From Euronews:
“From Satan’s Bridge to the
living dead: Europe’s spookiest Halloween adventures”
From Satan’s Bridge to the
Headless Horseman, here's how to spend Halloween in Europe. Trick or treat,
it’s that time of year again. But if tacky decorations and piles of sweets
aren’t your thing, why not immerse yourself in some of Europe’s finest
storytelling traditions for spooky thrills that get you closer to local
culture? From Romania to Iceland, these are the best places in Europe to
explore the myths, legends and local traditions that have inspired the season’s
celebrations - and horror stories - throughout time.
Take part in the Ritual of the
Killing of the Living Dead, Romania There are few places more synonymous
with Halloween than Transylvania. But before Bran Stoker’s Dracula was even a
whisper of a story, Romanians in Sighișoara have been easing their departed
loved-ones’ journey into the afterlife through the Ritual of the Killing of the
Living Dead. “Romanians are a
superstitious people,” explains Hertha Todea who runs Halloween tours to
Sighișoara. “The undead (or strigoi in Romanian) are spirits of the dead, who
do not reach the world 'beyond' after the funeral, or refuse to return 'there'
after visiting their relatives. They are very dangerous for the living: they
take the lives of close relatives, bring diseases and other suffering."
“The Ritual of the Killing of the Living Dead is performed exactly as
traditional old burial rites were to ensure the passing of strigoi. We want to
introduce visitors to traditional Romanian folklore from before the legends of
Dracula, and show them that many of the elements used in the ritual - candles,
incense, garlic, holy water and basil - are things we still use today.” If
you take part, expect to gather around a 'strigoi' in a coffin as if you were
grieving friends or family. With a priest presiding, you’ll pass round the
coffin three times - to symbolise the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - holding
candles to guide the captive soul into the light. A three-day tour with Transylvania Live,
including the Ritual of the Killing of the Living Dead costs from £599pp (€715)
and departs 1st November 2024.
Traditional Samhain
celebrations. Over 2,000 years ago, the ancient Celts wore masks and lit
bonfires to ward off evil spirits and demons at Samhain, the harvest festival
that marked the beginning of winter. A time, according to Celtic folklore, that
the boundaries between this world and the next become blurred and spirits (or
Púca) and fairies walk the earth. The
traditions of Samhain reverberate as today’s Halloween - trick or treating
started life as soul cakes baked and given to children and the poor, the carved
pumpkins on our doorsteps trace their roots back to the hollowed-out turnips
used to carry the burning embers home from Samhain bonfires. At County Meath’s Púca Festival you can
hear tales of shapeshifting creatures from Irish storytellers, learn about the
traditions of the Celtic New Year, and experience the heady ritual of the
lighting of the Samhain fire - with a few contemporary twists. Tickets can be
booked via the festival website.
Party by Satan’s bridge, Italy
The devil himself did a great job constructing the 11th Century Ponte della
Maddalena in Borgo a Mozzano, Tuscany - it’s still standing today. Legend has
it that St Julian, finding it too difficult to complete the construction,
entered into a pact with Satan to finish the bridge in return for the soul of
the first being to cross it. You’ll
meet the devil in all manner of guises at Borgo a Mozzano’s Halloween Festa
held on 31st October each year. The highlight is a town-wide procession evoking
the spirit of Lucida Mansi, a beautiful 17th Century Italian noblewoman who,
the tales say, killed her lovers by throwing them into a pit full of spikes
when she was done with them. Entry to the festa is free.
Beware the Headless Horseman
in the Black Forest, Germany Dare you venture into the deep dark woods?
Follow in the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm and curate your own collection of
myths and legends in the forests of Germany that inspired the dark original
tales of Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. Legends here tell of witches and
werewolves and eerie encounters under the dense firs that will make your spine
tingle as you explore. Use a local guide on hikes along the Black
Forest’s myriad of trails so you can listen to spooky stories along the way and
watch out for the headless horseman fated to ride among the trees for eternity,
cursing any who cross his path.
Commune with ghosts in Iceland
Few places in Europe have a stronger tradition of folklore and storytelling
than Iceland. Here, sagas passed down through time tell tales of a land
inhabited by elves (the Huldufólk), trolls and ghosts. Listen to 24 of
these traditional ghost stories at the Ghost Center in Stokkseyri on the south
coast - a small immersive museum dedicated to sharing the most chilling
portions of Iceland’s epic stories. Or, take in some of Iceland’s most
spectacular rock formations which are said to be petrified trolls turned into
stone in the sunlight. Take a
tour of southern Iceland and the black sand beaches near Vík í Mýrda and you
can marvel at the Troll Rocks (Reynisdrangar) that jut out of sea just off the
coast. Be careful as you explore though, while Icelandic trolls must hide
during the day, they feast on human flesh and will lure unsuspecting people
into their caves.
^ I didn’t know about these
places. ^
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