Tag Archives: spirits

Durgashtmi – Ghost Festival

Nationality: Indian
Age: 23
Occupation: Marketing
Residence: France
Primary Language: English

There is a festival in India called Durgaashtmi, and what happens is that ghost enter the human body – ghosts like past spirits. They enter the body because maybe they haven’t gone to heaven or something like that. Like they haven’t found piece in their life or death. On the festival day these spirits want to show that they are still around and need peace, so their enter some women’s bodies, and these women become uncontrollable. So people say that they have supernatural powers or force or energy and totally become crazy. That happens in India – you can watch videos and stuff. Sometimes they chain these kind of people up. So all these Indian priests come and try to provide peace to the spirits by saying mantras in Sanskrit. And basically these mantras are supposed to get the ghost out of their body. Many priests believe the ghosts are a ghost of this goddess called Durga. She is considered to be a mother figure that’s super angry that won’t go out off your body. Some people also die from this process because they get so crazy and start to drink blood and stuff. It’s a very weird festival, at the end of the day they try to get the ghosts to quit the bodies of the people and the people aren’t dead yet.

Context: [informant] The main aim of the festival is to provide peace to the spirits and get them out of the world of the living. And this is of course scary also, because if Google Durgaashmi ghost you can find that girls are really.. I don’t know… like there are really ghosts coming in the bodies.

Thoughts: Seemingly possessed people are a phenomenon all over the world, and I think it can be looked at from many different lenses. Psychologists might call it psychosis, and religious people might call it possession. Regardless, it is very interesting that India has created a festival around 

Haunted Theaters and Ghost Lights

Nationality: Afro-Latinx
Age: 20
Occupation: FIDM Student Studying Fashion Design, Food Service
Residence: 2715 Portland St Los Angeles CA 90007
Performance Date: 4/13/21
Primary Language: English

My friend shared this story with me and another female friend one night in the kitchen after work. I asked this friend about her haunted house and she later shared that her classmates always left a ‘ghost light’ in the school theater. It was bad luck not to leave a ghost light. This friend also said that she believed her theater may have housed some recent ghosts.

This speaker went to an arts school in Tampa, Florida. She took classes in the drama department and was in school theater productions. Here is her story.

*

“Theaters are traditionally haunted all the time… they’re just traditionally haunted,” the speaker said. “After you’re done striking a set or cleaning up or after you’re done rehearsing. You’re always supposed to leave a ghost light, or the ghost, or else that was bad luck.” I asked whether the light was meant to guide the ghosts, but she said that it existed to appease them/ She said ghosts do not like the dark, and that this was ironic.

One day after practice “a student forgot to put the ghost light on, you know, it’s not anything, not a very big deal. It’s literally like a stick and a light ball. And you roll it out onto theaters, like, but we just forgot about it. And then the next day, like a spotlight fell, and that was really bad.”

The speaker said that there were some specific ghosts she thought haunted the theater. “There were a couple of tragedies that did happen at our theater. And there was actually some of them were actually pretty recent. So I’d like to think there were good spirits rather than bad spirits,” she said. The drama director’s brother had passed away that year, and the speaker said that she would like to think that he came to see the productions at the theater. The speaker also added that a young actress had died of a disease in the past, and that there was a plaque in front of the theater honoring her memory. The speaker said that she would like to think that the actress’ ghost visited the theater as well.

When I asked what this meant to the speaker, she said that the young actress had “put so much of her craft into theater.” I suspect that knowing that deceased guests might visit the theater is comforting to the speaker, and that these two particular ghosts help future productions.

*

The speaker has shared other ghost stories and believes that these stories are real, so it makes sense that she would believe these ghosts could be real as well. She began telling this story discussing ghost lights and bad luck, but the story ended on a note of good luck. I was taught to act as if a god was always watching, and I know many people feel comforted to know that someone else is guiding them during stressful parts of their life. It might be comforting to know that ghosts are watching over stage productions as well, since the ‘good’ ghosts the speaker mentioned had theater or theater-adjacent backgrounds.

I did not know that movie theaters and stages are supposed to be haunted or that actors would leave a ghost light. My school had a small theater that we used for small class meetings when the drama department was not at practice. I can’t remember a specific light that was left on the stage, but the room was never completely dark. This was likely for security reasons.

The haunted theater trope may be due to the fact that theaters serve as a sort of liminal space when not in use. Theaters are such specific buildings, and sticking around after the show is not an expected reaction. Only janitors and stage crew might remain after a show is over.

Additionally, members who know about the ghost light are ‘real’ members of the theater community. They understand the traditions of other actors and stage crew, and they are part of an in-group.

This story also draws upon similar ideas as the article ‘Ghostly Possession of Real Estate: The Dead in Contemporary Estonian Folklore’ by Ulo Valk. Actors and other community members who believe in ghosts come to terms with tragedy by carrying out traditions in the hope that loved ones continue to exist in the ‘haunted theater.’ The ghost does not necessarily need to be buried near the theater, rather the theater belongs to them because their devotion to acting tied these ghosts to this particular spot.

