Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-10-29
ALL HALLOWEEN DAY

ALL HALLOW EEN DAY
All HalOwe'en-s night Of dreams
Fsn,astic-strarge-yet sweet;
When to each lsis ana lsssie's cara
Comes trip of fairy feet.
When witches fTolIc through the air,
Asiride on flying brOomsticks.
And with shrill laughter every where,
They plsy in field nd roOm-trIcks.
When man and maid, with men &c" ate,
But beating heart. doth question Fate
October, with its hazy Indian sum-
mer weather, radiant in is yestmenls
of red aud Id, and freigbted with
purple grapes and rosy apples, leaves Us
reluctantly, and, as if TO try TO make up
for her departure, gives us on her last
day the well-beloved festival OF "All
Hollowe'eD."
This mystic evsning is always one Of
mirth and jollity, aud is therefore look
ed forward TO with great anticipation.
These frolics are always informal, and
even the most staid forget their dignity,
and join in celebrating the rites OF Hal
Iowe'en with ardOr.
We are told by ancient times that
Halloween is the vigil of Hsllow-
mas or All Saints Day." and that
witches and devils and all other mis-
chievous spirits are at large on that
day. Why witches and devils should
take the day of All Saints for their
pranks is aot explained, and we are
left to ponder that question In complete
ystficalion. But, though we cannot
fod out the reason of this, we do know
tnat the traditions and customs OF Hal
lowe'en have come down through the
ages, and are observed even on this day
Of modern thought end progress. Per-
haps those who 90 through the fantastic
tests sacred to Halloween do not be-
lieve as implicitly 10 their virtues as did
the lads and lssses Of the time OF Bob
Die Burns. Yet, deep down in the
hearts of most OF them fingers trace
of superstition, and faint shadow lies
behind their laughter, when the omens
are unpropitious.
To make Halloween party a sue
cess one must only invite ones init
mates, for its pleasure lies In sponta-
neity, and any strangeness or stiffness
will spoil that.
An original young lady decided TO
give party OF this sort, and sent out
UNIQUE invitations to about twenty ol
uer cronies. The invitations were SIM
ply gray cards, bearing sketch OF q
witch astride broomstick, under which
was stamped the address of the home OF
the hostess and the date and hour.
When the guest arrived he was usher
| ed into large room, lit only by few
wax candles and a blazing fire. There
| in the soft light the various trials &c
probe the secrets of the future were
made. Three fnger-bowls lay on the
table, one empty, one filled with cleal
and one with cloudy water. The per
son trying this was blindfolded, and the
bowl he chose two out OF three times
decided his fate. If be chose the empty
one he was fated to be single; If th'
cloudy one he would be unhappily mar
ried. but if he took the clear water h'
would lead happy married life.
Another test, which was hard to com
plete safely, was to run around tn
square with @ mouthful OF water.
, one did this successfully he woul'
near the nsme of his fate whispered a
he ran. Another way to find this on
is to enclose piece of paper, on whic
a name is written, into ball OF dough
Several OF these are made and put int
81 tub of water. The one that open
first is the one destined to wed the pei
son who tried the test.
Every one has heard of "bobbing
for apples, on which initials have bee
cut, and as well.known as that Is looB
log into mirror over ones shouioe
while standing 10 the moonshine AM
!, e,,ing an apple. In the glass will al
pear the future bride or husband.
These are only few OF the tbousan
superssitions of Halloween. Fac
community has different way OF doiD
y these. and each adds few to the l's
Halloween is 30 euening OF harmie'
enjoyment and mirth, and is one OF tn
= best loved festivals of the year.