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Halloween, that time of year when for those in the northern hemisphere, the air is full of

mischief, and the skies have

darkened so perceptibly that we can almost feel the quickening hand of winter laying ice upon

our necks. Some of us celebrate by going trick or treating with our kids. Others might dress up

an elaborate fancy dress, or in the image of whatever current

bogeyman has gripped the zeitgeist to shock our friends at parties. More still, we'll

probably end up sitting at home watching scary movies, listening to podcasts, or for the

braver among us, participating in a seance or two.

It's the time of year when the veil between this world and the next is said to be at its thinnest,

when spirits walk the earth, displaced and restless, to knock on doors and reminders of their absence.

Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, has its roots in the ancient Celtic Festival of

Sowan, a feast marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter.

As part of the festival, offerings of food and drink were left out to honour and appease the dead,

ensuring their goodwill and protection through the dark months ahead.

Strict adherence to the ritual was paramount, less the ace she or fairy folk

punish the human population of the land with visitations, spoiled yields,

disappearances, and even death.

The act of dressing up or guising is thought to have begun more than 2,000 years ago,

with people adorning animal hides and garish masks in an effort to blend in with any malevolent spirits that might appear from the other world.

The idea being that if the spirits couldn't see the human underneath the disguise, they would simply let them be.

Should you fail to dress up or maintain the disguise at just the wrong moment, however,

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