For another ghost legend by the same speaker, see ” Haunted House in Indiana- The Funny Man and the Woman with the Red Eyes: Sleep Paralysis and Two Traveling Ghosts” in the USC digital Folklore Archive.

Haunted House in Indiana- The Funny Man and the Woman with the Red Eyes: Sleep Paralysis and Two Traveling Ghosts, Cured by a Witchdoctor

Nationality: African-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student at FIDM studying fashion design
Residence: 2715 Portland St Los Angeles CA 90007
Performance Date: 2/8/21
Primary Language: English

I first heard this story when I asked the speaker if she had ever seen a ghost, but when she began telling her story I remembered that I had heard parts of this tale before. The speaker told her story in a very matter-of-fact tone and spoke first about her experiences with friendly and unfriendly ghosts. For another example of a ghost legend by this same speaker, search “Haunted Theaters and Ghost Lights” in the USC folklore archive.

*

When the speaker and her twin brother were three years old, they shared a room in Gary, Indiana in a house completely made of brick. “My mom came in [to the children’s bedroom], she had just put us to bed. And then she heard me and my brother laughing. And so she like came back into the room and she’s like, What’s going on here? She’s like, what’s happening? And we’re like, ‘The man, the man. He’s making a funny face.’ And there was nobody there.”

“Was I scared? No, because he was one of the friendly ones of the house,” the speaker said. “He was kind of just there for jokes and like to make children laugh, because apparently, um, his grandchildren died in the house. And he like, died out of grief. And he loved kids. So he would just play with my brother and I [sic] occasionally.”

The speaker said that there were also unfriendly ghosts, and that she had recently gotten rid of one of these malicious specters. ” “They moved with us to Florida. And at first, I didn’t notice because they didn’t approach me. At first, they would just stay in the corner. And I didn’t realize it would always be a really scary woman with two red eyes. And I didn’t know what she was. I thought she was just like, a spirit… But no, she turned out to be worse than I thought.”

The speaker said that she began to experience sleep paralysis and that “I would be screaming, and she’d be attacking me. And I couldn’t move. And I’d wake up with bruises on my arms and my legs because she was sitting on top of me.” She slept with her mother at age 17 because of these nightly attacks. When she returned to her bedroom, she said, ” “I was screaming to save my mom and my brother. But they couldn’t hear me. And then just the woman was just taking my family away from me. And I didn’t like I couldn’t do anything. I was just sitting there. And then again, my mom woke me up screaming, crying in real life. “

The speaker’s Puerto Rican grandfather, Julio, was a witch doctor. “We had to pin a square piece of black cloth underneath my pillow. I don’t know what it was to catch her something like that.” Soon after that she moved to Southern California to attend school, and she hasn’t seen either ghost since.

*

This story was told at night in the kitchen, and three college-age females were present. The speaker said that she was relieved to be rid of the ghosts, and that after her parents’ divorce, she rarely visited the Gary House. She also said that the house was torn apart after the divorce, and that her father would start projects that he wouldn’t complete (for example, fixing the bathroom tub). I think these ghosts may have something to do with the divorce, but I believe that this experience was very frightening for the speaker.

This speaker later scoffed at my mentioning that a friend received therapy when recovering from his parent’s divorce. Her response suggested that children do not need therapy for this life change.

For another example of ghosts stories indicating changes in property ownership or status quo, see the scholarly article “Ghostly Possession of Real Estate: The Dead in Contemporary Estonian Folklore” by Ulo Valk (2006).

The concept of traveling ghosts is certainly frightening, and this story was welcome after a long day’s work.

Cover mirror at night

Nationality: United States
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Madison County, NY
Performance Date: 04/17/2021
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

BACKGROUND: My informant, MT, is a Mexican-American born in the US. Her parents are both immigrants from Mexico and speak Spanish. I asked MT if she had any familial superstitions or rituals that she wanted to talk about and she brought up this one. Despite not being very spiritual or religious, MT does this ritual every night. 

CONTEXT: This piece is from a text conversation with my friend to discuss superstition in her family.

MT: I have to cover all of my mirrors at night because my mom said ghosts and spirits can enter our world through them. 

Me: Do you have to use a specific thing to cover it?

MT: I just use a blanket and toss it over.

THOUGHTS: This belief was interesting to me because during my conversation with another friend about folk beliefs I heard about the same ritual only carrying an entirely different meaning. My friend of Irish heritage mentioned that his family always thought that mirrors and photographs can trap souls. Hence when a loved one dies, they cover up mirrors so their soul isn’t trapped in their reflection. It’s interesting however how both cultures associate mirrors and reflections with spirits.

A Distinct Spiritual Connection

Performance Date: October 27, 2020
Primary Language: English

Main Transcript:

Collector: Good morning LK. How are you? I know that you have had some spiritual experiences with your mom. I would really appreciate it you shared those experiences with me.

