Once again, it’s the time of year when young children dress to scare while roaming the streets of our old pueblo. In search of something far more precious than gold, it is candy they seek, with the threat of a sinister deed acted upon those who do not relinquish the tiny sugar-coated morsels. Of course, it is Halloween and, as with most rituals, this holiday has a deeply-rooted and rather ancient history.
Halloween’s origins began over 2,000 years ago with the Celts, who held a “summer’s end” festival known as Samhain on the first day of November each year. On this day they believed the border between this world and the “other” became transparent and spirits, both good and evil, could pass through with ease. To ward off evil spirits and avoid ghostly hauntings, costumes and masks were worn as a disguise to elude evil intentions. Today All Hallos’ Even, a shortening of evening, is known as the “eve” of All Saints’ Day.
As many residents of Sonoma can attest, hauntings are not limited to Halloween. In this town, the dead can be heard scratching at the walls, howling at the moon, appearing brightly on the darkest of nights as shimmering shades of light. There are apparitions that have been known to tap one on the shoulder while safe at home, and resting in that state somewhere between consciousness and sleep.
Such is the case of Sarah Duran LeVine, founder and artistic director of Sonoma Academy of Dance & Arts. Working late one evening LeVine heard noises downstairs in her studio on East Napa Street. The doors were locked and certain she was the only one in the building, her heart pounded desperately with the horrible fear that in fact … she was perhaps not alone. As seen so many times in a poorly financed grade-B horror flick, she crept downstairs slowly, adrenalin rushing through every vein in her body, trying to breath calmly, quietly, so as not to alarm the visitor. Searching every room, she concluded she was, actually, alone. Or was she? Often she would leave, locking all of the doors to the studio, coming back later to find the doors wide open. After changing the locks three times, she has finally learned to share the space with the friend she cannot see. She is, however, certain the entities living in the old 1870s wood house are not there to harm. “Everyone who comes here senses that this place is magical,” said Duran. They have named the ghost “Fosse” in honor of the famed choreographer, Bob Fosse.
More ghostly lore comes from local personality and author of the book Sonoma Ghosts, Carla Heine who has her fair share to say on the topic. While her book covers interesting history from the perspective of a “local,” it also sheds light on some of the underlying causes of Sonoma hauntings. Historical atrocities between the Mexican and American settlers with the region’s indigenous peoples are a primary theme, and cause for much of Sonoma’s spectral escapades.
Featured on the Sonoma Ghosts Web site is Heine’s interview with NBC’s “In Wine Country,” which highlights many of the haunted locales around town. First, women and children can head to Lachryma Montis, General Vallejo’s home off of West Spain. It is here in the fields just south of the general’s home that Patwin Chief Solano has been seen roaming. Keep in mind this site has never been witnessed by anyone of the male persuasion. Next … visit the Vella Cheese Factory to hear the screams of patients, from what used to be the old asylum in Eldridge, who were locked away in tiny rooms – each with a different color. This cruel experiment was designed to better understand which colors might be used to ease shell-shocked soldiers from their pain. Red was a bad color. Also on the list, Mission San Francisco de Solano where baptized Indians are buried beneath First Street East. Local paranormal enthusiasts report a negative energy flowing from the 180-year-old cemetery! Not to be forgotten is the Sebastiani Theatre’s Barbara, a stage manager who fell to her death from a catwalk high above the stage. Barbara’s illuminated image has been spotted during modern-day performances. Finally, Marty’s Barbershop for years stood where the Ledson Hotel does today. It is said that Marty still visits his old shop, walking through walls, and enjoying an occasional game of poker.
All of these occurrences seem a good recipe for a robust haunting that includes a dash of macabre, a pinch of imagination and a cauldron full of unforgettable history. Sonoma’s rich history lends itself perfectly to tales of ghosts and goblins and on the eve of Samhain, echoed through every dusty street corner and around ornately manicured front gardens, one will hear soft little voices mutter “Trick or Treat.”
Rituals such as Halloween allow for the release of pent up energy associated with the day-to-day rigors of maintaining order. All cultures seem to have a ritual that encourages one day of chaos – referred to by anthropologists as the Rite of Reversal – because every society is bound to a set of homemade rules and regulations designed to maintain order. So this Oct. 31, go out and get a little crazy, and have a happy and haunted Halloween.
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