School: An Craoslach (roll number 10062)

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1. Halloween

   

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   In olden days Halloween was a night of great festivity. One old custom was called "burning the nuts." The names of a girl or boy was given to each nut. If the nuts burned quickly, then there love would be good and true, but if they jumped or sizzled, then love quarrels would follow.
   "Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame, And to each I gave a sweetheart's name."
   Halloween has been called Nut-crack night, because people used to sit over the fire and crack nuts with their teeth and fling them in the fire.
   Another old custom was called ducking for apples. With your hands tied behind your back you were to try to get an apple out of a dish of water.
   Long ago it was the custom for a girl to take a candle and to put an apple in front of a looking glass. She would comb her hair at the same time, and do you know what was supposed to happen? She would see her future husband peeping over her shoulder!
   Another common practice, was to light a big bonfire, just as we do on the Fourth of November. When the flames had died down they collected the ashes carefully and placed them in a circle. Then they each placed a stone within the magic circle. If before morning any stone was moved it meant harm to the owner.
   Cakes called Soul Cakes were distributed on Halloween. These cakes were made from oaten meal, sugar, water or

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
         1. Halloween (~934)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Frances Gallagher

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Mrs Hay

   Relation

   Grandparent

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Roosky, Co. Donegal