The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-10-31
Annual Opening

HALLOW-EEN.--lO -HiSuO VIII uc OCio
hrated throughout Christendom, what
has long been known by the name Holy
Eve. 1t is the Eve of all Hallows, and
is connected with an ancient ritual Of
festivities, in which youth principally
participate According to the old Scot
fish tradition this was the night or
which the witches and fairies held theil
high old carnivals, and amongst all class
es of people it was celebrated with mer
rymakings Fortunes were told and
destinies were read by many strange
devices In this age of ours nobody be.
lieves in FAIRIES and witches, and there
fore the young folks take it upon them
selves to conform to the old customs as
nearly as circumstances will allow by
raising the ancient Nicholas on their own
account In this city the young folks
disguise themselves and play pranks
upon their neighbors in number OF
waysl but the observance has grown into
such disuse THAT but little notice is taken
of the occasion.
The festival of Halloween, which has
been immortalized by the Scottish poet
Burns, is of more Importance to the peo-
pie of Scotland and some portions of Ire
land than almost anywhere else. II we
were to describe it in brief, we would say
il is an occasion of great jollification to
the young people in the regions Of coun-
try referred to 1t has been customary
on this night for young people to dive for
apples in tub of water, or to attempt
TO catch them when suspended by
string; OF, sometimes, the apple is placed
at one end of stick, hung up by the
middle, and at the other end is lighted
candle, so that the person attempting tie
catch the apple, having his hands tied
behind him, while the stick swings
round, is as apt 20 be burnt with the light
as to catch the fruit. Young women are
said to be able to tell the figure and size
of their husbands by pulling cabbages
blndfolded. If any dirt stick to the
root, that is wealth, and the taste Of the
stem is Indicative of the disposition of
the future husband I'VE hope that the
toat ensemble does not indicate that he is
8 cabbage-head.I Another custom, the
throwing Of nuts in the fire, is thus beau
tifully described by Gray:
Two hazlenuts threw into the fame,
And to each nut gave sweethearts name
This with tbs loudest bounce mo sore amazd,
That In q fame If brightest "olor blaz'd;
As blaz'd the nut so ma thy passions grow
For twas thy nut that did 80 brightly glow
Another project described by Burns is
to look at ones self in glass, and at the
same time eating an apple and combing
ones hair, when the persons future hus'
band or wife, as the case may be, will be
seen in the glass looking over his shoul-
der. To find whether the future wife
will come to the altar of matrimony a
maid or widow, is ascertained by hav-
ing three dishes, one with clean water,
another with foul water, and the third
empty The person seeking the inform
alton is then blindfolded. The dishes are
shifted, and if he put his hand in the clean
water his future wife will be maid II
in the foul, widow; and if in the empty
dish lie will remain unmarried.
Young girls may test on this mysterl-
Gus occasion the fidelity of their admir-
ers by sticking apple-seeds, properly
named, on their cheeks or foreheads the
first one falling off shows that the person
whose name it bears is the least constant
-"c certain token that his loves un-
sound" while the last to remain on its
downy bed represents one to be esteemed
a true and steadfast lover
While sticks firmly to the last
Oh were his lip. to nine butjoined so fast
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