The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1868-11-19
AL HALLOWEEN.
Ancient Ideas Respecting All
I1al1OW's EFe---Ancient
ObseF Vances Of
the Night

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ual1OW's EFe--Aneient
ObseF Vances Of
the Night.
The night Of October 3ist, Is known
as All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween;
and there is no night in the year
which the popular imagination has
stamped with more peculiar char
acter. 1t is clearly a relic Of pagan
times, for there is nothing in the
ChuTch-Observance Of All Saints day,
Nov. 1st, which could have originated
such extraordinary notions, or such
remarkable practices, as those by which
Halloween is distinguished.
The leading idea respecting Hal
loween is, that it is the time, Of all
Others, when supernatural influences
prevail 1t is the night set apart for
a universal walking abroad of spirits,
both of the visible and invisible world;
for, one of the special characteristics
attributed to this mystic evening, is
the faculty conferred ON the immater(
ial principles in humanity to detaCh
itselffrom its cOrporeal tenement and
wander abroad through the realms Of
space. On this night, the gift Of call
ing spirits "frOm the vastly Deep" is
available to all who choose to avail
themselves Of the privileges Of the o.
casion.
All over the world there Is a re-
markable uniformity in the fire.
side customs Of the night. Nuts and
apples are everywhere in requisitiOD,
and consumed in immense numbers,
Burns has some capital verses.On the
subject. It is still a custom in Ireland,
when the girls would know if their
lovers are faithful, to put three puts
upon the bars of the CRATE, naming
the nuts after the lovers. IF a nut
cracks or jumps, the lover viii prove
unfaithful; if it begins to blaze or
burn, he has a regard for the person
making the trial. If the nuts named
after the girl and her lover burn to-
gether, they will be married.
AS to apples, an old custom Is that
of hanging up a stick horizontally by
a string from the ceiling, and putting
a candle. on one end and an apple on
the other. The stick being made to-
twirl rapidly, the merry-makers In
succession leap up and snatch at the
apple with their teeth, no use Of hands
being allowed, but the candle often
comes around before they are aware,
and scorches them in the face, or
anOints them with grease. The mis-
adventures of course occasion abun-
dance of laughter. But the grand
sport with apples on Halloween, is to
set them afiOat in tub of water, into
which the Juveniles by turns duck
their hands, with the view Of catching
an apple.
Young people in Scotland, at midi
night, 90 out hand in hand, blind
folded, into the garden, and each pulls
the first stalk or weed which he meets
with. They then return to the fife
side to inspect their prizes. Accord
ing as the stalk is big or little, straight
or crooked, so shall the future partner
be. The quantity of earth sticking to
the root denotes the amount of fortune
or dowry; and the taste Of the pith
denotes the temper. Finally the
stalks are placed, one after another,
over the door, and the christian name
Of the persons who chance to enter
the house thereafter, are held in the
same succession TO indicate those Of
the individuals whom the parties are
to marry.
Another ceremony is to have three
dishes, ranged on the hearth, one fill
ed with clean water, one with foul,
and one empty. The parties, blind
folded, advance in succession, and dip
their fingers into one. If they dip in
to the clean water, they are to marry
a maiden; if into the foul water, a
widow; ifintO the empty dish, the
party viii remain a bachelor or an
old maid. As each person takes his
turn, the position of the dishes is
changed.
The ceremonies are all Of a light,
spOrtive kind, but there are others Of
a more weird-Iike and fearful charact-
er. One of these is the celebrated
spell of eating an apple before a look
ing-glass, with the view of discovering
the enquirer's future husband, who it
is believed viii be seen Peeping over
her shoulder. Another is to wet a
shirt-sleeve, hang it up to the fire to
dry, and lie in bed watching it till
midnight, when the apparitiOn of the
individuals future partner for life will
come in and turn the sleeve. POpu-
lar belief ascribes to children born on
Halloween, the possession Of certain
mysterious faculties, such as that Of
pereeiving and holding converse
with supernatural beings. 1t will be
recoIIected that Sir Walter Scott
makes use Of this circumstance in his
romance Of "The Monastery. ."-rSt
Joseph Herald.