Almost time for Halloween

After a bit of a hiatus over the summer months and a venture into politics, with Halloween looming in a matter of days, my mind is firmly engaged in grappling with ghosts, in the form of stories, rather than the 'real thing' whatever that might be.

As I have said before in previous posts, I am somewhat a skeptic when it comes to ghosts and the paranormal. I put the creeping sense of danger when I encounter unnervingly dark corners when out walking the dog at night to natural instinctive reactions, those hormonal responses that enable human beings to prepare the 'fight or flight' response. Not to the possible presence of something otherwordly but the possible presence of a marauding human being that might present a danger. Or as my grandmother used to say (and she firmly believed in things supernatural): "hay mas peligro de entre los vivos que entre los muertos porque los muertos no te pueden tocar." And observing the cruelty that people inflict on one another in life, she is evidently correct.

But that's just me. I have complete respect for those who might have experienced the paranormal, who have seen things or felt things that have a clear meaning for them. Or perhaps the meaning is unclear and there is no rational explanation for their experience. That fascinates me. Because I have met many people who claim to have 'seen a ghost' and all have been completely genuine and convinced of their experience. And, as a writer and someone who spends much time working in the world of make-believe, I can see that sometimes, for some, belief becomes reality. So who am I to question a person's own reality just because it is not mine?

But back to ghosts, because, despite the gaudy, plastic decorations flaunted in the shops, the monsters of old tales and modern horror movies, the gruesome plastic masks and fancy dress outfits, Halloween is all about ghosts. 

Halloween is a time at the cusp of what was thought of as a new year. It was a time when winter was coming and its darkness seemed to be consuming the world. Halloween was a festival that celebrated the harvest and respected the spirits of our ancestors, those that had lived before us. It was less about ghouls and demons than it was about allowing the dead into the world of the living for one night, and giving them respect. Hence the Halloween alters with offerings of the autumn harvest and candles to bring some symbolic light into the long darkness of death.

These were the beliefs of our ancient ancestors, and to establish those beliefs in new generations, stories were told. Ghost stories.

Image by enriquelopezgarre from Pixabay 

Ghost stories, as with any other kind of story, served a purpose. When Christianity first encountered the Celtic belief in Samhain, their feast of the dead, Pope Gregory I instructed his priests not to ban these celebrations, but to Christianise them. November 1st became All Saints' Day, the feast of the hallowed. That made Samhain, celebrated just before this, All Hallow's Eve (Hallowe'en). November 2nd became All Souls' Day, to say masses for the souls of the dead, following Pope Gregory I's suggestion that if a ghost is encountered, a mass should be said to plea for its soul so it might be allowed to enter heaven.

Conveniently for the medieval Church, the population of the time was highly superstitious and having masses said to release souls from purgatory and wandering the land was arranged by making payments to the priests. Saying masses for the souls of the dead became a lucrative business for the Church. It was not unlike the lucrative nature of the film and book industries and these days the 'terror or zombie experience' part of the entertainment industry which cashes in millions simply by creating something to terrify audiences. Why people pay to be scared is a bit beyond me - it is far more terrifying to watch real life news reports!

Image by Jeff Chabot from Pixabay 

However, ghosts and the allaying of any anger in the spirits of the dead is a worldwide phenomenon and not merely Western Christian, with days of the dead celebrated in the Far East and South America  - all over the world, in fact.

Which leads me to consider the ghost story as a particularly effective vehicle for human meaning. Ghosts usually haunt for a particular reason: they bring news of unsolved murders, they seek justice, they prevent tragedies, they highlight ethical failures, they bring warnings, they make demands of the people that they haunt that can bring restitution for injustices. Hauntings are often related to putting things right. And in this way, ghost stories are instructive; they tell us something about the human condition, about human nature and give us the opportunity to change for the better. Ghost stories illuminate the dark side of our lives and of our history - whether human history in a general sense, or the history of a particular place and a particular culture.

Ghost stories bring us a sense of hope. In suggesting that there is a life after death, they are illustrating that a change of behaviour or ensuring that justice is served, there is a possibility of redemption - physical and spiritual. Ghost stories help us understand our history and give us the opportunity to atone for past wrongs.

Gibraltar's history is replete with injustices, war, famine, pestilence, torture and death. Gibraltar's people have suffered from sickness and poverty. Some people in Gibraltar continue to suffer poverty and injustice, ill-health and a daily struggle. No society is ever perfect.

It is with a sense of wonder at what Gibraltar's ghosts can tell us about ourselves, that this Halloween, I continue my research into our ghost stories.

If you  have any ghost stories to tell, things that you have heard or experienced about Gibraltar, or about the place you live in at the moment, please leave your comment here, or get in touch: jackiegirl@hotmail.co.uk