Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-30
NOW FOR HALLOWEEN
Witches and COLLINS Prepare
for Tomorrow.
QUEER CEREMONIES
YOUNGSTERS MAKING PLANS FOR
GREAT SPORT.
Merry Making and Other Forms III
Accord With Customs Down
Through Ages.

Witches and COLLINS will be abroad tomor-
row night. Let all who believe in them be-
ware Every kind of dark and queer ceremony
| will be in order. and the supersti.ious will
possess the land. If the wind does not
howl fercely outside the door and whistle
mournfully about the caves, and II strange
sounds are not heard and strange sights
seen. the fault will be with the weather
and the people-for tomorrow night is Hal
| loween. when, as every one knows the wind
| ought to howl and moan and strange
things ought to be seen and heard
1t will also be the night of -four throwing.
and, although the police will make siren
| uous efforts to prevent the naughty boy
from carrying out his unlawful purpose in
| this regard, there will doubtless be plenty
of flour on the streets and on the backs of
innocent pedestrians.
And the girls. Halloween is a great time
for them. If girl wants to see the face of
her future husband she only has to wait
until the witching hour of midnight, then
take candle and mirror and walk slowly
upstairs backward, counting the strands of
her hair as she goes. At the top of the
stair she must peer into the mirror and
over her~left shoulder will appear the face
of her fate. 1t may also be a great even
ing for the farorfte young man, who, II he
Is clever enough can with a little inge-
nulty, aided by rear stairs concealment
in the dark of the hall. help to realize fate
by a reflection in the mirror.
Naming apples is another very old Gus
tom. An apple is selected and named for
the best-beloved one, and the seeds
saved ana counted and the state of the
best-beloveds feelings are told by counting
the seeds to well-known formula
Halloween, or Halloween, IS the name
popularity given to the eve or vigil of All
Hallows. or festival of All Saints which,
being the 1st of November Halloween is
nj ha CT Of frna Tlo
boy knows nothing about these things
however, and his only object in life on Hal
ioween seems to be the jangling of as many
discordant cowbells as he can lay hands on.
Halloween is the occasion for young peo-
pies parties, in which fancy dress 1l.umi-
mated pumpkins and lanterns are conspcu-
GUS The fruits and vegetables of the close
of the harvest season are also used for
decorative effects For the girl who Is look
Ing for ideas in the way of entertainment
here are some of the ancient customs which
are part of Halloween frolics nowadays
Bobbing for Apples.
Bobbing for apples is a universal custom
among young people, and it is well to make
this means of divining the future by ar
| ranging two tubs, one for the lads and one
for the lasses. and filling them with float
ing apples into which names of the mem
bers of the opposite sex have been inserted
on little slips of paper The name
pant in the sport will be that of the future
wife or husband.
And the custom of burning nuts which
have previously been named" is as old
and universal as that of bobbing for ap-
pies. If the nuts burn steadily. side by
side, it is a good omen that the love of
their namesakes will run smoothly, but if
one cracks and flies away, strife and DIS
cord will be sure to arise.
The initial of the possible 'he" or she
may be ascertained by pairing an apple
carefully, whirling the peel around three
times over the head and throwing 1t over
the shoulder. while repeating:
by this magic pairing l wish to discover
The first letter Of the name of my true lover"
In the Land of Cakes. where Halloween
customs are most industriously observed
the pulling of the kali obtains Mem
bers of both sexes go forth blindfolded, in
pairs, to the kali yard, or cabbage patch,
hand In hand, and pull up cabbage each,
They are carried to the house for inSpec-
ton, when the shape of the root determines
whether the future mate will be tall Or
short, fat or lean and so forth. In cities
where the cabbage patch is an unknown
quantity 1t Is just as much sport to go
blindfolded Into a room in which there is
an assortment of vegetables from which a
choice may be made. The nature of the
vegetable will determine the looks and vo-
cation of a husband wife-as, for in
stance, If a beet be selected he will be a
tradesman; a turnip signifies a traveller;
spinach. a with a vandyke beard;
Ships Of Fate.
Another pretty custom is that of ships
Of fate, which are made of the hollow shell
of an English walnut filled with melted
wax, into which a cotton wick is inserted
a small candle is fastened to the bottom
by melting the end of the wax taper. 1t
takes three such boats to determine fate.
One is plainly marked with the owners
name; the other two contain folded slips
of paper with the name of admirer iu-
scribed on each. The candles lit. and
the three boats are then placed side by side
in tub of water. 1t is a pretty sight to
watch these tiny barks, especially If sew
eral fleets are launched at the same time,
for the interest deepens If one boat veers
off and attaches itself to another barge
The admirer whose candle burns longest
Is supposed to be the lucky swain. while
II the maiden's candle burns out first she
will never marry. If the boats lack life
small breeze is created by gentle fan
ming.
A popular superstition which halls from
Old Ireland is for the girls in the party
to throw a ball Of yarn out of the WIN
dow. retaining the end, then slowly
wind it. There is usually some gallant
who is willing to help out the prophecy
by catching the ball. tearing off piece
and retaining the end. the sequel being
that he will be the lucky husband.
One form of invitation to a Halloween
party is crimson cardboard upon which
Is printed the date Tuesday, October 81,
1865, the phrase taken from Macbeth"
'1n thunder, lightning or in RAIN" and the
address where the party Is to be held. On
the inner leaf is the verse:
Come IN
And let the fairies
Read your fate
Reveal to none
The sacred plot
Or woe, not luck,