They also performed rituals to keep out evil. There were many people who believed that there were ghosts everywhere in winter. Villagers, whose beliefs were very simple, thouht that if they wore scary costumes and masks when they left their homes after dark, the spooks and monsters that roamed around at night would not recognise them. They also left bowls of food outside their houses for these invisible ghouls, thinking this would stop them from trying to get in.