Once upon a time when people in certain villages of Eastern Europe wanted to figure out what was the cause of their misfortune, they'd turned to the cemetery for a possible answer.

They would unearth people.

Coming up, Jacob McKinowski tells us what he's learned about the traditions of Slavic Europe this time of year.

Those walls between living and dead get a little thinner, get a little easier to transverse.

In Ireland, they've also long thought of the changing season at Halloween as an open portal between this world and the next.

The undead, the ghosts, the spirits, they come alive that night.

Fintinotool explains.

We're still haunted by but also accompanied by all the people who've gone before us as a very important part of Irish culture.

Plus listeners share their scariest encounters in Europe.

Take my hand as we journey through a shadowy realm.

It's a spirited Halloween edition of Travel with Rick Steves in the Hour Hand.

I'm not sure what 12-foot tall skeletons and inflatable pumpkins on the lawn say about American culture.

But there are some interesting Halloween traditions and stories from the old world that feed into superstitions and into the characters of Gothic horror novels.

In just a bit, we'll hear how supernatural creatures have a long history in Celtic Ireland.

Today, no one says they actually believe in them, but you wouldn't dare do anything to upset them either.

And listeners tell us about some of their most disconcerting moments when their European vacations took them closer to the other world than they had expected.

Let's start today's Travel with Rick Steves with a look at how the undead have long been a part of the legends and lore of Eastern Europe.

Jacob Mckinowski examines the history of the lands his Polish and Lithuanian ancestors come from.

In his book, Goodbye Eastern Europe, the intimate history of a divided land.

Where it turns out vampires have been found for centuries.

Jacob, thanks for joining us.

Thank you. It's great to be here.

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