October-November
It’s Halloween! Ghosts, goblins,
witches, and vampires will soon walk our hometown streets in pursuit of filling
their trick or treat bags with candy. Scotland has many Halloween traditions
that we have adapted and carry-on to this day.
The Scottish holiday is known as the
ancient Celtic festival of Samhain and held on November 1st to
celebrate the end of summer, the harvest, and the start of winter. Scottish
traditions begin with a large bonfire. Some turnips are carved into lanterns
which are lit and carried and the forerunner of our carved pumpkins.
 |
| Edinborough Castle |
Guising or ‘galoshin’ sounds like familiar
fun. Children disguise themselves as evil spirits dressing in old clothes and
painting their faces. This way, the kids can walk safely through the streets at
night without being detected by wicked ghouls. The children have to perform a
trick before they could expect treats in return. While dookin’ for apples, a
favorite of any Halloween party, has you attempting to grab apples floating in
a big tub of water with your teeth. Sound familiar?
About fifteen years ago, my husband and I were
fortunate enough to take a driving tour through Scotland. We arrived in
Edinburgh and one of the first tours that caught our eyes was a ghost walk at
night through the streets of the old part of the city.
Edinburgh,
noted as being one of the most haunted places in the UK, makes it a prime
destination for ghost-hunters. Little did we know at the time that
Edinburgh has since been designated as the most haunted city in all of Europe
as well. Believe me when I say,
Halloween or not, this tour made chills run up my spine.
We met our guide near
St. Giles Cathedral and he began to relate some very scary tales of hauntings,
murder, and witchcraft. We walked the dimly lit streets to Mary Kings Close, a
street where victims of the Black Death were sealed up to die. They say their
voices can still be heard especially at night. Trust
me when I say, his comments rung so true, I was too nervous to listen and
that’s coming from a paranormal author.
 |
| Old Town- Home to Mary's King Close | | |
|
We also visited
Greyfriars Krikyard located in Old Town and noted as the most haunted location
in Edinburgh. The first burial in this spot occurred in the 16th
century and includes many famous Scotsman. But the most notable grave is for
Greyfriars Bobby, a loyal mutt beloved by the city for guarding the grave of
his owner for more than ten years after his death. When Bobby passed away, he
too was buried in an unconsecrated grave inside the cemetery gates. To the
present day, reports of his ghostly bark echo through the graveyard at night.
Some visitors have even reported seeing Bobby still standing and guarding the
grave of his dead master.What are these people
doing there at night?
Some other scary places we did
not visit at night include Dalry
House which is in an area of the city near the Famous Haymarket. This house is
believed to be haunted by one of the most famous Edinburgh’s ghost: The Johnny
One Arm. Doesn’t sound like someone I’d like to meet up with at night. His real
name was John Chiesly who lived during the 17th century. Legend has
it that he was ordered to pay a substantial annual alimony payment to his wife
when their divorce became final. Johnny didn’t take this lightly. He did not
want to pay the money so one day, guided by anger, he killed the magistrate who
ordered the payment. He was soon captured, tortured, and his right arm cut off.
He was hanged and his body was left on the gallows to warn others. The body,
however, soon disappeared. Some believed it was taken by his friends for burial,
but rumors surfaced that a one armed ghost was spotted in the area. A three
hundred year old skeleton with only one arm was found beneath the Dalry House
in 1965. Sure gives me the shivers!
The Death Coach of the Royal Mile
is believed to be a horse driven carriage travelling to Old Town to collect the
souls of the departed. Witnesses to this event describe the coach as glowing
and pulled by black horses. Sightings of this coach are believed to signal an
imminent disaster in the city. Yikes!!!!
The Liberton House ghost is one
of a very few that has been photographed. It seems this house is haunted by an
unknown girl. What we do know is that she manifests herself by wreaking havoc
in the electrical equipment which malfunctions for no good reason.
Let’s not forget Edinburgh
castle. Lucky for us we toured the castle during daylight. With nine hundred
years of history, the castle is one of Scotland’s most haunted places. Built as
a military fortress in the early 12th century, the castle has
survived surprise attacks, executions and a short capture by the English. Now a
major tourist stop, tours of the dungeons which housed the infamous Lady Jane
Douglas of Glamis who was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake. Her
ghost wandered down the castle’s underground passages and never returned.
In 2001, Edinburgh Castle became the site of the one of the largest
paranormal investigations in history. Nine paranormal researchers and over 200
members of the public explored the castle's forgotten chambers and secret passages for signs of ghostly activity.
The public was not informed in advance as to which areas of the castle were
rumored to be haunted and which were not. What the researches learned was that 51%
of participants in haunted areas reported paranormal activity, while only 35%
did so in the non-haunted areas. When visiting the castle, always look behind
you. Shadowy figures, sudden drops in temperature, and feeling like someone is
tugging on your clothes are all everyday experiences there. Thank goodness our
tour ended in the gift shop to taste a wee dram of Scotch. Trust me that dram
was needed!
Ghosts, witches, and stories of
torture aside, I loved Scotland filled with wonderful people, beautiful
scenery, and amazing history. I hope to go back some day.
If you enjoyed this blog I think you might enjoy reading my book Shadows Across Time. Florida antique dealer, Danielle deForet, is kidnapped and thrust back to 1559. The last thing on her mind was to meet a handsome knight in the past, and fall in love with him. Their love is not free and easy but comes with a price! Also Available on Kindle and Nook .
Posts
