The Legend of the Christmas Spider

You may have seen spider ornaments on Christmas trees before, and may have just assumed they were a goth ornament or leftovers from Halloween, but did you know that spiders actually have a long history of being placed on Christmas trees due to Eastern European folk tales? The legend of the Christmas spider dates back to the late 1800s or early 1900s and is believed to be of Ukranian origin, though the story can also be found in parts of Germany, Poland, and Russia. It is also credited as being the origin of hanging tinsel on Christmas trees.

I love the story of the Christmas Spider and its message of charity and goodwill. The Christmas Spider celebrates kindness to all living things, the magic of giving, and those that work quietly in the background to bring joy to others. The legend of the Christmas Spider is as follows:

Have a Haunting Half-o-Ween and a Witchy Walpurgisnacht!

Today, April 30th, marks halfway to Halloween and Walpurgisnacht (aka Witches' Night aka Hexennacht). Walpurgisnacht is known as the "other Halloween", where the veil between the worlds separating known and unknown is thinnest, allowing all manner of spirits, witches, otherworldly creatures, demons, devils, and so forth to push through into our world.

Ancient tales of witches, devils, and spirits gathering high in the mountains on this night seems to have its roots in Germany. Brocken Peak in Germany's Harz Mountains has two rock formations called Devil's Pulpit (Teufelskanzel) and the Witches' Altar (Hexenaltar), where these legends originate from. Nearby the Brocken Peak is the Hexentanzplatz, which literally means Witches' Dance Floor, where many pre-Christian rituals were performed, including the rites of old Saxon cults honoring the forest and mountain gods and goddesses.

10 Creepy Christmas Monsters That Aren't Krampus

While I love Krampus and am tickled that he has gained so much popularity here in the U.S. in the past few years, I think it is high time some of the other holiday monsters get the spotlight. In case you didn't know, there are many other creatures stirring in European folklore that are every bit as frightening as Krampus. Let's look at a few, shall we?

When Thanksgiving Was Like Halloween

Costumed kids at Thanksgiving circa 1910-1915 (Library of Congress)

Did you know that Thanksgiving in the United States used to look a lot more like Halloween, complete with children going door to door in costumes begging for treats and elaborate costume balls? Before Halloween was widely recognized and celebrated in the 1940s and 1950s in America, Thanksgiving served as a time for kids to dress up in costume and go trick or treating. Read more about this "early Halloween" below...

Check-In to the Notorious Cecil Hotel in LA - Guest Post on Spooky Little Halloween

The Cecil Hotel in DTLA
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Last year I shared the 5 Spookiest Haunts in Orange County on Spooky Little Halloween's blog as part of her Travel Tuesday summer series. This series is really neat since it features many different Halloween bloggers sharing haunted locations from all over and it is just in time for summer vacations! I participated again this year, and my contribution to Spooky Little Halloween's Travel Tuesday features another dreadful destination right in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

This time, I'm inviting you to check into the old Cecil Hotel (which is undergoing renovations and has been re-branded to Stay-on-Main to distance itself from its violent reputation). This historic landmark has a dark history filled with grisly murders, tragic deaths, and macabre mysteries, and is said to be one of the most haunted locations in LA. It has hosted serial killers (yes, plural), been the location of one of LA's most disturbing deaths in recent memory, and the dark halls have even inspired a season of American Horror Story. Check out an excerpt from my article on the Cecil below, then head to Spooky Little Halloween to read the rest of the article:

Macabre Non-Fiction Books for Darklings

I simply adore catching up on reading over the holidays - my family knows I love books, so I usually get a pretty good book haul for Christmas. Then for the next few weeks I usually spend my spare time on the couch curled up with one of the books I received. It's bliss!

This year, there are many new non-fiction releases that I have my eye on and that I've added to my Christmas wish list. The ones I've chosen below explore death culture and customs around the world, gorgeous cemeteries to visit before you die, grisly methods of Victorian surgery and medicine, historical charlatanism involving "cure-alls", and the popularity and downfall of spirit photography.

