Ireland's Ghost Stories

There seams to be all kinds of dates for Halloween or Samhain.

This year .......

Dark Moon (Lunar) Samhain
when the new moon aligns with the sun at 10 degrees Scorpio
October 22nd

Solar Samhain
when the sun is at 10 degrees Scorpio
November 2nd

Full Moon Samhain
the nearest full moon to October 31st
November 5th

Cross Quarter Samhain
the midpoint between autumn equinox and winter solstice
November 7th (quite late this year)

but most people now prefer the

All Hallows Samhain
calculated from the Roman calendar
October 31st - and that is today!

For many, this is an imagery time of ghosts and ghost stories
rather than a celebration of nature and a new Celtic Year
so lets see what's around in Ireland...

Thirty beguiling stories of sprites, wraiths, and specters appear here, as they were told  in rural 19th-century Ireland. Stories include "Tom Connors and the Dead Girl," "Maurice Griffin and the Fairy Doctor," "The Ghost of Sneem," "Tom Moore and the Seal Woman. You can read more about Irish Tales of the Fairies and the Ghost World here, and order worldwide

Haunted Houses, Banshees, Poltergeists and other Supernatural Phenomena. A compilation of stories based on supernatural phenomena recorded from the memories of ordinary Irish folk scattered throughout Ireland. Classified by geographical area, these simple yet compelling narratives provide amazing descriptions. A comprehensive collection. You can read more about True Irish Ghost Stories here, and order worldwide

Unexplained psychic phenomena fascinate people from all walks of life but most are afraid, ashamed and embarrassed to come forward for fear of not being taken seriously.  This book includes experiences of actor Micheal MacLiammoir, playwright and author Hugh Leonard (Jack Keyes Byrne), Lord of the Dance and Michael Flatley who has acknowledged the presence of Isabella in his Castlehyde home. The author, Padraic O'Farrell, tells lesser-known and previously unpublished ghost tales. You can read more about Irish Ghost Stories here, and order worldwide

The ghosts of Ireland are a part of the country's tradition and atmosphere. This guide contains 47 tales of ghosts through the ages, banshees, headless coachman, phantom dogs and fearsome black cats. The book is should be bought for its hauntingly beautiful photographs of world-renowned photographer Simon Marsden as well as for its stories. You can read more about A Ghost Watcher's Guide to Ireland here, and order worldwide

Christian Halloween Fears

What should we do

Christians face a dilemma every year on October 31. What should we do and what shouldn't we do, and what should we let our kids do. I find this is a huge concern with North American Christians yet not blinked at by most Irish and British Christians. I thinks its all to do with an understanding of where the traditions come from.

When I moved to life in the USA for awhile I was initially quite shocked at how Halloween was interpreted and displayed there with the heavy emphasis on blood, ghouls, chopped up body parts, haunting gravestones and surprise bouncing objects that cackle and scream. Where on earth did this all come from? After awhile I learned to lighten up and accept all of this as being a theatre, a game and having no long term influence on our soul, our values and morality. Nobody really took Halloween seriously, here today and gone tomorrow.

Christians can embrace the ancient roots of Halloween

I find this is a wonderful time to take seriously and be rewarded with an inner light and peace that provides real lasting joy. To do this its worth going back to the roots of the Halloween traditions which are beautiful, harmless and really do celebrate the creation by god and, for Christians, the love of Christ. I word myself in that way because all people of loving faiths can open to a divine spirit of love that Christians call Christ. My own faith and belief is to embrace all spiritual alignments to love.

There are things that Christians can do at Halloween, that both embrace the ancient traditions of Samhain, largely originating from Ireland, and close connection to the Christian way and faith. First and foremost this should be a family time as strong, if not stronger than Thanksgiving and Christmas. Its also a wonderful time to connect to your neighbourhood.

