You can bob for apples, dress as the bride of Frankenstein or Stephen King’s scary clown, or maybe even try to ignore Halloween and hide when the doorbell rings!…
…BUT Halloween was traditionally about finding a husband and figuring out what sort of husband you would get married to!
Here are a few Halloween tales:
When bobbing for apples, it is believed that the first person to bite an apple would be the first to marry.
Make some mashed potato in an18th century Irish style. Hide a ring in the mashed
potato, and whoever finds it gets true love – if they haven’t choked to death!
Buy some hazelnuts, give them the names of people you fancy and throw them in a fire? The nuts that burn to ashes, rather than exploding or popping, represents your true love. Annoyingly some cultures believe the complete opposite is true.
Peel an apple and toss peels over your shoulder, the peelings will spell out the name of your future husband.
Oomancy – egg divination. People have looked at eggs to tell the future ever since there were eggs. Pierce the egg, pour the white into a bowl of hot water, and read the symbols the egg whites form as they half-poach in the bowl.
Stand in a darkened room looking over your shoulder into a mirror you will see your
future husband’s face -eeeek!
On Halloween your ball of yarn, From out the window fling,
And he who is to be your fate, will come to wind the string.
Fill your mouth with water, shut it tight, pray for good luck on this magic night,
cross your fingers and go forth and greet the first man you meet on the street.
And no matter how odd your actions may seem, he’s bound to propose to you Halloween.
Another 18th century Irish classic. This one involves looking into a bowl of water at
midnight on Halloween in an attempt to see your future love.
