The Celtics peoples, who include the Irish, Scottish Gaelic (Scotland), Welsh, Breton, Manx and Cornish say thin places are portals between the two worlds of living and the dead, but where are these thin places? It can be a watery place of a pool of water, or thin times, like special days of commemoration on birthdays, anniversaries, celebration days and at the point of dying. Pools of water are notorious thin places when drowning can happen and the soul passes through this portal, into the world of the dead.
Thin times are when souls are able to pass through these portals. In ordinary times and places, the barrier between the living and dead is not that permeable.
In other cultures, there are similar beliefs that during special times of the year, souls of the dead are able to visit The Living World. In the Chinese culture, festivals like the Chinese Lunar New Year, Qing Ming Jie, and Hungry Ghost Festival, are thin times when the soul is allowed to return to earth to participate in rituals that honor them. Relatives offer food and paper replicas of comforts for the afterworld.
Other thin times are the birthday and death anniversary. The soul of the deceased is honored on their death anniversary and birthday. It passes through the thin time portal and eats the offerings made by its relatives.
Does your culture believe in thin places or thin times, where souls are able to pass through to reach the Living World, or world of the dead?
During thin times, the dead person’s soul may visit their close relatives, in dreams. Here is a related post:
When Chinese females dream of their dead relatives.
