Romancing the Jack-o’-lantern
Halloween Love Traditions
It’s spooky-scary season! We finally have a break in the heat here. The sudden change made for a less colorful fall. Leaves just drop to the ground. But the chrysanthemums I planted last year are huge and in full bloom. Work on “the novel” is progressing nicely and I’m on track to publish next year. That brings us to the start of the holiday season … Halloween. I’m watching scary shows and drinking apple cider as often as I can.
In my blog post, I wrote about Halloween superstitions but here, I’m talking about Halloween traditions from the days of yore.
Halloween is steep in love and romance.
Apple Bobbing
There are two “games.” Women mark apples, men “bob” for them to find their match. The other is for women bobbing. If she gets an apple on her first try, she’d marry her desired mate. Two attempts, the relationship is ill-fated. But more than that? It wasn’t meant to be.
Mirror Gazing
On Hallowee’n look in the glass,
your future husband’s face will pass.
Yup, just look in a mirror in a dark room with a single burning candle on Halloween to see your future spouse.
Dreamland
Place a small piece of wood in a glass of water and place it near your bed. Go to sleep and you shall dream of someone falling off a bridge and into the water. Rescue them as they are your future spouse. Easy peasy.
Throw Your Hair
Snip a lock of your hair off and, at midnight, toss it into the night air. It will blow the direction of your future honey.
Three Cups
Place three cups on a table on Halloween. One empty, one with clean water, one with dirty water. Move them around and send in someone blindfolded. If their fingers land in clean water, they will marry a young person. Dirty, they’d marry a widow, or perhaps marry late in life. If their fingers landed in the empty cup, it’s spinsterhood/bachelorhood for them.
Eating Cake
Cupid’s Cake to be more precise. Similar to King Cake on Mardi Gras, but this cake has a ring in it. Everyone has a slice at midnight. The person who gets the slice with the ring will marry next.
Nut Crack Night
In Scotland and Northern England, an old tradition involved fortune telling with nuts. Names were written onto nuts. A couple wishing to know their future put their nuts into the fire. If they burn together, a smooth relationship was to come. A nut starts jumping, it’s rocky times or an unfaithful mate.
Now you know how to find your future partner!
If you haven’t read my children’s chapter book, now is the best time. It’s about a scaredy ghost.
Oscar, The Apprehensive Apparition
Oscar the ghost dwells happily in his cozy cottage, where he hides from creatures that lurk in the dark. After a mysterious message arrives, he must find the courage to go out and discover what’s waiting for him. Will he be brave enough or will the monsters send him rushing back home?
I’m always amused and curious about superstitions. But I still toss salt over my shoulder to ward off evil spirits. I think it works because I’ve never been attack by an evil spirit. Proof positive that salt is an effective deterrent.
This post is a little late for me since I already found my hubby. <3