The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-31
WHAT HALLOWEEN MEANS
BY RICHARD f. LUssIER

that the methods of divination at present
usually resorted to, although of great
antiquity, were originally regarded as
limited in their efficacy to any one day.
So Halloween seems to be the night
when the fairies are abroad and 1T is good
to ask of them enlightenment as to fu-
trre loves. This is interesting, far more
than girls dressing in their brothe s.
Clothes, which must be awkward to say
least.
And Robert Burnsl What does he say
of Halloween? In the foot notes of his
noted poem, Halloween" he says; Hal
loween is thought to be night when
witches, devils, and other mischief makers
and beings are abroad on their banefui
midnight errans; particularly those aerial
people, the fairies, are said on that night
to hold a grand anniversary" 1t must
be that the office boy and his gang belong
to those devils described by Burns, Tor
his plans are of certainty to prove tor
ture to some honest folk tonight. But TO
return to Burns and more foot notes:
1.-The first ceremony of Halloween is
pulling each a stock or plant of kali.
They must go out, hand in hand. with
ewes shut, and pull the first they meet
with: it's being big or little, straight or
crooked is prophetic of the size and
shape of the grand object of all their
spells-the husband or wife.
zone may go to the barnyard, and
pull each, at three several times, stalk
of oats. If the third stalk wants the
"top-pickle," that is the grain at the
top of the stalk, the party in question
will come to the marriage banns any
thing but a maid"
And further in the foot notes of
Burns poem it tells of the charm of
burning nuts. Each nut bears the name
of a boy or girl as they lie In the
fire; and according as they burn quiet
iy, or start from beside one another
the course and issue of the courtship
will be. Burns also tells of the looking
glass charm, which is to light a candle
and at the mystic hour peer into look
ing glass; eat an apple before it and
comb your hair all the time and the
face of conjugal companion-to- will
be seen in the glass, as IL peeping over
your shoulder.
And another charm explained by Burns
is that of taking three dishes; put clear
water in one, foul water in another and
leave the third empty; bindfold a person
and lead him to the hearth where tho
dishes are ranged he or she dips tho
left hand; If by chance in the clean va
ter, the future husband or wife will come
to the bar of matrimony a maid; IL IN
foul, a widow; If in the empty dish, il
foretels with equal certainty no mar.
riage at all. 1t is repeated three times
and every time the arrangement Of tht
dishes is altered.
1t seems that in all the records NJ
Halloween the people We're mostly giver
to exercising charms on that night AnG
there is little told of trampling through
the streets with cowbells and hor.ts. Il
must be the spirit of the twentieth cen.
turv and we are now having a ragthn,
Halloween instead OF, as in the DAYS OF
yore, when the spooks We're wont tc
creep about in the moonlight, and thc
iack-o'-lanterns hoped fanta stically ir
the lane, and the SWANS and thu lasses
watched with eagerness in the looking
glasses for future happiness.