I’ve said in the past how much I love all things Halloween. If I’m going to be home the night of Halloween then the house will be decorated from top to bottom and I’ll be stocked up with sweets and chocolates to give out to any local trick or treaters. It really is my favourite time of the year.
It is widely claimed that it came to Britain from the US, however, some of the rituals we know today were practised in Scotland and Ireland in the 16th century. It wasn’t until immigration from these countries to the US in the 19th century that Halloween became widely celebrated there.
I digress, I’m supposed to be talking about ghosts!
Whilst we now think of ghosts as being the soul of someone who has died, it’s thought that it actually comes from the word aghast, to be frightened. How we’ve gone from being terrified to being a spirit i really don’t know.
I’m not a spiritual person, I believe once we’re gone then we’re gone, we don’t live on, our memories do. I do think that when we attribute some of the strange things that happen after a persons death to their spirit it’s our grief being hopeful that a small part of them is still with us.
Whilst I do find the unknown and unexplained absolutely fascinating, I have a fairly scientific mind so I need a logical explanation for why and how things happen. I’ve never had any personal experience with ghosts and I’ve not known anybody who has which backs up my non-believer stance.
I’ve never been scared by a ghost story or any kind of film or tv show. In fact, I couldn’t understand the big fuss surrounding the show Ghostwatch. It was a one off docu-drama and caused such controversy that the BBC have vowed never to repeat it, ever. I was a child when it was released on a residential trip with other children my age, if we weren’t disturbed by it with our collective imaginations, I have no idea how adults didn’t see it for what it was. Just a bit of fun!
I think I can safely admit I don’t have a kink for ghosts, the image that comes to my head when I think of ghosts is someone wrapped up in a white sheet, so funny rather than sexy.
There is just a small part of me who would love to be able to come back and haunt people though. I would firstly make sure those that have hurt me suffer but more importantly, if I were to die before my partner, then I want to watch him with his new partner. I think that sums me up, a perv in death as well as life.
Before that time comes, I’m just going to keep on enjoying all things spooky and fun. After all, who are you gonna call…Ghost Munchers!