A Synthesis of: The Conflicting Origins of Paranormal Fascination
Mexico's Dia de los Muertos
("Day of the," 2011)
A potential explanation for the powerful presence of Hollywood in ghostly matters in America can be seen by comparing the juxtaposing viewpoints of America to Mexico. Each year in Mexico, and in areas of the United States bordering Mexico, ritual ceremonies are performed over a three day period to honor the deceased relatives of family members, and celebrate their life (Miller, 2009). From an American standpoint, the footage of ritual traditions can be misleading, as skulls are utilized, and dances are performed and homage paid to the visiting ghosts of dead family members. This tradition makes more sense if one is to consider life and death as the ancient Aztecs did,
“Instead of fearing death, they embraced it. To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake” (Miller, 2009). and welcoming view on death would result in the lack of ghost stories, which would certainly impact the economic surplus of Hollywood horror movies. This point proves just how important the media is in daily life to Americans and other citizens of other cultures all over the world.
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The Celtic's All Hallows Eve
(Georgy, 2008)
While the Aztecs were perfecting their mourning techniques approximately 3,000 years ago (Miller, 2009), the Celtics were celebrating their new year during the festival of Samhain nearly 2,000 years ago (“Halloween,” 2011). This festival resulted in the importance of the night before All Saints Day, referred to as All Hallows Eve, and eventually Halloween. The Celtics believed that on October 31st each year, the spirits of the dead were unleashed onto the living world to cause all sorts of commotion and even had the power to damage the season’s crops. The Celtics also believed the priests of the day, referred to as Druids were better able to make predictions, because the separating line between the spiritual and earthly world was blurred. In this evidence, ghosts prove to be both haunts and helpers, as they were known for causing terror, while their presence allowed for planning for the future (“Halloween,” 2011). This belief closely resembles a blend between the Aztec belief of the aid of ghosts, and the American belief of the potential terror of ghosts.
Ghost stories likely arise then from a multitude of sources, each similar and different in regards to the impact intended.
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This research proves that ghost stories arise from all three analyzed sources; the historical past, topographical elements, and economical gain of a location are all responsible. The historical aspect of a ghost story can go further than just the history of the location, however, as proved through the examination of two of American history’s most important influences, the Celtics coming from around England, the mother country, and the Aztecs, one of the world’s oldest societies, responsible for the first calendar and other intellectual feats that were before their time. Due to the contributions of these two societies on American belief throughout the time America has been a country, it could be argued that history is the most prevalent aspect of a ghost story.