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Oronou Weekly Timecs, Wednesday, October 30, 1996 - Il lar was common in ancient soci- Lu J eties and is still found today. The forms ghosts are believed to take differ from cul- and Mo stersture to culture. They can Middle Ages. The punishment of supposed witches by the death penalty did flot become common until the l5th century. The persecution of witches reached its height between 1580 and 1660, when witch tri- ais became almost universal throughout western Europe. In the English colonies, about 40 people were executed for witchcraft between 1650 and 1710, haîf of them in the famous Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Many witch trials were pro- voked, not by hysterical author- ities or fanatical clergy, but by village quarrels among neigh- bours. About 80% of al accused witches werc women, specifically old women whose husbands had passed away. Traditional theology assumed that women were weaker than Hey Kîds, men and more likely to suc- cumb to the devil. A more widely accepted belief is that in the early Christian society, it was the responsibility of the entire town to provide and care for the widow s of a former townsman. In many cases, especially in New England, it is believed that old women were declai ed witches simply so the town would not have to contin- ue looking after them. Witch trials declined in most parts of Europe after 1680; in England the death penalty for witchcraft was abolished in 1736. The last legal execution of a witch occurred in Switzerland in 1782. Ghosts A ghost is the spirit of a dead person capable of making itself seen or heard by the living. Belief in, and worship of, ghosts Colour OMe! Colour in the scaredy-cat trick-or treaters. Remember they should be wearing bright clothing to, go out on Halloween niglit! iniueLt CUoiiZUortranspar- ent likeness of the deceased, strange lights, or a disembodied voice. Monsters There are four very popular monsters in today's fiction and as costumes. The vampire, Frankenstein, the mummy and the werewolf all have their early beginnings in literature and folklore. In folklore, a vampire is a malign spirit that refuses to join the ranks of the dead, but continued on page 12 BESUqE 40F1= -IIP.JGms HUSQVARNA 51 -15" REG. 619.95 iHusqvarn*wa #1 ChLoîce for the Pro Cutter SFARM & GARDENý LTD. M Salteand eric Traunta>n Rc>adi, a km wtcf I-Iwy. 115, Oreria» 983-9119