Why Do We Like to Tell Scary Stories on Halloween?
Special | 56sVideo has Closed Captions
One of the possible origins of telling ghost stories on Halloween ties to ancient Celts!
One possible origin for telling scary stories around Halloween is found thousands of years ago with the Celts of ancient Ireland! To appease both the dead and the gods, the Celts held ritual bonfires and sacrifices. The prophecies read by Celtic priests called Druids on Samhain night would spread through Celt villages becoming stories told long into the night.
Why Do We Like to Tell Scary Stories on Halloween?
Special | 56sVideo has Closed Captions
One possible origin for telling scary stories around Halloween is found thousands of years ago with the Celts of ancient Ireland! To appease both the dead and the gods, the Celts held ritual bonfires and sacrifices. The prophecies read by Celtic priests called Druids on Samhain night would spread through Celt villages becoming stories told long into the night.
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Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWhy do we like to tell ghost stories around Halloween?
One possible origin is found thousands of years ago with the Celts of ancient Ireland.
The Celts worshipped the earth and during their festival called Samhain they built bonfires and held ritual sacrifices to pay tribute to their gods for a bountiful harvest.
Celtic priests called Druids would read the entrails of sacrificed animals like tea leaves to predict the future.
The Celts believed that the best time for predicting the future was when the veil between our world and the spirit world was at its thinnest!
The prophecies read by the Druids would spread through Celt villages becoming stories told long into the night.
If you enjoy scary stories on Halloween you might consider thanking the Celts!
