Hallowe’en is almost upon us, and it's that time of the year when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest, and we can expect to experience the most paranormal activity. Shetland had its own unique blend of hallowe'en tradition influenced by Christianity, with its roots firmly placed in old pagan customs.
We might dismiss Halloween as a purely American import into Shetland, and the UK more generally, but Shetland did have its own version of Halloween in centuries past.
To give a little context, I’ll draw you back to the 19th century, to a time where most people lived in crofts – or smallholdings – and lived a subsistence way of life, depending on the sea and the land around them to survive.

This time of year, as autumn transitions into winter, was one where people might finally be able to let out a collective sigh of relief as the hard work of summer had come to an end once more. The crops were harvested and the summer fishery ended. This was a time that people might expect to relax a little as the nights began to draw in and winter crept ever closer.
Samhuinn, held on 1 November, was traditionally a Pagan festival that morphed into the festival of Hallowmas as Christianity was adopted, and our traditional Pagan celebrations were given an ‘accepted’ Christian flavour – whilst still retaining many of their conventional Pagan customs. Hallowmas, or The Feast of All Saints, gives us the roots of the Halloween that we know today.
This week, I thought I would share a few ghost stories with you; so draw up a chair, dim the lights and pull a blanket around your shoulders because things might get a little spooky.