These nefarious non-fiction books are perfect for yourself or for that special someone who is into macabre history and death-positivity. Check out my non-fiction recommendations below for darklings!

5 Spooky Haunts in Orange County, California - Guest Post on Spooky Little Halloween

Spooky Little Halloween is one of my favorite Halloween blogs, so I was very excited when I was invited to write a guest post for SLH's summertime #TravelTuesday feature. I decided to stick close to home and write about five spooky haunts in Orange County, featuring historic and haunted cemeteries, a mission home to several ghosts, a creepy canyon, and the "happiest place on earth" where many choose to spend eternity.

Here's a little taste from my article:

Attend an Evening of Witches This Walpurgisnacht

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Walpurgisnacht (Witches' Night) usually occurs on April 30th (unless it's a leap year), and marks the halfway point to Halloween. Historically it was believed that on Walpurgisnacht the veil between worlds becomes thinner (just like Halloween), and witches were able to take to the skies and travel to their mountaintop sabbats. You can learn more about Walpurgisnacht from an article I wrote previously, and I am so thrilled that the good folks over at Death and The Maiden are celebrating it and allowing others to join in the fun with their Night of the Witches event!

The event will be held on Walpurgisnacht (April 30th) at Phantom Carriage Brewery in Carson, California. There will be death positive talks on the funeral industry from mortician Amber Carvaly as well as an illustrated talk on Walpurgisnacht from Sarah Chavez. Food and drink specials will be served from Phantom Carriage's taproom, and a very special screening of The Love Witch by Anna Biller will be shown.

Goth Gift Guide: Nefarious Non-Fiction for Curious Creeps

My idea of the perfect gift? BOOKS! I'd be happy buried beneath books, and while I really, really try to limit my collection these days due to space issues, I am finding it hard to resist adding the non-fiction books below to my personal Christmas wish list! There are books featuring hidden wonders from around the world, photographic collections of macabre items, recollections of 31 days of October spent in Salem, Victorian ways of death, haunted histories, personal art collections, and even a horror-inspired coloring book. These are all fairly new items, released just this year, and any of these are sure to make my fellow creeps happy!

Check out the nefarious non-fiction books I've selected for fellow spooklings below:

Guillermo del Toro's At Home with Monsters Exhibit

Angel of Death from Hellboy II greets you as you enter the exhibit.

I was finally able to get over to LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) to enter the world of Guillermo del Toro through his "At Home with Monsters" exhibit. I love many of del Toro's films and other projects he has been involved with including Cronos (1993), The Devil’s Backbone (2001), Hellboy (2004), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), and Crimson Peak (2015). His influences range from the Victorian era, to sci-fi and comics, to horror to his own tumultuous childhood.

The "At Home with Monsters" exhibit boasts works of art from del Toro's own personal collection as well as props and items from his films and is broken into different sections that reflect his influences. The exhibition begins with a section on "Childhood and Innocence," before moving through the galleries "Victoriana," "Magic, Alchemy, and the Occult," "Movies, Comics, Pop Culture," "Frankenstein and Horror," "Freaks and Monsters," "Death and the Afterlife", and there is even a "Rain Room" with storm clouds projected on the ceiling and rain beating against some gothic windows while lighting flashes. The visit was enthralling, and to be surrounding by so much gorgeous artwork was exhilarating!

Tickets for the special exhibition were $25 (which included admission to the other parts of the museum as well, barring their special rain room exhibits) and though the weekend crowds were a bit much at times, I took my time to absorb all of the wondrous art exhibited in the space and made sure to wander through the space several times so I didn't miss anything!

I took a ton of photos (yes, photography was allowed!), but wanted to share some of my favorites below:

A Visual History of Horror from 1895 to 2016

Still from Satan's Rhapsody, 1917

I've already shared this stunning video on my Facebook page and Twitter, but I love it so much that I wanted to share it here as well! A friend (the lovely Mlle. Ghoul of Unquiet Things) acquainted me with the captivating A History of Horror video that highlights one horror movie per year from 1895 - 2016. The 122 horror films were chosen by creator Diego Carrera based on their striking visual aesthetics as well as the impact they had on the horror genre by the video's creator.