It can be a time to exchange in the Christian way

What is now "trick or treat" could be a wonderful opportunity to share your spirit of Christ and love with your neighbours. Its about exchanging things. The old guisers used to sing songs, read poetry and do dances reflecting on observance of the wonders of God's changing seasons and in return receive gifts of food or anything of abundance within the homes they visit. Its not essential to keep these gifts either, but maybe also pass them on to those more needy.

There are wonderful things a family can do. North America is much more expanse than Ireland with lots of different seasonal and weather patterns north to south and east to west so in many places its hard to visualize the innocent loving time that Samhain becomes in Ireland where the season is the same all over. Misunderstanding creates gossip which creates exaggeration that often falls into goulish interpretation.

Its easy to protect against false prophets

Sometimes this is done to create personal power. Even ancient Irish druids were masters of that such as when the days grew longer through January the druids told people it was their personal magic at Yule that caused the sun to come back rather than share their knowledge and wisdom about the tilting earth. Caesar used to report to Rome about cruel live human animal sacrifice when the reality was that cremation of the dead was often delayed until a day of spiritual observance and on such days chosen animals were slaughtered for the feast, just like they are today for every meat eating meal. This may be forgotten when we buy pre-packed meat at supermarkets.

Examples, maybe what I'll be doing

This Samhain I will not be close to family, who are far way, but will share with a group of close friends. We will observe a reflection of those who have passed on but not in mourning. Instead we will observe their legacies, wisdom, and love that has been left for the living to share, just like Christ has done. We will have a meal with mulled wine and share stories and share love in prayer . By reflecting on our ancestors it will be as if they are there, not as ghosts, but as realities in our wisdom, values and love today.

By the fire we will duck for apples, a lovely re-enactment of the earliest of sailors who are said to have come to west of Ireland 1000s of years ago seeking for the sacred apple tree of life. We will carry the vision of Brighid, Mary Of The Gael as we eat our baked apples coated in cinnamon and brown sugar and as their warm fills us use this warmth for prayer for the healing of the living so that we may share in their love and wisdom while they are still here on earth.

A perfect time to surround with the love of Christ

These are some of the things that Christians and their children can embrace in as an opportunity to surround themselves with their love of Christ. While doing so they can harmlessly laugh at the images of the devil who could not possibly be around during what should be one of the most loving times of the year

So here's wishing all Christians a loving Samhain being guided by the "ancestry" of Christ still alive today and the ancestry of those who followed him who's wisdom still guards us, especially through the winter.

This lovely book answers many questions Christians have about the origins and meaning of this holiday. It guides Christians through fun packed guilt-free ideas from costumes and decorating hints to party suggestions. Kim and Pam provide a wonderful guide that helps Christian parents balance love with conviction. Their ideas will create treasured childhood memories for your children rather than take this time from them. You can read more about Redeeming Halloween here, and order worldwide maybe it seems late for this year but still worth ordering for a wonderful reflection  and you'll have it handy for next year.

Before Trick Or Treat

What happened to "the Guy"?

Today, Halloween around the world seems to be dominated by the USA model of "trick or treat" where young people dress up and disguise themselves in masks and knock on the doors of neighbourhoods expecting gifts of candies. In later years the disguises have been getting leaner and money expected rather than candy. Some charities are using this event to collect their funds too. All of this waters down the old traditions and makes Halloween a time of modern begging without though of how this festival evolved.

My childhood was in England and we never heard of Halloween then, but November the 5th was "bonfire night", bonfire being short for "bones fire" but I'll write another blog about these forgotten terms before Samhain is past. Lighting of fireworks was part of this, said to be connected with Guy Fawkes and his failed blowing up of London's parliament, but I think it goes beyond that. However, we would make the "guy" a clothed straw stuffed doll wheeled around in a barrow and asking "a penny for the guy" to collect money to buy our fireworks. The finale of the fireworks and food from the bonfire, was to throw the guy onto the fire. More about the symbolism of that on another blog.

