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THE CHINA MAIL SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 19,
WHY CHRISTMAS, GHOSTS
By MAURICE NOEL HENNESSY
IT seruis very strange that mest wiiters of ghostly phenomena earetully avond that all-important why do ghosts appear question mare at Christmas then other time of the yea"
any
Chosts a seldom seen on sum- mer evenings, they always seem t choose the festive season, and even the telling of a glost stor? IN summer seems to lack they chama that it
fold has when aremad a blazing fire, on
a wild Wanter evening
There appears to be no definite expression of opinion on the sub- Jeef, but there are a few outstand- ing features of ghostly apparitions solution to the
which give us a problem.
One of the main categories into which these spirits can be classi-
circum-
Bed is the Family Ghost. Spirits follow certain families; wherever they may be, and the
of stances and reputed causes their appearance vary in dearly every instance. In cerinin families they appear to come as a ng against approaching death evil in others, they come rully as a kind of pnniversary event.
15
Warn-
Or
an-
this Scotland and Ireland type of ghost is most frequent; of the spirits and sparit stories that enhance the glamour of the Scottish highlands and the Trish valleys
family are of the variety. Few of the Scottish farmi- lies of repute are without their ghosts.
Isn't It Natural?
1040.
Isn't it quite natural that in this Christifide of the past was also as- family re-union, the members who soofafed with snow on the ground have passed on should come back onAlte. ghosts the snow is white, to the fold in order to be present But, after all, why should ghosts.. at the family gathering-Perhaps be white, why could they not be the force of memory and the reblue or yellow or green. But then,
there'
green ghosts in Scotland, however,
The snow on a leaflens tree makes very strange figures.
tion "seen."
are
To resume; the treas are bare in winter and the snow on a leafless tree makes very strange figures, Indded many a stout-hearted per- son,has received a scare from a snow-covered limb before now. What then could be seen by some- one whose vision is blurred by the good cheer of Christmas? Ghosts, ghosts, and more ghosts.
A more serious cause for Christ- mas Ghosts is, of course, religion, and here appears to be the most acceptable theory. The fact that the birth of Christianity is the real significanes of Christmas and the fact that Christianity is the source of an things spiritual, pre- sents an important viewpoint for the Ghost lover.
miniscences of the past have such No doubt, much research would psychological effect that imagina- present a fine case for this, but at obvious The more runs riot and
are the moment ghosts
facts must be accepted. And these are that Christmas was by the On consideration, an excellent of the
very nature of its beginning asso- case for the appearance
be Family ghost at Christmas car Again, Christmas is the time of ciated with supernatural things, and the modern tendency to see made. Christmas is the great oc- feasting and merry making; some-
a little more things in the same light is noth- casion for the gathering together times the latter is
or less than a relic of of all the members of a family, than mere merrymaking. Red wine ing more From far and near people come to flows freely and often ghosts ap- the ancient forms of the festive spend the festive reason: in the pear more often. Readers, draw season. bosom of their families. This fact your own conclusions. Have you in itself constitutes a feature of the ever seen a ghost after a night of old Christmas that is last dying Christmas revelry? out, but nevertheless presents an Interesting point of view.
Ireland, that land of ghosts, pre- sents a peculiar custom which is The really the only one that offers att
A rather interesting idea pre- sents itself
ir this regard.
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Glamis Castle, whose ghost is probably the most famous.
the Christmas explanation of ghost, Away in the west of Conne- mara, in the poor peasants' cot- tages, there is a very strong belief that the Holy Family visit the homes
Con- of the peasantry, sequently, they leave their doors wide open; leave a bright fire in the hearth and prepare the table for three. Of their very humble fure, they lay a generous quantity on the tuble.
Their belief is really amazing and if they do see spirits at Christ- mas time, they think nothing of it. They expect it rather than look on it as a faint possibility.
Simple Explanations
Then again, spirits often moni- fest their presence in a variety of ways, for example the guttering of a candle, the hooting of an owl, necullar ticking sounds and vari- ous other ways.
The
fact that Christmas fre- quently brings stormy winds might casily account for the guttering of candles, despite the fact that many will avow that when this strange thing happens, there is no draught. A little too much food- dogs frequently suffer from this complaint at Christmas-may ac- rount for the howling dogs. Many of the other manifestations may be explained in a similar manner, by some psychological or psysiological happening.
even
Old mansions and castles are usually the "right" places to see ghosts at Christmas. Here again the family element is noticeable, and it would
the appear that family ghost is really the Christ- mas ghost. There is scarcely any family castle in Scotland without its ghosts: probably the ghost of Glamis Castle is the most famous,
Even Sir Walter Scott seems to have been scared by this parti- cular ghost. He wrote: "It contains also a curious monument of the peril of feudal times, being a secret chamber, the entrance of which, by the law or custom of the family, must only be known to three persons at once, viz., the Earl of Strathmore, his heir- apparent, and any third person whom they may take into their confidence."
It would appear from this quotation that this chamber was the family ghost room. The fol- lowing quotation shows what Scott thought of the Ghost atmosphere of the place. "I must own, that as I heard door after door shut, after my conductor had retired, I began to consider myself too far from the living, and somewhat too near the dead."
Ask One!
Nuns and Monks seem to be a peculiar and frequent aspect of Christmas Ghosts. Here, maybe, religion is the explanation. They too may be returning to their own Hoines at Christmas: „back to their monasteries where they spent so many peaceful days.
Careful research has provided no stronger case for the Christmas Ghost. Perhaps you may be more fortunate; or unfortunate than I have been, and may have occasion to ask some Christmas ghost why he calls at the festive season. Does he wish to partake of the festive fare or is it just that he is desir- ous of renewing acquaintance with the old home.
Whatever be the explanation, the Christmas Ghost Is an institu... tion. It is an integral part of the old Christmas glamour, and the old ancestral hall would lose much of its ancient charm if the Ghost changed his time to any “other time of the year,