BAA member Dr Michael Carter, Curator at English Heritage, has been busy shedding light on the medieval origins of Halloween and busting a few modern myths along the way.
In a recent Guardian article titled “Halloween is no ungodly American import – just ask the medieval monks and nuns who marketed it,” Michael explores how Halloween’s roots lie not in sinister paganism or commercial American excess, but in deeply Christian rituals centred around prayer, purgatory, and the supernatural. You can read Michael’s full article here.
If you’re still craving more medieval chills, you can also catch Michael on the BBC’s ‘You’re Dead to Me’ podcast, where he joined Greg Jenner and actor Mathew Baynton for an episode on Medieval Ghost Stories. Listen to the podcast episode here.