Halloween
Harvest & Halloween in La Sombra
Halloween and the changes of autumn.
La Sombra’s supernatural currents and metaphysically thin borders have long tethered it to the realm of spirits. The town exists in a liminal space, where energy flows more freely and the ordinary rules of time and space often bend. This unique positioning has made La Sombra a place of fascination—and caution—for those attuned to the unseen. Its history is woven with stories of strange occurrences, ghostly sightings, and moments where the past seems to slip into the present.
As autumn deepens and the veil between worlds grows thin, La Sombra becomes a focal point for spectral activity. Each Halloween season, the town plays a vital role in maintaining balance between the living and the beyond. Rituals, traditions, and even the placement of certain objects throughout the town are performed with intention, not only to celebrate the season but to protect its residents. In La Sombra, Halloween is not merely a night of costumes and candy—it is a time of reverence, responsibility, and recognition of the forces that stir just beyond the light
Our Traditions
Grumpkin
Be aware. Be Prepared.
Autumnal & Harvest Rituals
Long before the arrival of modern Halloween, La Sombra had already developed a deep and complex relationship with the autumn season. Its history of harvest observances and autumnal rites can be traced back to the earliest years of the settlement and the signing of the Treaty of Seven Winters. The frontiersmen and families who endured those first seven years in isolation relied not only on one another, but on the knowledge and traditions of the First Nations peoples—particularly the more spiritually attuned bands of the Cree, whose practices embraced both the physical and unseen aspects of the changing season.
Over time, these adopted rituals were reshaped by necessity and interpretation, evolving steadily from the 18th into the 20th century. Each autumn, La Sombra marked the season with ceremonies that honored the harvest as well as the spirits and entities believed to stir during this liminal time. The details of these celebrations have shifted over the years, as townsfolk layered in traditions from other cultures—seeking light, understanding, or protection during what was widely regarded as the darkest part of the year.
By the mid-1900s, as the modern concept of Halloween spread into rural areas, La Sombra began to embrace the more playful customs associated with the holiday. Children dressed in costumes and went door to door, and decorations became more colorful, more commercial. Yet, unlike in many towns, these newer practices did not replace La Sombra’s older customs. Instead, they settled alongside them. Even today, families might carve pumpkins and hand out candy, only to later gather in quiet reverence at one of the town’s older shrines, or leave offerings in the woods—not out of fear, but out of respect for traditions that feel older than memory.
A Note for Guests
La Sombra has a Zero Tolerance policy for courting or harassing the Grey Witch. Visitors to our town who cross into her lands or attempt to make contact with her and not welcome to stay the night and will be escorted to a nearby town for their own safety and the safety of our town.