As Halloween approaches, it is time to give in to the world of fantasy and mysticism. Colour your holiday with outlandish makeups, costumes and decorations.  

The tradition of Halloween has made us embrace the dead and the dark and has given rise to a plethora of spooky tales, legends and myths.

Here are five famous Halloween traditions and legends: 

The origin of the Jack-o-Lanterns 

Today, the celebration of Halloween cannot be imagined without the carving of scary faces on pumpkins. 

However, the tradition originates from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack”. 

Going by the legend, once Jack tricked the Devil and trapped him in the form of a coin. However, angered, the Devil took revenge and Jack ended up wandering the Earth forever without a place in heaven or hell. 

However, Jack had a lump of lighted coal, which he carried in a carved turnip, giving birth to the original Jack-o-lantern.

Depiction of Witches on Brooms

Why are witches always flying on brooms? 

According to historians, the earliest known image of witches on brooms dates back to 1451, when two illustrations appeared in the French poet Martin Le Franc’s manuscript Le Champion des Dames (The Defender of Ladies). 

The association between conventional evil green-skinned witches and brooms could be traced back to a pagan fertility
ritual, in which farmers would dance astride poles, pitchforks
or brooms during the full moon to pray for the growth of their crops.

It’s possible the “broomstick dance” became confused with the modern accounts of witches
flying through the night on their way.

Abraham Lincoln’s ‘Ghost’ in the White House

For years, the esteemed members of the White House claimed to have been frequented by Abraham Lincoln or felt his presence. 

As per reports, Grace Coolidge, wife of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, was the first
person to have seen the ghost of Lincoln. 

Since then the stories of Lincoln in the Oval Office seemed to have never stopped doing the rounds.

Spirit Photography Claims to Capture Ghosts on Film

During the post-Civil War era, a photographer named William Mumler claimed to capture ghosts on film.

While he was at his self-portraits session, “quite alone in the room” as Mumler claimed, he captured a photo where a faint figure appeared at his side, a girl who was “made
of light.”

Mumler showed the photo around, and his spiritualist friend told him the girl
in the image was almost certainly a ghost.

After that, Mumler made a swift business out of so-called spirit photography.

Horror Movies Inspired by ‘Real’ Stories

Surely, every connoisseur of the horror genre have gone through 

Jay Anson’s 1977 book, ‘The Amityville Horror’ or the 1979 movie of the same title inspired by the book.    

The book claimed it was based on an actual incident.

On November 13, 1974, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr., then 23-year-old, murdered his entire family in their
sleep. A year later, like it always happens in films, the house in Amityville, New York was purchased by the Lutz family. 

And soon claims of experiencing shocking paranormal phenomena in the house followed. Greenish slime seeping from
the cracks on the walls, appearance of red eyes and family members levitating on
their beds.

This, however, gave rise to an array of ghost stories inspired from real events.