Carrera undoubtedly had some tough choices to make, but I think he succeeded wonderfully in his choices! I haven't seen some of the older films, and I'm hopeful I can track some of them down. With the visuals and the effects Carrera added, plus the mesmerizing music used, and I could seriously watch this reel for hours! Check it out below:

Mummies by Candlelight: The Marvelous Dead and Darkness Tour with Dr. Koudounaris

The Mummies of the World exhibition is the largest collection of real mummies and artifacts assembled, providing a glimpse into the lives of ancient people from South America to Europe to Africa to the South Pacific and beyond. The exhibition has been experienced by over 1.4 million visitors across the world, and its limited engagement at the Bowers Museum is the first time the exhibit has been to Orange County! The exhibition teaches visitors about the world of mummies and mummification and shows how modern science helps us understand how and why mummies were created, where they came from, and who they were. 

Ok, as if that awesome description didn't get me hyped enough, I was even more excited to hear that a special nighttime lantern-lit tour of the exhibit would be led by none other than Dr. Paul Koudounaris, author of The Empire of Death,  Memento Mori, and Heavenly Bodies, who delighted so many (including me) at Death Salon in LA last year (read about that here). Tickets included a prix fix dinner at the museum's restaurant, Tangata, plus live entertainment by DJ Decadanse spinning gothic tunes and puppet shows by Rasputin's Marionettes. I was so in (and yes, I made sure Tangata had vegan options before buying tickets)! 

The Marvelous Dead and Darkness Tour was a really memorable event, and I'll walk you through my evening and share my photos below, which includes my overall thoughts on the organization of the event, a short review of the prix fix meal at Tangata (because of course!), as well as sharing photos of the mummies we saw by lantern-light!

Please note: below you will see photographs of real bodies, including some children and animals, so continue at your own discretion.

Wishing You a Weird Walpurgisnacht and Happy Halfway to Halloween!

April 30th marks Walpurgisnacht, or Witches' Night, which not only serves to exalt the arrival of springtime (much like May Day or Beltane), but it is also a night where the veil between worlds becomes thinner, and witches are able to take to the skies and travel to their mountaintop sabbats. Plus, it means that it is halfway to Halloween (though since it is a leap year, Walpurgis and halfway to Halloween are a day apart and don't fall on the same day...but that just means we get to celebrate all weekend!).

Celebrate Easter with Witches and Trick-or-Treating

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Did you know that witches and trick or treating are part of Scandinavian Easter traditions, which are still celebrated in parts of Sweden and other Scandinavian countries? On the Saturday or Thursday before Easter, young children dress up as witches or påskkärringar (the kindly, apple-cheeked, headscarf wearing kind, similar to Italy's la befana, the Christmas witch!) and go door-to-door asking for candy or other treats. How neat is it to have Halloween-like traditions in springtime?! 

Watch Now on Netflix: Murder Maps (2015)

Murder Maps is a docu-drama television series that takes us back to the Victorian era and beyond to the most shocking and surprising murder cases in history you might not have heard about. Host Nicholas Day guides us through historical crimes, their perpetrators and victims, as well as the then burgeoning field of forensics and how new techniques helped police solve these often gruesome crimes.

I was intrigued by the premise of this show, and it didn't disappoint! It mixes historical reenactments of the crimes with discussions from historians, criminologists, and scientists. Plus, many of the crimes they covered were news to me, and I am a junkie for historical murderers, so woo hoo!

Film Review: The Witch (2016)

Note: I haven't done a full film review in quite some time, though I might do them on a more regular basis if I start to enjoy doing them again. I thought this film was worth writing about, and had to get my thoughts on it down somewhere. Anyways, I give you my thoughts on The Witch!

