New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-30
PROPHECIES OF LOVERS.
TIE MYSTERIES OF HALLOWEEN.
AID pRrIDICAL CEREMONIES AND FIREsIDE
DIVINATIONS.

=, anv unmarried person neglected last st. VAL
.,,,ne's Day and again last Midsummer Day 10 hho
an, what his matrimonial fate TO be 1t was grave
emission. Information TO the means to he adopted
~.rr given In these columns and any who did not then
,.srn scarcely deserve to know what happiness or
,n.srv Fate has determined for them. But MS nearly
,erv one gets more and better than he deserves. SO
there Is one chance to become informed OF Iu'ure
husbands and wives. even for those who nave IN mere
vanton careessness thrown away previous oppor'uhi
ties Nor Is It necessary TO walt for the return next
year Of the days already past. Tomorrow hisht Is o
time IL is All Hallow Even or Halloween. the
evening before All Saints Day. the LIST OF November.
!, mas vet another title In the North OF England,
namely Nutcrack Night the derivation OF which Is
obvious enough. Impartially weighed Against 'he
others It Is perhaps the very best time OF the whoe
xcsr for discovering Just what sort of husband or vile
one Is to be blessed withai.
OF old time TO 60 back TO the usual source OF such
,bn.s the Romans had feast Of Pomona at this timc
and II was then tina, the stores laid up In the summer
tor Use IN the winter opened. The appropriate
moss Of the use OF nuts and apples at TINS uhe '"s
becomes apparent. But wien a fesuVh hou''shns ~
the British Isles has fires connected Win H. LOOK ea'p
tor Druldical origin and will not usually be neces-
ssry 10 look far. Now halloween has fires connected
with I, and a Druidca connection II not al a''uai
origin seems highly probable
TO- H,dunc n, hon6res on hills Is the simplest OF
celebrations at any time. The Drnids made Tour great
fires AT their festivals In February. Nay! AUGUST au
November The case In hand must OF course 'o'''
pond TO the November fire. Wales seems 10 nave oe'i
country especially tenacious OK THIS CUSTOM ra'n
rilv used TO make It's own fire and rs IL was usihs
an, each member would throw white stone INTO H.
tho stones being marked for future denhcauoh. ineh
all said their prayers and went TO o"d ana III '"e
morning they tried find all the stones again. IL any
STONE wa, missin: II bctokcncd that the owner Vi IL
would die within II yea. som" s"pers""'"' ~"
urct,y and picturesque and attractive ''lS WAS '"' -
g., many which were cruel as we'll as picturesque. IL
would take but slight accident to cause lrgh' "a'
might no actually dangerous to supcrsti'ious person
nd n would not hard for enemy OF Such pc'Soh
a. cause that fr, by stealing his stone from inc hre'
Those Ares In Wales commonly IoiIo"eu pS
,cas,inc on nuts apples and par>nis md by The eas
a, which something will Dc said presently S'e"'"'N
., uor. thrown into the fires In the belief that
,ncy Indicated prosperity TO those VINO 'hre" "'" "
,hev burned we'll and the reverse II 'hey s'"pH
.mo,der,d and turned black. There were iireS alSo
.co,,and and there in some parts OF the country at
,o, IN. ashes we're carefully rak,d into circle ana
an, within this the stones were placed. one Ior e"
nerson present II In the morning any OF 'hcSe up
ncsred 10 have been disturbed 1t "'oNeh'u ue","
sometimes II was the custom to make large "i."''
hndiny combustibe material to tho tops OF poles anu
90 hear ,hem blazing about TIE village, hShuhH "'"
one. az often rs the old were burned ou' rn' WV,
,n uIod At different times and places on All SAINTS
v,h, which Is the eve OF All Souls Day, ana OH All
,o,s, Dsv itself the I'd OF November In these ''Se
,bc fires we're regarded as typical OF lmh'o''A:
xerc Thought to be ehicacio's. as an ou'"a" anu W.