Please tae help the guisers

We raised our family in Scotland, on the Isle Of Mull, and there we experienced our first Halloween and Guisers. The Guisers were young people but had to do a bit more work then the trick and treat brigade of today. The guising children were disguised but also had to carry their lanterns carved from a turnip, known as rutebega in the USA and swede in Ireland and England because they do originate from Sweden. Some say Robert Burns brought both haggis and swedes from Sweden because he enjoyed his meal of haggis and clapshot, a mix of swede and potato, so much. Pumpkins did not really come to the UK and Ireland until about 1990 and the the simpler "trick or treat" tradition arrived with them.

Before 1990 guisers greeted the opening door with "We are the guisers, the guisers, the guisers, we are the guisers, come for halloween. Please tae help the guisers, and we'll sing ye a bonnie wee song". The guisers would then be invited in and would have to sign, or at least recite a poem and maybe do a dance before they earned a reward.

The reward was usually a fruit, apple or tangerine, some nuts some sweets and even a few pennies. Some homes made the guisers duck for apples in a big bowl or tine bath. Others had treacle scones hanging from strings that they used to have to grab by mouths with hands tied behind their back.

Guising, performed by these children came from an earlier tradition of Mummer's Plays where the performers were known as Guisers. Mummer's Plays is a huge subject that I would like to focus on more with another blog.

From druid spells to jester's tricks

Mummers Plays have descended from pre-Christian druid ceremonies and rituals that were later adapted by early Christian monks to demonstrate the gospels to their pagan communities. After reformations of the Christian church these ceremonies were revived by village communities as a form of entertainment that also maintained the basic ritual of closing one year and opening the next. This ritual was performed by converting the elements of old year and new year, dark and light, this world and the otherworld, and even good and evil through guised people in the form of hero, villian and healer along with additions such as a scoundrel, jester, maid, ringmaster, circle diviner, and damsel in distress.

Mummers Plays were one of the first big businesses of the early printing presses. "Broadsheets" of mummers plays scripts were sold, villages would re-write these according to legends of their region, such as St George being a hero in English mummers plays but often the villain in Irish mummers plays.

Galoshin is the most common hero of Scottish mummers plays. Galoshin is a mix of the Robin Hood and Herne The Hunter legends, a nature spirit in disguise who would beg from the rich to give to the poor as a symbol of taking back was was taken back from the land to give back to the land. The word Guising derived from the word Galoshin and the tradition of guising is known as Galoshing in Scotland.

I will speak much more about Mummers plays in future blogs, but they have evolved through the spirit of the druid tradition of killing the flame of the past year and starting a new year with a pure flame. The flame ceremony was done within a circle, a rath. This pure flame ceremony also marks the start of a three month communion with our ancestors when the veil between their's and our world is the thinnest. The time this communion ends is at Imbolc in February, the time of Brighid's flame. However, as mentioned in my past blog, Ride A White Swan, this is also known as a time when the Brighid spirit arrives on or as a swan and then departs on or as a swan at Imbolc.

So to welcome this season with our ancestors

So the Guisers and Mummers are symbols of our ancestors visiting the living of this world with the hope of being recognized by their song and words, their ways of passing on wisdom, the inspirations of bards. Some arrive to guide us through the rebuilding of new life to be born at Imbolc. Some arrive to collect the dead and unwanted to re-cycle into new life.

Gifts of the unwanted are now donations because under those ancestor guisers are real humans who love chocolate!

Mummers plays are most active in England, but mummers plays in Scotland, Wales and Ireland follow this guide to. As it says, its an introduction and a very easy read. It covers history, origins, heyday, mummers today, basic structure of plays with: names of characters; types of performance; types of play; costumes; venues, and attitudes. It includes how to start your own Mumming Play tradition and where to get materials. There are even some basic text templates that you can build your mummers play script on. You can read more about An Introduction to the English Mummers' Play here, and order worldwide arriving in time to practice at Yule and then put on an Imbolc mumming event