From Ghoulies and Ghosties Good Lord Deliver Us

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 15, 23 October 1931, Page 7

From Ghoulies and Ghosties

Good Lord

Deliver Us

Old Scottish

Litany

In this country very little is known of old English traditional customs such as those of Hallowe’en-so. called because it is the vigil . of All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1. In the. following article are outlined'a few of the old superstitious rites and love divinations once practised by all classes on this occasion. Arrangements have been completed ‘for the broadcasting from 4YA of a Hallowe’en concert, to be given on October 31 in His Majesty’s Theatre, Dunedin, under the auspices of the Dunedin Burns Club.

ALL HALLOW EEN

' . Tae one night of the year when devils and \ ’ witches are abroad on their baneful midnight errands-that is Hallowe’en. On that night each year a maze of queer superstitions and rituals arising far back in the days of Druidism was once observed all over the British Isles. Unfortunately these traditional customs have not survived the materialism of modern times, except for traces appearing each year in the more remote parts of the British Isles. The curious.charms and spells employed varied greatly, even from county to county, but one in which apples, nuts and ale played a prominent part, seems to have been almost universally observed. The entertainment portion of all Hallowe’en activities consisted chiefly of "bob apple," or the art of endeavouring to secure with the mouth alone an apple suspended from a beam or floating in a tub of water, and of course drinking and feasting. Every house abounded in the best viands that could be afforded, while apples and nuts were devoured in abundance. The nutshells were burnt and from the ashes many strange things were foretold. In this rural sacrifice of nuts propitious omens were sought touching matrimony. A girl wishing to know if her lover was faithful, placed two nuts on the bars of the grate, naming them after her lover and herself. If the nut representing the lover cracked or jumped, he would prove unfaithful. If it began to blaze or burn he had a regard for the person making the trial; while if both lay stil and burnt together it prognosticated a happy marriage or a hopeful love. Fire appeared to play a big part in the ritual designed to protect mortals from the evil machinations of witches and other ghostly enemies. In Lancashire, for example, it was once believed that witches assembled on Hallowe’en to do "their deeds without a name" at their eneral rendezvous in the forest of Pendle, a ruined and desolate farmouse, known as the "Malkin Tower" because of the awful purposes

to which it was devoted. This superstition led to a ceremony called "leeting the witches." It was believed that if from eleven to twelve o’clock at night a lighted candle burned steadily © while being carried about over fells and hills, it had so far triumphed over the evil power of the witches who, as they passed to the Malkin Tower, would ene ploy their utmost efforts to extinguish the light, If this was

so, the person whom the candle represented might safely defy ‘their menace during the sea~son. If by accident, however, ° the light went out, it was an omen of evil to the luckless

wight for whom the experiment was made. In Aberdeen, at the conclusion of various magic ceremonies around: the hallows fire, the male members of a family would mount guard over it, for neighbours would often clan together, either from humour or pique, for the purpose of scattering certain fires. The resulting battles were often highly entertaining. In North Wales there once existed a similar custom in whici every family for about an hour at night made a great bonfire in the: most conspicuous place near the house. When the fire was almost | extinguished everyone would throw a white stone into the ashes, having first marked it, and, after saying their prayers while circling the firé, they would retire. It was believed that, if in the morning any ort! of the stones were missing, the person who threw it in would dig | within a year. That even Royalty, as late as 1874, participated in the revels andl} customs of Hallowe’en, is shown by the following extract taken fron#, the "Guardian," dated November 11 of that year: "EYALLOWE'EN was duly celebrated af} Balmoral Castle. Preparations had beest: made days beforehand, and farmers and others for miles around were: ptesent. When darkness set in the celebration began, and her Majesty, and the Princess Beatrice, each bearing a large torch, drove out in an open phaeton. A procession formed of the tenants and servatrts on the estates followed, all carrying huge torches lighted. They walked through the grounds and round the Castle, and the scene as the: procession moved onwatd was very weird and striking. When it had atrived in front of the Castle an immense bonfire, composed of old boxes, packing-cases, and other materials, stored up during the year for the occasion, was set fire to. When the flames were at their brightest a figure, dressed as a hobgoblin, appeared on the scene, drawing a car surrounded by a number of fairies carrying long spears, the car containing the effigy of a witch. A circle having been formed by the torch-bearers, the presiding elf tossed the figure of the witch into the fire, where it was speedily consumed. This cremation over, reels were begun, and were danced with great vigour to the stirring strains of Willie Ross, her Majesty’s piper." Endless curious love divinations were always practised-on Hal lowe’en. Even snails were used for this purpose. They were placed on an ash-covered hearth, and it was thought that in their crawling they would reveal the initials of the lover’s name. In a poem of some sixteen stanzas, entitled "Hallowe’en," Robert Burns mentions no fewer than ten different ways in which a man or woman might see as in a, vision, or at all events learn something about, their future partners in) marriage. ore In the South of England if a girl had two lovers and wished to kno which was the more constant, she produced two brown apple kernels and stuck one on each cheek, after having (Concluded on page BBs)

Hallowe’en

(Continued from page 7.) named them from her lovers) while she repeated this couplet: "Pippin, pippin, I stick thee there, That that is true you may’st declare." She then patiently waited until one fell off, when the unfortunate swain, whose name it bore, was immediately discarded as being unfaithful The traditional dishes prepared for Hallowe’en feasting were often anything but palatable. For instance, women would take the yolks from hardboiled eggs, fill the cavities with salt, and eat egg, shell, and salt! And worse still, they would suffer agonies rather than quench their thirst before morning, for to do so would break the spell. In the Isle of Man the evening meal is for some peculiar reason always composed of potatoes, parsnips, and fish, pounded together and mixed with butter. And so we might proceed through every county in WDngland, Ireland and Wales, encountering in each different customs and quaint superstitions which have almost become extinct. Several still linger in the more out-of-the-way rural districts, but generally Hallowe’en is little more than a name for the evening of October 31.