Do Ghosts Have to be Scary?

Ghost stories since the dawn of time seem to be filled with fear, scares, the haunting of malevolent spirits out to harm the living (or at least terrify them.) But why is there such a widespread tradition of ghosts as a fearful, bad thing? What if ghosts were friendly? Not all cultures see the dead…

The fires of Samhain

Before Hallowe’en, there was Samhain (pronounced Sawin). This refers to a Celtic/Gaelic festival that marked the transition into the colder part of the year, the dark half. Celtic people counted a day as sunset to sunset, so the celebration for the festival would start at sunset on 31 October. This festival marked the midpoint between…