Why aren't there more horror films set during Colonial America? It was a time of upheaval and religious reformation, not to mention a period when colonists faced living on an entirely different continent, which sparked fears of the unknown and fueled superstitions, all the while early settlers endured unimaginable hardships in their fierce fight for survival. All these frightening experiences that colonists went through seem so ripe for horror movies, since many are about facing basic fears. It's really a pity we don't have more period piece horror films, because The Witch is an example of how well horror works in a historical context.

In 1630's New England a family is banished from a settlement and determinedly set out for the wilderness to start anew, alone. The family consists of father William (Ralph Ineson), mother Katherine (Kate Dickie), eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), twins Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson), and baby Samuel. Together they establish a small farm on the edge of a dense forest, but when baby Samuel is snatched by a supernatural evil lurking in the woods, despair and panic envelope the family. Soon, crops begin to fail, the other children are threatened, goat's milk turns to blood, and suspicions of witchcraft began to mount.

It is best to go into this film knowing as little as possible. I saw The Witch Thursday night, and besides seeing the trailers I tried to avoid seeing/reading much about it at all. I wanted my own experience, and didn't want to hold any expectations for the film going into it. So please, if you have yet to see this film consider stopping here and reading no further. I don't give any spoilers away below, but it really is best to have no preconceived notions before seeing The Witch. If you do want to read what I thought, continue reading...

A Day at Death Salon Getty Villa: From Ancient Necropolis to LA's Metropolis

This past Sunday, April 26th, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Death Salon held at The Getty Villa in Malibu, California, whose broad focus was "From Ancient Necropolis to LA's Metropolis". The Death Salon is curated in part by The Order of the Good Death, who helps put on these events in different locations around the world. This time they partnered with J. Paul Getty Museum and The Getty Villa to bring Los Angeles a view of death that the ancient Etruscans, Romans, and Greeks held, plus touching on some local LA death-centric topics. But wait, you might be asking yourself...just what is a Death Salon? The Death Salon website explains, "In the spirit of the eighteenth-century salon – informal gatherings of intellectuals – Death Salon encourages conversations on mortality and mourning and their resonating effects on our culture and history."

Halfway to Halloween + Walpurgisnacht

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It's April 30, ghouls and boils, which means it is officially HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN!!

Only 6 months to go!

Please excuse me while I squeal...SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Witch by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

Tonight also marks Walpurgis Night, or Walpurgisnacht, aka Witches' Night!

From Wikipedia:

"Walpurgis Night is the English translation of Walpurgisnacht, one of the German names for the night of 30 April, so called because it is the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Germany. In German folklore Walpurgisnacht, also called Hexennacht (literally "Witches' Night"), is believed to be the night of a witches' meeting on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, a range of wooded hills in central Germany between the rivers Weser and Elbe."

Stay spooky and better start getting your Halloween plans in order!

Hang with Other Future Corpses at Death Salon LA

Death Salon is returning to Los Angeles on April 26th, 2015 to the beautiful Getty Villa! The event will host many exciting guest speakers who will be discussing a variety of topics centered around death. You can join other future corpses like me and attend this event by buying tickets (they go on sale this morning, February 5th, 2015 at 9 AM Pacific time!).

Let's Talk About Death, Baby!

Goodbye Darling headstone at St. Helena Cemetery, St. Helena, CA

Ok, this is going to be completely different than what I usually write about, and a topic that might become more of a mainstay here on the blog. "Let's talk about Death, baby! Let's talk about you and me!" Yes, I want to talk to you about great big ol' Death and how I've been awakened to finally accept death and openly discuss the subject in a positive light. I have been wanting to write on the subject for a while, and was finally spurned to action after finishing Caitlin Doughty’s mortician memoir Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory.  In this fantastic book, Doughty recounts her start in the death industry working in a crematorium and how this job led to her eye-opening journey to death acceptance. I have followed Caitlin’s delightful straight-talk about death from her YouTube series Ask a Mortician to her site The Order of the Good Death and now to her memoir. It is always a delight to read about her accounts in the death industry, and how she encourages death acceptance and death positivity instead of the closed-off view of death modern society currently suffers from.