: Ancient Festival of the Dead

"A gypsy fire is on the hearth,

Sign of the carnival of mirth;

Through the dun fields and from the glade,

Flash merry folk in masquerade,

For this is Hallowe'en!"

(Author Unknown)

 

 

Most academic scholars believe that Halloween is simply a Christianised feast influenced by the Pagan Samhain.

Samhain (pronounced sow-en) has been celebrated in Britain for centuries as it marks an important date on the Pagan calendar: the Festival of the Dead and the Celtic New Year. However, many countries, such as Australia, do not recognise Halloween, whilst for other countries, Halloween involves dressing up, trick or treating, carving jack-o-lanterns and participating in themed games such as apple bobbing.

Mischief and jovial aside, Samhain also represents the thinning of the veil; the time of year when it is believed that the Otherworld can be reached more readily.

The idea that Samhain is a juncture between our world and the Otherworld led to a popular belief that on this night, time would stand still. During Samhain the natural order of life was thrown into chaos and the earthly world of the living became hopelessly entangled with the world of the dead.

The world of the dead was itself a complicated place. Here roamed not only spirits of the departed, but also a host of gods, fairies and other creatures of an uncertain nature. An unwary traveller might expect to encounter any one of these creatures during this time, and it was advisable to stay indoors. Ghosts were everywhere. They may or may not have been harmful to the living.

Superstition states that all fires on this night must be extinguished and could only be relit from the great flames of Tlachtga. This, of course, is not to be taken literally; rather, it symbolised the brief and temporary ascendency of the powers of Darkness at this time of year.



Tlachtga, where the great fire of Samhain would be lit

There are many superstitions surrounding Samhain, some of which include:

~ If you hear footsteps behind you, don’t look back as it may be the dead following you.

~ Carry a lump of bread in your pocket, so that if you come into contact with a ghost, it will serve as an offering.

~ A child born on this night will have the gift of second sight.

~ If you come across a spider, don’t kill it as it may be a dead relative.

~ Bridges, crossroads and burial sites are areas to avoid, as the dead mingle freely with the living.

~ Don’t sit underneath a Hawthorn tree or you might be kidnapped by the Little Folk.

~ If you look into a well, you might see twelve months into the future.

~ Oatmeal and salt placed on children’s heads will protect them from evil.

~ Go to bed early in the event you encounter something from the Otherworld.

Although the spirits were thought to be benign, they needed some sort of appeasement in the form of ritual offerings. So long as the offering was forthcoming the spirits were happy and benevolent. However, bad luck would descend on the household if they weren’t appeased.

Some remnants of this tradition may have survived in the modern celebration of Halloween, in the custom of "trick or treat". Children, dressed in costume, invite the household to make a donation or face the consequences. The 'treat' may represent the ritual offering, whilst the 'trick' (nowadays a harmless prank) may have, in antiquity, represented the malevolent consequences of inadequately appeasing the ancestral spirit on this night.

Queen Maeve by J C Leyendecker

Irish mythology is littered with references to the magical significance of Samhain. It marked the end of the fighting and hunting season for the warrior troop known as the Fianna. At Samhain they retreated into winter camp, quartering themselves on the general population until the return of Summer at Beltainne (Beltane).

Fionn mac Cumhaill chose Samhain as the time to present himself before the court at Tara, while it was also during Samhain that the god Lugh made his dramatic entrance to the same court. In the legendary Irish poem Tain Bo Cualigne, Queen Maeve waits until Samhain before setting out on the great Cattle Raid of Cooley in order to capture the prized bull of Ulster.

It is interesting to note that when the early writers wished to impart a magical quality to events they were depicting, they choose the Festival of Samhain for the occasion.

How do you celebrate Halloween?

 

 

Further reading:

A Pocket Guide to Superstitions of the British Isles by Steve Roud

Tlachtga: Celtic Fire Festival by John Gilroy

 

 

Laura  

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