Halloween 2024 in Second Life: A trip to Dracula Castle PART 1
With each passing year in this seemingly limitless worldworld of Second Life, we see more and more celebrations mixing myth, history and traditions, fantastic festivals, concerts and shows with the power of bringing people together while preserving cultural heritage. And this strengthens even more the educational gain with the unlimited resources to explore and create that Second Life offers to all its residents.
Halloween, celebrated on the 31st of October, became in time more than just a night of playful disguises and candy collecting. The origins of Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter with this festival. They believed that on the night of October 31st, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred, and the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. The night becomes a bridge between worlds where memories of loved ones are rekindled, and the living and the dead share a moment of unity.
The country where legends were born
Romania is the country where you hear a story at every step: the giants who lived in the north side, the rocks that move at night or places where time seems to stand still – like the one called “Heaven’s mouth” in the old mountains Bucegi. There are many legends full of mystery that, year after year, attract thousands of people from all over the globe, thirsty to hear even more of the stories from the creation of the world, and enchanted by the unique beauties of the country. One of the most popular destinations is the Bucegi mountains, located to the west of the Prahova Valley, where you can find resorts such as Sinaia, Predeal, Buşteni, Azuga – and to the east of the Bran corridor or the Ialomiţa Valley, which crosses them in its upper part, forming in its passage Cheile Urșilor, Cheile Peşterii, Cheile Coteanu, Cheile Tătarului, Cheile Zănoagei, Cheile Orzei and Cheile Ialomiţei. Eugen Barbu said that whoever is lucky enough to see this world between heaven and earth, represented by Bucegi “on a clear night, full of frost and starlight, can boast that he knows how Genesis was“. I will reveal some of the most fascinating legends from these lands in future articles – but for now, lets get ready for our virtual unique experience at Dracula`s Castle in Second Life.
In the heart of Transylvania, surrounded by the mysterious Carpathian Mountains, lies a majestic fortress that has captivated people`s imaginations for centuries: Bran Castle, widely known as Dracula’s Castle. Beyond its historical and architectural significance, Bran Castle has an enigmatic charm that continues to fascinate visitors from around the world.
In reality, the history of Bran Castle begins in 1377, when the Hungarian king Ludovic the Great issues an act granting the inhabitants of Brașov the privilege of building a castle. The castle itself had both the role of customs and of a fortress that had to protect the border against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. In 1407, Sigismund of Luxemburg offered the castle as a fief, in exchange for loyalty, to the ruler of Wallachia, Mircea the Elder, so that he could retreat here in case of any attack by the Turks. In 1918, Transylvania became part of Greater Romania and the citizens of Brașov offered the castle to Queen Maria of Romania, which became her favorite residence. But the main attraction for which tourists choose to visit Bran Castle is represented by the legend that has been created around it – and Count Dracula.
Dracula is a fictional character. His name derives from the nickname given to Vlad Ţepeş, ruler of Wallachia between 1456-1462 and in 1467, whom historians of the time describe as a ruthless and bloodthirsty despot for political reasons and the frequent executions by impalement that he ordered. For some, he is a national hero who fought hard against the Ottomans, thieves and criminals; for others, he is the bloody tyrant who inspired the dreaded legend of Dracula. But in the end, he was respected both as a fighter and as a voivode who did not tolerate injustice, during his reign he built several monasteries.
Originally the name Dracula is not of a scary place. It derives from the name given to an order of the crusaders, the Order of the Dragon, with which both Vlad Ţepeş and his father Vlad the Dragon (a member of this order) were associated. The rest of the Dracula myth is due to the influence of Transylvanian legends and popular beliefs about ghosts and vampires.
Dracula Castle in Second Life
When we first visited the Dracula Castle in Second Life, we were really impressed by the attention to details and the perfection with which it was modeled after the real castle from Transylvania. Wanders Nowhere – the creator of this masterpiece – has been a lifelong fan of the Count Dracula in his many forms, so he had this wish to build his castle. And he did it – amazingly!
Building Dracula Castle was an extremely meticulous and by no means easy work: “It took fifteen years, so it was always an ongoing project. At first, a friend very generously hosted me building it above his unused sim, but eventually he wanted his prims back so I wound up starting an avatar business so I could afford my own sim, which eventually became Prehistorica: The Dawn Kingdoms. Once i bought my sim, Fort Nowhere, the Castle found its permanent home. The current design is based on a mixture of my own long term design, with classic movies like the Bela Lugosi, Frank Langella, Christopher Lee and Gary Oldman films, and a dash of the Castlevania game series. I looked at a lot of real castle architecture for inspiration as well, but there’s no one castle that it is meant to represent other than the fictional Count’s.
The Castle was built in stages, I have snapshots of it as a build entirely made of prims, then of prim and sculpt, and finally including the mesh pieces it does today. Like a real castle it was built up layer by layer, era by era, constantly evolving over time. As Alucard says in Castlevania, it’s “a creature of chaos”. Who knows what it will evolve into in the future?” Wanders Nowhere, creator of Dracula Castle and of Prehistorica – The Dawn Kingdoms
Halloween 2024 at Dracula Castle
I admit one thing: I am not comfortable with the very bloody, horror things, so two months ago I was thinking about what All-Stars Universe could do differently this year to celebrate Halloween in Second Life. When I saw the castle, I just knew it: a tour through the mysterious rooms and hallways, sharing about the legend surrounding it and the historical truth – ending with a great ball in the absolutely fantastic ballroom of the castle! So i wrote down in a notecard the program i had in mind for the two evenings, and sent it to Wanders. His hospitality impressed me even more: not only that Wanders replied right away, but he embraced the idea saying that this would be a really unique experience for many of our residents. So here we are, after days with planning step by step the tour and the prom, only one day away from the beginign of the Halloween 2024 at Dracula Castle – a fantastic experience in Second Life for you to join – and enjoy! Please find below the program for the 2 days, with all the details needed.
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