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THE BEST HALLOWEEN EVENTS
=l< Ghosts, Ghouls and Graveyards Creep about Ramshom kirkyard, finding out who was buried twice and gruesome details of the famous Victorian Glasgow murderer before celebrating Hallowe'en with some dancing and nibbling. Trades Hall, Glasgow, Sun 31 Oct.
* Day of the Dead: Artist’s Talk Denise Walker pays homage to the Mexican Day of the Dead with a guided tour taking you round paintings that deal with death and mourning. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, Sat 30 Oct.
* Samhain Festival Summer is dead. Long live winter. Get into the pagan spirit with pyrotechnic ritual and procession as the dark forces win out. Hunter Square, Edinburgh, Sun 31 Oct.
* City of the Dead Tours Walk through Edinburgh's dark. narrow closes and visit the sites haunted by the famous McKenzie ghost in Greyfriar's graveyard where you enter the locked Covenanters’ Prison and the Black Mausoleum. St Giles Cathedral. Edinburgh, night/y tours.
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As the witching hour is upon us, Morag Bruce delves into the murky netherworlds
of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
e‘x'e got a lot to thank the Pagans tor. .-\l’ter all. (‘hristmas would he a dull old mare without dragging a tree into the home and draping it in
tack. But at this time of ~Vear. scared} cats must get their
brave pants on l'or Hallowe'en: another ancient tradition pill‘ered by the modern world. While we’re not as mad for it as ottr cousins across the water. Scotland can certainl} hold its own ill the spook stakes.
Hallowe‘en has its roots in the lt‘sllle ol‘ Samhain. which marks the end of summer and the return of. the ltllle laced lyikesl lttlg til. winter. (‘ailleaclL who slicks around until the return ol‘ summer on Beltane. Huge l'casts. ritual tires and the prospect ot~ dead l'olk coming to the part} are features of this huger important lt‘sllHll. The name Hallowe‘en comes from the l’act that those Christians. not the hugest lans ol' Paganism. in an ellot't to distract attention from Samhain. lllti\ ed .-\ll Saints l)a} l‘rom l3 Mai} to the l .\'o\emher in 835. making 3| ()ctoher .-\l| llallows li\e.
.-\lthough it‘s known by its (‘hristian name. most activities come from Samhain. .-\t some point. nearl) all of us llthC had a dripping lace l'rom dooking l'or apples. which were held as sacred h} Druids. last as we go guising. (‘elts Used to dress tip as spirits so the} might he mistaken for fellow dead t_\'pes h} hona tide ghosts. and that apparentl} innocent pumpkin lantern harks hack to when skulls were stuck on poles at the cin gates to ward off e\il spirits. .’\t least the} ne\ er had to eat the darn things for da_\ s afterwards.
The reason _\ou're likel} to bump into someone long departed on Halloween is that the Pagans helieVed this
was when the \eil between the worlds was at its thinnest. But where should we go to meet them'.’
Author ol‘ (ill of l/It' /)('tl(l. .lan—.’\ndrew Henderson. sa_\.s the gap is alwa}s thin in lidinliurgh‘s (ireMtiars Kirk}ard. ‘lt' aii_\thing is going to happen on Halloween. this is a good het. It's haunted h) the world's hest documented supernatural case. the Macken/ie poltergeist.’ .\lr \lacken/ie spent his life as an ad\ocatc. taking great delight in sending people to the gallow s. Now his spirit hangs around the gra\c_\ard's Black Mausoleum. scratching and bruising people.
Archie Laurie ol‘ the Scottish Societ} ol' l’s_\cltical Research sa}s the White Hart Inn in the (irassmarket is a hotspot ol' paranormal acti\ it}. 'Spirits are most likel} to he found in places w here people c\perienee emotion and traged}. the places we l'rcquent in our dail} lixcs.‘
This is cet'tainl} trtte in (ilasgow. ii the citvs theatres and art galleries are amthing to go h}. l-iona .-\nderson. huilding manager at the ('iti/ens’ 'l'heatre. says there ha\e heen nuinerous sightings of a 'green may and plent} of strange noises and lights l‘alltlollil} switching themselxes ol‘l‘.
lior a much more organic e\pericnce than joining a dating agenc}. here‘s an alternatite. Ila girl peels an apple at midnight on Hallowe'en and hangs the peel on a nail it} the front door. the initials of the first man to enter w ill be the same as those other future spouse.
.\la_\ the ghouling land dookingl commence?
See Hitlist and listings for details of Hallowe’en events.
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