Slowly Run Your Mouse over this house to see More Haunted Goodies!

As you might imagine, every year at Halloween when the leaves change into their
bright colors, night comes a little earlier, the fog creeps in and there is a
hanging chill in the air, those organizations that explore the world of ghosts
and hauntings get more attention. We also get many questions asking if reports
of ghosts are more prevalent during Halloween than the rest of the year. Well,
for us the answer is no. The Evergreen Paranormal Group investigates one to two
cases involving hauntings every month of the year. Still, there seems to be something
in the human psyche that associates this time of year with ghosts and hauntings.
It’s something that goes far back into the history of the ancient Celts and people
of Brittany. It’s a feeling that, while we live in this world of technology,we
are not necessarily that far removed from the imagination and intuitions of our
ancestors and that perhaps in the dark of night in that cool breeze or lingering fog,
something reminds us that there are moments when the seen and unseen blur in the
shadows. So, with that, please enjoy a brief history of Halloween and enjoy our web site.

When you think of Halloween, what comes to mind? For a lot of people,Halloween has
become synonymous with candy, costumes, scary stuff,witches, ghosts and pumpkins. The
true origins of Halloween lie with the ancient Celtic tribes who lived in Ireland,
Scotland, Wales and Brittany. For the Celts, November 1 marked the beginning of a new
year and the coming of winter. The night before the new year, they celebrated the
festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead. During this festival, Celts believed the souls
of the dead-including ghosts, goblins and witches-returned to mingle with the living.
In order to scare away the evil spirits, people would wear masks and light bonfires.

When the Romans conquered the Celts, they added their own touches to the Samhain
festival, such as making centerpieces out of apples and nuts for Pomona, the Roman
goddess of the orchards. The Romans also bobbed for apples and drank cider.Many
of the customs we now associate with Halloween are also derived from ancient
celebrations. For example, the current custom of going door-to-door to collect
treats actually started in Ireland hundreds of years ago. Groups of farmers would
go door-to-door collecting food and materials for a village feast and bonfire.
Those who gave were promised prosperity; those who did not received threats of bad
luck. When an influx of Irish immigrants came to the United States in the 1800s, the
custom of trick-or-treating came with them. Does your family carve a pumpkin to place
on your porch for Halloween? If so, then you can once again thank the Irish for the
tradition. Actually, the custom began with a turnip. People would hollow out the
turnips and place lighted candles inside to scare off the evil spirits. When the I
rish came to America, they discovered the pumpkin as a larger substitute for the
turnip. And so, we now carve pumpkins instead of turnips for Halloween.


Jack 'O Lantern.

According to Irish folklore, there once lived a man named Jack who was known for
being a drunk and a prankster. One night Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree,
and quickly carved an image of a cross on the trunk, trapping the devil. Jack then
made him promise that,in exchange for letting him out of the tree, the Devil would
never tempt him to sin again.He reluctantly agreed, but was able to exact his revenge
upon Jack's death. Because of his mischievous ways in life, Jack was barred from
entering heaven and because of his earlier trick,he was also barred from hell. So
he was doomed to wander the earth until the end of time, with only a single ember
(carried in a hollowed out turnip) to warm him and light his way. In Ireland, they
originally also used turnips for their "Jack Lanterns", but upon arriving in the
new world, they discovered that pumpkins were abundant and easier to carve out.

Halloween Costumes and Shopping in Monroe

Halloween Games for Kids
Ben & Jerry's Halloween Games
Kids Domain Halloween Games
Black Dogs Halloween Party
Free Halloween.Com

Kate.Net



Halloween E Cards and More!
Halloween Greeting Cards and More!


Local Haunted Houses
Special Effect Haunted Houses List
Maggot Munchers Links
Haunt World Haunted House Locator
Hauntfinder
Haunted World

Seattle City Search



Some Halloween Graphics
A few Halloween Graphics we've collected