1940-12-19 — Page 66

40

THE CHINA MAIL SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER :19, 1940.

WHY CHRISTMAS. GHOSTS

By MAURICE NOEL HENNESSY ·

1 seems very strange that mest writers of ghostly phenomena efully avoid that all-inspan tant estion: why do ghost: appe

* at

ןייז *

Christmas than Ime of the year!

at y

hosts at sridom setIL AT SAITLY

evenings, they always seem to

Summer

* the festive season, and In the telling of a ghost sten 2

th Lack that

10 when told set as bing the, on a WORL

te Eve

sechs

circunt-

of

Aed is the Family Ghost. Spirits follow certain families, wherever they

may be, and the stances and reputed causes

in nearly their appearance vary every instance. In certain families warn- they appear to come as a ing against approaching death or evil: 311 others, they come

ally as a kind of anniversary eval

A-

th..

frequent, Spirit

Scotland and held Tek het is mot

the

111

spirit, and " steries that enisance the glamou of the Scottish, byphlomets arul the tamdy Fish Valley.

1 the acty Few ad De Se Hush fam

without Bjarke

he i 1h Mo

casion

thea

Isn't It Natural?

Isn't it quite natural that in this Christmas of the past was also as- family re-unlon, the members who socinted with snow on the ground; have passed on should come back and ke 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 re-blue or yellow or grean. But then,

The show on a leafless tree makes very strange figures.

muuruisechers of the past have such psychological effect that imagine

int and ghosts,

tion

j

Again, Che tmas the time feasting and merry making, some. fines the latter is tile mole than mere merrymaking Red wine flows freely and often ghosts ap- more often. Header, draw Vour own conclusions Have you seen a ghost after a night of Christmas revelry?

On congastrition, an excellent The fun

the appearance Fatti Phot at Christmas can be Their appes is to be th ch fitute made himaw the great of despre scan of optim on the sub

for the gathering together 4, but there are a few outstand et all the menders at a family. ng features of ghostly apparition, From fan and in a people come to

hich give u. a

in the pear solution to the spend the festive y “abor, problem

bosoma of then families. This fact in el constitutes a featur of the fast dying obt Chasmas that is out, but nevertheless presents an interesting point of viIA. -

One of the main categories into

-hich these spirits van be clased

Ove

A rather interesting iden pre- sents itself ir this regard. The

By Popular Acclaim

PHILCO

REFRIGERATORS

MAKE

HISTORY with LATEST DEVICES

No home is complete without a PHILCO

green ghosts

there are Scotland, however,

in

To resumo; the trees are bare in winter and the snow on a leafless trac makes very strange figures, indeed 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 Hood cheer of Christmas Ghosts, ghosts, and more ghosts.

1

A more serious cause for Christ- mes Ghosts is, of course, religion, and here appears to be the most acceptable theory. The fact that The birth of Christianity is soat qitnifleones of Claidimas por the fact that Christianity is the source of a thunts spioni, pie rents an important viewpoint for The Ghost lover.

11 tare

No doubt, much research would pregant a fine case for this, but t obvious the tent fou to must be accepted. And these by the te that Christmas was very maltue of its begiming asso- mated with supernatural things,

the modern tendency to ser things in ie same light is noth- ing more or less than a relic of the ancient forms of the festive

peasOJE.

Ireland, that land of ghosts, pre- sorts a peculiar custom which is really the only one that offers au

ONLY PHILCO

GIVES YOU ALL THESE FEATURES:

SEPARATE, GIANT-SIZE FROZEN FOOD COMPARTMENT FOR ALL MODERN FROZEN STORAGE USES

CONSERVADOR

EXCLUSIVE INNER DOOR THAT GIVES YOU 20% MORE QUICKLY US. ABLE SPACE.

MOIST COLD COMPARTMENT

FOR KEEPING FOODS WITHOUT THE BOTHER OF COVERS

DRY COLD COMPARTMENT

FOR NORMAL STORAGE USE

REMOTE CONTROL THERMOMETER

TEMPERATURE CONTROL

· DURABLE DULUX EXTERIOR PERMANENTLY WHITE

ACID-RESISTING PORCELAIN INTERIOR

FIVELYEAR, PROTECTION: PLAN

GILMAN & CO., LTD.

GLOUCESTER ARCADE,

TELEPHONĘ 27484.

:BASEMENT:BEDDER BLDG., TELEPHONE 27017.

132, NATHan road, TELEPHONE 56026.

Glamle Castle, whose ghost is probably the most famous,

the of

Christmas explanation ghost Away in the west of Conne- mara, in the poor peasants' cot- tage, there is a very strong belief that the Holy Family visit the Can- homes of the peasantry. sequently, they leave their doors wide open; leave a bright fire in the hearth and prepare the table 4 three. Of their very humble fore, they lay a generous quantity on the table.

Their belief is really amazing and if they do see spirits at Christ-

time, they think nothing of it They expect it rather than look on it as a faint possibility.

Simple Explanations

Then again, spirits often mani- fest their presence in a variety of ways, for example the guttering of a candle, the hooting of an owl, peculiar ticking sounds and vari- ous other ways.

The

fre-

fact that Christmas quently brings stormy winds might easily account for the guttering nl 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- round for the howling dogs. Many of the other mamiestations may be explained in a similar manner, by Sume psychological or psysiological happening.

even

the

Old mansions and castles are usually the "right" places to see ghosts at Christmas. liere again the family element is noticeable, and it would

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 Scolt 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 u entrance of secret chamber, the which, by the law or custom of the family, must only be known to three persons at once, viz.,

Earl

the

of Strathmore, his heir- third person apparent, and any whom they may take into their confidence."

from would appear

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 shul, afler 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 homes at Christmas: back to their monasteries where they spent so many peaceful days.

7

Careful research has provided no stronger case for the Christmas Ghost. Perhaps you may be more fortunate, or unfortunate than 4 have been, and may have occasion to ask some Christmas ghost why he culls 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 un integral part of the old Christmas glamour, and the

would old ancestral hall

Jogo much of its ancient charm if the Ghost changed his time to any "Ölher lino of the year..