The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-11-01
ALL HALLOW EVE.

Its Observe nee sad Ancfens superstitions.
Yesterday evening being the night which precedes All
Haiow Day which celebrated on the LIST OF November
was All Haliow Eve, or Halloween. There Is no partcu
tar observance Of this evening made IN any OF the
churches, except being night OF confession il thu
Churches OF the Catholic denomination.
The observance OF the evening in some parts OF Eng
land, the Highlands Of Scotland and Wales Is so con
nected with ancient and sperstitions that ~
may not DO uninerestng give short sketch OF those
superstitions and the which this owe was ces
bra'ed by the ancient Britons. Many oil these
superstitions have now passed away forgotten,
except in few remots districts bat stu
relics of them to be found this day among
the lower classes OF the population For
merry il was thought To be night when witches devils
and other mischief making beings all abroad on their
baneru moonlight errands particularly those aerial
pie the fairies, who SAID that night 70 hold
grand anniversary In North Wales they had curious
custom Of making great bonfire this eve, and whom
nearly extingushed, every of the family threw
white stone Ia the ashos having nrst marked IT, then,
having said thor prayers turning round they TO bed
and IT, In the morning. whom They u search FOR
the stones and find Que al tler, missing they had
0n the pearson who threw ia would die before he
another All HaI0w Eve Another curious custom TO
dance and jump through the boni<-s. and ct the con
clson always away, ito escape siss black. shart
0f Scotland they have dearly she s...s cusless
IA Esiapd in thu sssa esntry, Grcs stui kiuded
in various parts
Connected with Al! those customs arc tI,ose bel,er
known which Rrss has we'll aud faithfully
portrayed In his poem az Halioweca.' All over The
british isles tho rstvr and fortune telling practices al
thus evening very the Mention Of these
customs has been made by Gay IN his poem 0f THE
Spell and "Nnis Burning All Hs'l"~esn, by Gray
den Tho fortune telling cmstOns described by u; rms
besides the above arctic pull stalks from cornsalk
and ascertain from the pressuce absence OF the
top pickle an interesting point in their moral his
tory. For solitary female 20 to kiln, and. throw
ing blue clue into the pot, To wind Il, expecting
that finished il ~i he hold back when by inquiring
who holds RESPONSE will he obtained, disclosing the
name OF tho future husband 10 apple At looking
glass expecting 10 see vision of The future husband
peeping over; 10 SOW hempse1d IN the yard, saying.
''Hemps ed thee-iian. p,sed thee, aud her
tna is TO he my true love afier and draw thee,
expecting that on loosing the shoulder vision
will be obtained Of the Irinre sponge in The act OF pull
ing green hemp to taiom barley stack thrice expect.
ih a, the last 10 embrace your mistress To dip shirt
sleeve IN rvnlei at the meeting point Of the lands III
three rppretors and then hanging ny the IRE 10 dry,
trusting to see visionary persoa coma in aud turn the
other side 10 pell stalks of sab,a2es blndfodcd,
without choice, and aagur from their straighncss
crookedness the figure of the future spouse, from
the earth which rings 10 IN. root no fortune she WIN
bring and from The Of the hearl her temper; final
y, to set three shes the hoorOne empty, one with
clean and with foul aaierand cause the company to
approach them blind 0d-i and Tip IN hand when he
who dips IA the enldy one !. expected to remain Gnmar
RED he who dips in the foul QUE % uarry widow, ana
he who dips In tho clean Que to marry maiden The
whole or these rites ara ~ familiar To- The Welsh Irish
ami Nofthlmbrtan W The Ayrshire PEASANTS Now
Halloween still observed Init III" daring rites are
all given up Instead OF the ancient Donlrc custom
meetings OF yonng people take place. and plentiful store
OF nuts and apples being provided few simple amuse
meuts s,c pacssi The experiment Of burning 10
the duration Of love friendship Ia yet parscd NJ
dyination Of marriage by The youthful madcns The
nuts when burning supposed to be emboms Of future
happiness otlicr~isn. should the nuts fret and
umc while IN the afc n dcnotes ~ matched couple,
should the nus si ether wildly start u denotes
life OF STRIFE hut 4 III. burn brightly side by side
II Is thought 70 In sure emblem Of genuine love and
truth sncsie, and happy pair Another mode OF
am ,srineut /. 10 suspend apple from t,c
celing and EACH rnsc3yVrs to catch the
|. apple with their teeth There u aiss another
With an apple aud lighted candle suspended Ia the
.ar manner and sometimes they suffer from the effects
of catching tho candle instead 81 thn apple favoriie
spor The Bvtons something rsscmbled the
lator sport There smother game Of tho snms charac
tor piacised with appcsio pat them in tub contain
ing water aud each to endravor 10 grab the app'
with his her teeth. This causes mnr' amusement 4
I ali, and tx much prariand.
Al the ancient s,sper.lpns, with the exception OF
few remote aud Wild districts ~ scotland aud Wales M
| things or the past They ara vanabls to "a only A
showing the supcrstons which existed among The rurz
| disI rc.s OF ihs British Isles some ceai,,ry ago