Halloween, celebrated every year on October 31st by children (and adults) everywhere, is a modification on a tradition that was practiced 2,000 years ago. Fiona Chen ‘19 said “I knew that people used to wear costumes to ward off spirits but I never knew why exactly they felt on it needed to be done on that specific day.” Many other people do not know exactly why we celebrate Halloween and on that specific day and therefore I wanted to learn more. I learned it was originally a Celtic festival marking the end of summer and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. It was often associated with death and they believed that the transition of the seasons was a portal for the afterlife to come back. To commemorate the event, they would start sacred bonfires where people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices for those they had lost. They would also wear animal heads and skins to ward of the angry spirits, which is the basis of where our tradition to dress in costumes for Halloween is from.

Through our modification of this sacred event over generations, we as a society, have grown to promote fear. Shalom Aguirre ‘18 exclaims, “I love scary movies and have watched so many since I was a kid.” Like Shalom, we are all drawn to the newest horror movie that may come out in the fall, especially near Halloween. The movie that people are buzzing about now is the most recent Halloween movie, depicting the famous, deranged serial killer Michael Myers. This love of feeling our hearts jump out of our chests is nothing new, clearly seen with the first version of the Halloween series that started in 1978. Beyond movies, there are so many stories and inventions that have played on our love of Halloween, including the Ouija board.

In the 1890’s, Elijah Bond fed on this love of suspense when he created the Ouija board. He knew that many people wished for an avenue in which they were able to speak to loved ones who had passed, and he played on that desire with his creation. In order for the board to be patented the board had to be shown to actually work in communicating to spirits. The man who was judging the patent requested that his name, which was unknown to those showcasing it, be spelled out within the board. To the judges amazement, his name was spelled instantly and therefore the board was patented. When told the story Julian Pulcaso ‘19 responded, “That is fake! Obviously they figured out his name before hand and spelled it out themselves.” How the story is interpreted depends completely on one’s beliefs. No matter the way it was patented, hoax or not, they made millions of dollars and millions of people still use the board today. Not only have people believed the board is a portal to the spirit world so strongly that they have followed the many rules to use it but they have also felt very strongly that their experience with the board allowed them to contact real spirits, evil and kind.

Now it’s up to you, do you think the board is completely a hoax, or was it always a true portal that people don’t take seriously? Or perhaps the board originated as a hoax but became real? It could become real through so many people’s strong beliefs about spirits which gives them the power to contact our world, it’s up to you if you want to take the risk and try the Ouija board.