Halloween Thoughts, and a Real Ghost Story

What is it about the night that enchants children? So many children's books show their characters going out into the night for a great adventure (and almost always leaving their parents behind).

The great fun of Halloween isn't just the candy. It's a chance for children to roam their neighborhoods in the dark, to confirm their suspicions that things really are different at night. That's when the imagination can take over, filling in the gaps left by the absent light.

The origins of Halloween go back to the Celts, who celebrated Samhain, a harvest festival, in the late autumn. They believed it was a night when the boundary between the physical and spiritual worlds became very thin. This allowed spirits into the world to cause problems for humans. To confuse the spirits, people dressed as ghosts and ghouls, hoping to trick the spirits into moving away from their village.

Ghost stories are still with us, of course. A 2003 poll found that 51% of US adults believe in ghosts. Some people have speculated that ghosts are actually time-space anomalies, or some sort of electromagnetic residue. Others view ghosts as psychological projections of our fears.

In celebration of Halloween, take a look at the above video, which is an actual account of an encounter with a ghost known as the Ada Witch. It takes a while to get to the story, so be patient. For more information on this particular ghost, follow
this link and have a Happy Halloween!