Informant: I’m well and yes, this is the story about my mom…

My mom fit all the classic roles of a mom and was a great woman, but she also had an interesting spiritual side.  I didn’t realize the depth of her connection to ghosts and the after-life until my after my mom passed away.  She died suddenly and unexpected for someone of good health. The day after she passed, I had the opportunity to be at her house with my dad, in her surroundings and in her personal space.  I noticed that some things were out of order and different than they had been in the past. My mother is a very intentional and orderly person, so seeing classic items out of order had caught me off guard. I was looking at my mom’s phone and I saw that the very last series of pictures she took where are all items and memories that were important to her. The very very last photo on her entire camera roll was a picture that she had taken of a wooden Angel that sits right next to her favorite chair. As I continued to look around, I found the Angel and it had been moved from the side table where it was in the photo to the mantle next to a photo of all of my mom’s grandchildren. It was like my mom was connected to the spirits and knew that she was leaving this planet of earth and was having this out of body experience on the day before she passed away.  She had used her camera phone to capture some of these memories from of her life on earth.

My mom was a very spiritual person, she felt like she had a connection with people and places from a time in the past. She would share that she knew of a restaurant in a town we had never been to or that she knew specifics of someone’s sister when she had never met them before. Not all the examples of my mother’s connection with the past are positive. There is a theater in Bellingham that my mother refused to attend or even drive near-by.  She said it was haunted with evil ghosts.  She believed someone would get hurt there, as she said that things dropped out of the ceiling on actors and the carpet would unravel around attendees’ feet to trip them up. Another thing that my mom believed was that her father, who passed away 20 years before her, visited her frequently. My mom said she never saw her father, but knew his spirt was in her house, she could feel his presence. My mom who was a very sound mind would wake up in the morning and her personal trinkets on bookshelves and family pictures from when she was a child or anything connected to her family were knocked over or moved around in different orders.  She believed this was her father reminding her about her childhood and his continued involvement in her life, even from heaven. So the day after my mom died and I was at her house I started to notice the same thing that she described by her own dad as a spirit in her house where it happened. I noticed in her living room all of her grandchildren photos on the shelf were all moved into a different order and that was on a peculiar because my mom kept them all very neat and tidy in the same sequence.  I now strongly believe that the day before she passed she was speaking with her father’s spirit or others in the afterlife and knew that she would be leaving this world and was organizing her world before she died. 

Collector: Have you ever experienced a spiritual connection of your own?

Informant: Yes, it includes an experience with my mom.  I had an interesting experience where I was drawn to her the day before said she died. My parents live 90 minute away soon it’s hard for me to come over, say hello and grab a cup of coffee. The day before she died I happen to be in the area working and so I called my parents so simply say “Hello”. Oddly, my client canceled lunch and that allowed me drive over to visit my parents at their house. I was excited to see them and spend time with them. However, I remember thinking this was odd, as the real purpose of my work travels were to meet with this client. I felt like there was this pull for me, as if the afterworld was even speaking through me or my mom was pulling me to come over and see them.  When I was at the house, I didn’t notice that things were out of order and I didn’t notice she was taking photos on her camera roll. I did notice that she was very affectionate and gave me more attention than a normal visit. In fact, she gave me this incredible hug when I left and told me to have an amazing ski weekend with my family doing what I loved the most. I got back in my car and I had this odd feeling, but I could not understand it. The next day, I received a phone call that my mom passed away in her sleep. I immediately reflected on the feelings I had the day before where I was drawn to my mother at her house and now understood that she knew that she would die and she was sharing with me this last connection in the physical world. I now believe that on earth there are people who have spirt-like characteristics and connection to the after world.  It was not until after she passed away when I looked at her phone photos and rearranged items did I understand that she was preparing to go to another world of spirits that will watch and guide over us, just like she did when she was here on earth.   

Collector: Thank you so much for sharing. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences.

Context and Relation:

LK grew up in Sedro-Wooley Washington which is roughly ninety minutes north of Seattle. She now lives in Bellevue, Washington and is the mother of two children. LK’s mother died two years ago and she is still learning about the deep spiritual side of her mother. LK will always remember her mother and the love that she gave. LK says that she will be listening in the future for messages from her mother.

Personal Reflection:

I completely agree with LK. Her belief in her mother having some connection to the spiritual realm is totally valid. LK is my mother and LK’s mother is my grandmother so it was obvious knowing my grandmother that she had a spiritual connection. She always seemed to know exactly what to do in all circumstances. When I hear LK’s story, the situations provide a real connection to the spiritual world and the story of her family. Yes, you could say that all these events were coincidence, but it just seems like there is more than just science at play here. LK did say that her mother was extremely spiritual. It would not be that far off to argue that believing in a religion requires similar type of belief and headspace that ghost belief does. In conclusion, LK gave a great ghost story that will continue to live and develop throughout the rest of her life.