Liminal Time: Doors, Crossroads and Midnight

Halloween loves boundaries—between seasons, rooms, roads, identities and worlds. Why?

Episode 18 of The Depths of Halloween. Elias, Mara and the Archivist debate the history, folklore and modern claims behind Liminal Time: Doors, Crossroads and Midnight. The production distinguishes documented history from folklore and later reinterpretation where the evidence is uncertain.

Estimated scripted runtime: about 15.3 minutes before performance pacing.

Topics in this episode

• What liminal means
• Doors and windows
• Crossroads
• Midnight

Sources and further reading

• Library of Congress: The Origins of Halloween Traditions
• Library of Congress: Halloween: Topics in Chronicling America
• Smithsonian Magazine: The Celtic Origins of Trick-or-Treating
• Smithsonian Magazine: When Halloween Was All Tricks and No Treats
• HISTORY: How Jack O’Lanterns Originated in Irish Myth