The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-10-30
WHEN ALL ARE YOUNG
Franks and Customs of the
Eve of ALI Saints
OLD IDEAS ARE STILL POPULAR
Innovations nc This Annual Festival Are
Unknown. and Humanity still stick. 10
the Traditions Of the Past-Many Of
Them Are Totally Without Meanins New.
Though Originally They Meant some.
thins-whar We May Expect.

Ihonsh originally They Meant some.
rhins-what We May Expect.
Inc number OF practices and customs
that have sprung up from time TO time !,
| COMMUNICATING that feast of feasts. All
Halloween, is very great Not even the
FRANKS of A2rirs Fool Day can hoIa
candle to this coming Wednesday. when
| the Eve of All Saints strikes its shadow
| over the calendar
more traditions. legends, customs, SUI
porsdtioIs. tomfOolery, ard good times
cluster around this night than any other
/ nlght IN the year IL is the bugbear OF
oarkies and simple country folk; 1t is
the night when the things" that fol-
lowed Tam o Shanter leap into full blood;
the Eisht when ships of fate In the shape
or burning matches and pasteboarf Guns
fOreteE destiny; when popcorn. apples.
oEestnuts, looking-gla slippers. ana
the left hind feet of graveyard rabbits
| all have mystic and profound signin-
canoe. Not only the gentlemen from
hades are abroad, but the habitants of
| the heavens
All things are haunted. Every place IS
as eerie as Sleepy Hollow. and the fact
That 1t is likewise holy day in the
church makes its impress doubly felt.
Almost every locality has its own indi-
vidual ways and means of expressing
/ Halloween, but there are some practices
that are universal. For instance, the
''bobbing for apples"
Bobbing for Apples.
| This is where the small boys fun comes
| In, In addition 10 the ringing of door bells,
| throwing -four and tin cans, and the other
| nuisanees to which he is addicted at this
! time
| There is scarcely a family that does not
observe this apple custom. A large tub
filled with extremely cold water is placed
| in the dinning-room. Here are thrown
the biggest and reddest apples that can
| be procured, and they bob up and down
in the most tempting manner. Every
member Of the company invariably ZEN
tiers the lists" submits to having his
hands bound behind his back, and in some
cases his feet tied together, so that the
kneeling process may be as difficult to ac-
cCmplish as possible. They are then
blindfolded and led to the tub. In reality
the whole practice has an occult" sig
nificance. which nobody ever happens 10
remember at the time. The cold water
the apples are the prizes which are diff
cult to secure. The bound and blindfold- |
ed victims, on reaching the tub. pro-
nounce, or are supposed TO pronounce. in |
a witch-like tone the following stanZa:
For woe or veal,
Here ! kneel. |
Apple! Applet
Come TO ne!
Except in the cases of very small boys |
with very largo mouths the gods are not |
prOpitious. and the grotesque attempts OF |
the grown people to secure the tantaliZ- |
ing fruit give rise TO considerable merri- |
ment on the part of the oniookers. The |
tale does not end with the getting of the |
apple Once obtained, it has to be peeled. |
in a thin, unbrOken streamer, then, lariat |
fashion, to be tossed over the head, with /
eyes shut, while these lines are recited: |
wsh! wah, Wee!
Write for
The name Of him Tor herr
Who uaIres me-
If,the peeling does not break ii falls In /
fantastic lines which are easily construed |
into some initial or initials. The apple Is
then quartered and the seeds carefully |
taken out and counted. They symbolic
the number of adorers the party of the
apple has. Each quarter of the apple
must then be eaten with special ceremon-
les at different places. The first quarter
must be eaten slowly while backing down
the cellar steps with a candle in one
hand and a hand mirror in the other,
while the words:
wah. wah! Wee
Let me see
The face OF him
Who marries me
Must be recited without dropping even a
"crumb" of the apple!
The second quarter must be wrapped
in tissue paper and placed in the toe of
an old slipper. then carried to some park
or lonely road and thrown backward the
infant the clock strikes r. Whoever
picks up that slipper has the destiny of
the individual in his hands. 1t usually
happens that a dog or some guardian OF
the peace gets 1t, but that does not make
any difference. The third quarter is bal
anced on a lighted match, and II the
fame touches II all well and good. II Il
goes out without coming near il, the love
is soon dead. whereas IL the morsel Of
apple falls there is catastrophe The
fourth part, like the wedding cake Is
placed beneath the pillow and dreams are
supposed 10 tell the rest. SO that Is the
story OF the apple. all of II something of
an intricate process TO follow out.
Lighting the ships Of Fate.
The most picturesque custom is the
lighting Of the ships Of fate. This is SUD-
posed 10 have originated In Norway. and
dates back TO ancient times Three little
boats are fashioned out of colored card
board for each guest, sisnifying Wealth.
Fame. and Love. The first is yellow the
second scarlet, and the third light blue.
The room Is darkened and a salad or
punch bowl filed with water floating with
sprays OF parsley or fern Is placed on the
table. Three girls dressed as the Three
Norns. or Faies, each with match. are !
grouped around the bowl as the ships are
launched. and they repeat:
Dull is the yellow ship; Ii
Sad is the red ship. IS
Bright the light stars II
Sails the tIue. Il
They apply the match simultaneously ,
the water is stirred, and that ship which /
burns the longest deserves the fate In !
store. This Is by all odds the prettiest
custom OF Halloween.
The throwing Of -four. which r. OF all :
the practices the most provoking and the !
greatest nuisance, is supposed 10 stand 8
for the dust that the god OF sleep throws !
in peoples eyes In order 70 beyilder ,
them. The ringing Of doorbeIls has no !
significance beyond the fact that the I
deyil Is supposed 10 make noise whar-
ever he goes. and as he is abroad ON the
eve OF the saints he must speak for him
self :
Jack o lanterns and Will o. the xtsns
are manufactured In country towns vhtch Z
have convenient grayeyards near az hand I
While u Is always the custom for a num-