Ghosts have been associated with winter cold since ancient times.
The idea of something scary lurking beyond the light and laughter of our winter celebrations has inspired many chilling stories, but where does this custom come from?
In this talk, Dr Lucy Arnold, a specialist in the contemporary ghost story, delves into why in the depths of winter, the ritual telling of ghost stories emerged.
Since the pagan festival of Yule, in celebration of the winter solstice, the depths of winter have been insistently haunted by a diverse host of phantoms, and the stories we tell about them. It is December 5th: on either side of the Alps, the figure of the Krampus, horned and hooved, with a taste for wicked children, stalks the streets. In Finland, on Christmas Eve, the family saunas glow, lit but empty, waiting for the return of ancestral ghosts. In Iran, families gather close on Yaldā night, the longest night of the year, to share stories, poems, and to keep evil and misfortune at bay.
Discover why the ritual telling of ghost stories persists in our contemporary moment, lingering in the shadows of winter festivals intended to ward off the cold and dark. Explore why some of the most famous and unsettling ghost stories are winter tales, and uncover the traditions and beliefs from which they emerged.