DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Stories about air born witches have intrigued the world for a long time.  Even though there is little evidence that broomstick flying ever took place, the eery consistency of the stories of broomstick flying is too persistent to ignore it.  So what was it with broomsticks?    In many cases, historic records-mostly of courtcases, leave us a quite precise description of the way witches were perceived to be operating their wicked or evil magic on the rest of society in the Middle Ages.    In England, witchcraft was outlawed in legal act in 1542 and 1736, but the laws did not forid flying.  Probably because the legal profession did not believe it a possibility.  But there are still many accounts of witches having been seen leaving one place only to turn up several miles away without passing by on the road.    A linked belief was that witches knew far too much about other people's business, reporting secrets they could not have known or overhearing conversations from far off, says S

   Myths and legends are a part of virtually every culture.  One of the most interesting legends of Russian culture is that of Baba Yaga.  She is, however, not unique to Russia.  There are similar stories about her, under other names, in Poland as well as in the Czech Republic.    The figure of Baba Yaga is most often pictured as that of an old hag on a broomstick, reminiscent of the kitchen witches we often see today.  Some believe that she might have been the precursor for the ugly, old crones that most often represent witches at Halloween.     In truth, however, Baba Yaga is a complicated creature associated as much with fertility and fate as she is with death.  Some believed that she also had the gift of prophecy and great wisdom.  However, for reasons never understood, she seldom chose to use those skills without exacting a gruesome payment.  Anyone wishing to partake of Baba Yaga's wisdom had to take on a challenge, which began with a trip to her home hidden deep within a