The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-12-07
HALLOWE'EN.
A Night Of Mystery-Ths Future Fore
told by Signs and Ceremonies.

told by Signs and Ceremonies.
Witches and Warlocks A~broad-The Modern
Mode Of Observing Ancient Customs
Franks Of Mischievous Boys-spoonings Of
spoony Lovers-In the Dark and Alone.
Just when Halloween came to be
first observed is involved in mystery.
Certain it is that some of the ustom
handed down date from the Christian
era, while many of the traditions
which go to make Halloween a night
of mystery have their origin in Pagan
ism, and there is a trace of barbaric
rites running through numerous OBJ
which only heather supersti-
ton could have supplied.
Halloween is the night before Hal
lowmas or All Saints Day, and is the
evening of October 81.
On the night in question the fairies,
witches. warlocks, kilpies and the host
of other mythical beings had full
license and liberty to oar abroad.
These myths being unfettered prior to
the day of All Saints were supposed to be
more p%ropitiated, so that il they were
approached rightly, that is according
to the way they desired, they would
tell what would happen In the future.
To tell of the pranks and jokes the
witches and fairies played on the SUI
oore%i4;o,,, would Hn q 1yo1,,ro
Frequent reference is made to Hal
lowe'en and its customs by the poets of
ancient and modern times. Shake
speare, Browning and others have fire.
quent illusions to the ways in which
the curious sought to propitiate the
host of darkness in trying to get a
glimpse of the future. The poet Burns
in his celebrated poem of Halloween
gives a splendid description of the
night as observed by the p~easantry of
Scotland, and it may be taken as a
good example of the superstitious cere-
monies that have been more or less OBJ
served by the Germans, the French,
and other nations who doubtless bor-
rowed them from the Romans and
Greeks, and they in turn got them from
the more ancient nations, such as the
Egyptians and Chaldeans. The ancient
nations, as is we'll known, dealt largely
in oracles and signs, as did the nations
and tribes that preceded them. These
signs and oracles in time became mixed
up in their religious ceremonies
and in fact became part of their re-
ligion, so that the Christian religion
was not free from superstitions for
many ages, and it is the remnants of
such that have come down to us in a
more Or less mutilated form.
To know the future is always some
thing that human nature has sought
after, and many people of the present
day, who would scorn to be called
superstitious, have a private laundering
after fortune telling and on the quiet
will consult the fortune teller, or be-
lieve in signs, which to their minds
indicate coming events.
Young people especially have a great
desire to know the future. AS the fu-
ture would be incomplete without love
and marriage, it easily follows that the
future husband or wife is the object of
the greatest interest.
On this most of the customs of Hal
lowe'en turn and the ways in which
the young men and maidens sought to
get a glimpse of their future partner
are ~inrumerable.
The Kail-stock which Burns speaks
of vas one of these methods. 1t was
plucked in the dark, and it's being
straight or crooked Indicated the
shapeliness or crookedness of the flu
ture husband or wife.
To go out and walk round a walnut
tree and call three times was another
method, and if rightly done an answer
would be given. Several poets men,
ton this as being a custom in many
countries.
The burning of nuts, dipping or
looking in water and seeing a face re-
fected, throwing a clew of worsted
into a disused ]ime-kiln when some
mysterious being would take hold OF
the end, were methods used, and there
were many more of like kind.
It was always a rule that these
things should be done in the dark and
alone so that the charm work right,
and this of course gave many an op-
%portunity for practical joking, as
Burns poem so we'll depicts.
The modern ways of celebrating
Halloween, while comprising much Of
the ancient has many modern innova-
tons. 1t is a great night for parties,
and the old customs, if not believed in
as they formerly were, afforded much
amusement, and a lingering supersti-
ton still holds that something will
happen, as it often does. Much mirth
and jollity r the consequences, and
many a timid lover gladly seizes the
hand of his enamorata and pops the
question in a round about way while
the nuts are burning; to say nothing Of
the walk home when the customs Of
Halloween are used as a subterfuge to
introduce subject matter neal to the
affections.
l., No one in modern times enjoys Hal
lowe'en than the small boys. II