Halloween

                  Snap Apple and Nut Crack

 Here we are in October. Of course, October is noted for Halloween, the oldest celebration in history, but with different names such as Day of the Dead, Samhain, and All Hallows Day, which was shortened to Halloween.

In some societies, Halloween was a joyous harvest time.  People wanted to celebrate together before the cold winter, accompanied by possible illness and isolation.

Snap Apple Night was a time of fun with friends and neighbors you might not see again for many months.

Hebrew women bathed in water mixed with apple sap in the hopes they would have children. I don't know if that worked, as apple sap water does not help a woman get pregnant the way I understand having babies.

In some cultures, boys bobbed for apples, and if they came up with one in their mouths, it meant that the girl they loved loved them.

Also, the boys had a chance to try out their skill at biting into an apple hung on the end of a stick. If he succeeded, it meant he would be the first to marry.

The girls, too, had fun. They would peel an apple in one long piece. After swinging it over their heads three times, they threw it over their left shoulder. If the peeling landed unbroken, it would indicate the initials of their future husbands.

A girl could also name two apple seeds for two different boys and stick them on her eyelids. The one that stuck the longest was the boy for her. I am told that some girls would twitch one eye to make the seed fall off. Crafty!

Apple seeds helped determine the lady's future. Twelve seeds were placed on her palm, and she recited the following poem as she struck the palm with her other hand. Did she go with the seeds that fell or the seeds that stayed on her hand? I don't know.

One, I love,
Two I love,
Three I love, I say;
Four I love with all my heart;
Five I cast away.
Six he loves,
Seven she loves,
Eight they both love;
Nine he comes,
Ten he tarries,
Eleven he courts, and
Twelve he marries.

Some cultures called Halloween Nutcrack Night

In Scotland, people put pairs of nuts named after a couple on the hearth before the fire. If a pair burned to ashes together, the couple would have a happy life. If the nuts cracked or moved apart, it was a sign the couple would have quarrels and separation.

In Ireland, three nuts were put on the hearth. One was named for the girl, and the other two were named after her sweethearts. The nut which burned steadily with the girl's meant that sweetheart would be more faithful.

In Wales, a nut that blazed meant good fortune. A nut that smoldered or popped meant misfortune.

What do you think? Do you want to try the long apple peeling or bobbing? Or what about the nuts?

Several years ago, I posted the Halloween poem by Henry Behn, which is my favorite. If you missed the posting or forgot this delightful ditty, let me know, and I will post it again. 

Have a great Snap Apple and Nutcrack Time.