Rio Sign at least for lighting souls IRON pl1a'o''
Cras Yer. apuropriate to AL Saints Day. As 10 man!
another, and poor people USED u so a'""' " ""'
then, as on many another occasion. ,
rh.-~ va. q strange custom In the Isle OF Lewis
rben the people used gather to the 'hdrch Oh -.
Mulvay at night, each family hr1ne,he rr">'S ""a
each family furnishing a peck OF mat WIN" W."
hrexed into ale. one who was CHOSEN LOT ''' pun
.oa ,n,o tho goa I'D TO his middle and poured out
GUN Of ale calling on sea god caieo ehoi'S ~ i,''
.n r,on,e through the coming year The people,
after seeing the ceremony performed returned 10 'he
h,rch and then went the fields. to spend inc TeS'
of the night In rcvclry 49,.
There IA feeling Of gloom and mystery In all 'h"t
concerns the Druids. but where the ceremonies Oh
halloween are unconnected with their lost reiiel"r
,bev have more cheerful character though IL Is haru
N sov postiyely that any custom current In Ehgiahu
on such an occasion Is wholly without their hnuehcc'
80 interviewer Is II with the beliefs ana inc h'"''
which have chung to the observance OF theee oo ie"
Some OF the tests for the happy purpose Of discovering
.xecthesrts have Il grcwsomeness about them that
would make OF timorous disposition WIS" 'n"'
they might fail rather than succeed
one Of this sort is the sowing OF hemp seed Eurns
describes II in his poem llallowern rs we'll a. most
OF the other generally recognized means by WHEN
persons who not usually prophets NAV 'co"e ' o'
this single night The cApc.imcnicr must 90 ont aohe
a md unpercevcd with handful OF hemp seed. when
he must sow on the ground. dragging after him my
thing that NAV h- convenient by way OF harrow.
lie must then say Hemp seed, ! saw thee. hemp
Seed l saw thee and him Tor herr that Is 10 W. MY
truc-love come after me and pOu thee III nv 'ic"
looks over his left shoulder he ought 10 see likeness
Of his future sweetheart pulling the seed Which he h"a
sowcd. II he sees nobody ne may conclude that he
hat 4,
M. e.periment A trial very like this muy be made
ON Midsummer Eve.
ia Girl would SEE her husband by an Irish method,
here Il Is let her throw ball OF yarn oae OF the VIII
dow holding the end OF The thread. and then rewId
IT, at the same time saying the Pater Noster back
wards Watching the ball OF yarn without she VIII
see The desired appari'ion Burns shows that 'he
Scottish form OF this test more solemn lie says
nothing OF the Patcr NOscr but he says that the yarn
must be blue and that the experimental must 50 out
TO the kiln and throw the ball into the pot theh ~heh
the rewindinS Is nearly fished something VIII hoid
the thread. TO the question "Wha hauds! ""
name Of the future husband will be returned in answer
OF course understood that this or any OF the other
methods OF divinnon Of this night may be u9eo WIN
equal effect by man or woman
Wet the sleeve OF Il shirt and hang II on chair ne
fore the nrc as II dry Then so to bed but 90 hot
90 to Sleep only watch. AT about Midnight you may
confidently expect to see your spouse that IS " NC
enter the room and turn the drying garment. il you
do not see him. II must be because you allow yohrsel
to drop asleep II only for minute. and so miss MN
when he comes. Burns adds to the difficulty OF 'nis
TRIAL and Therefore, 10 is probable success II carried
out rightly by requiring that the shirt shall De wei III
spring or rivulct running toward the son'h' d. Il
poiut where three lairds' lands meet II Is the let
sleeve that must be wet. This, also, Is test which
may b. tried equally we'll nt Midsummer The reader
Is referred to Chanberss Book Of Days. for most
Interesting story Of result Of this experiment 1t Is
too long to quote here.
Now stand before Il mirror and eat an apple, hold
ing lighted candle In one hand Some say that you
should comb your hair ut the same time. but that may
BE- found nconvenIent while eating apple and hold