The Spooky History of Ghosts.

The article examines the cultural and historical significance of ghost stories, highlighting their role in linking premodern societies across different regions. It explains how festivals like the Irish Samhain, now Halloween, and similar harvest-time observances in Mexico and Bengal mark times when the boundary between the living and the dead was considered thin. In premodern times, ghosts were viewed as corporeal beings integrated into daily life, often worshiped or treated as kin, reflecting societies’ close relationship with death due to high mortality rates. The article contrasts this with modern perceptions of ghosts as intangible and fearsome, a shift influenced by Protestantism, scientific rationalism, and capitalism. These older traditions, preserved in festivals, offer insight into past worldviews where ghosts were part of the natural and social order.