Love and Halloween

When people think of romance and holidays today, Valentine's Day or even Christmas probably come to mind. They probably do not think of Halloween. In the days of yore, however, this was not the case. There were several romantic superstitions associated with the holiday in which one could divine who they would marry, when they might marry, and so on. 

For those familiar with the customs associated with Halloween, it might come as no surprise that one of these divination rituals involved cabbages. The cabbage has long been associated with Halloween. One of the many names of Mischief Night, the night before, on, or around Halloween when boys would play pranks was "Cabbage Night." The name apparently came from the custom of young boys raiding cabbage patches and then hurling them at houses or doorways. Regardless of what young boys did with cabbages, young women had other uses for them. The October 25, 1902 edition of The Democratic Advocate from Westminster, Maryland lists various romantic superstitions dealing with the cabbage. The first was that if a young woman went to a cabbage patch at midnight on Halloween and steals a cabbage, on her way home she would meet the man she was to marry. A more complicated version of this superstition was that if a young woman walked backwards to a cabbage patch in her nightgown and pulled up a cabbage, then she would see the man she will marry over her shoulder. Another romantic superstition commonly mentioned in old newspapers and books was that both young women and men could determine the physique and finances of whom they would marry. A long, straight stalk would indicate that their spouse would be tall. A short stalk indicated the opposite. The amount of dirt clinging to the roots indicated how wealthy they would be. A lot of dirt meant they would be very wealthy, only a little meant they would be poor. The stalk could indicate everything from the age to the temperament of one's future spouse.

Cabbages weren't the only plants use in romantic divination. Apples, long associated with Halloween, were also used. Apple bobbing is a game strongly associated with Halloween and autumn in general. Among the variations on the game is one that also doubles as a form of romantic divination. According to the  October 8, 1905 edition of the Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois, initials would be carved into apples, which were then placed in a tub of water. The guests would then bob for the apples, and the initials carved in the apple would be that of their future mate. Another superstition mentioned in the same source involved apple paring. Each guest was given an apple and a knife. The apple was to be pared in one continuous strip. The paring would then be swung above one's head and the following lines would be repeated: "Apple I pare and swing to know whom I soon shall marry. From my hand I now thee throw, mystic letter carry." The paring was then thrown to the floor and whatever initials it formed would be those of one's future spouse. Another superstition associated with apples at Halloween was that if one placed an apple under their pillow on Halloween, then one would dream of their future spouse. 

Various sorts of nuts also played a role in romantic divination on Halloween. According to various sources, young women would name hazelnuts after various suitors and then place them on the fire grate. If a nut burned brightly, it meant his heart was true. If it cracked or jumped, it meant his heart was untrue. Chestnuts also played a role in Halloween superstitions. Finding a burr on a chestnut while hunting for the nuts in a group meant that one would be the next to marry.

Not every means of romantic divination at Halloween involved only plants. One superstition was that if one ate an apple while looking in a mirror on Halloween, then a vision of one's future spouse would appear in the glass. A similar superstition involved no apples. If a young woman stood in a dark room holding a candle and gazing into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, then she might catch the reflection of her future husband looking over her shoulder. 

Baked goods also played a role in Halloween superstitions. Brambrack is a bread with added sultanas and raisins made in Ireland. It is associated with both Halloween and New Year's Eve. In the case of Halloween, Bramback contained various objects inside. If one received a piece with a ring, it meant one would marry in the coming year. If one got a piece with a stick or a thimble, then one would never marry. If one got a piece with a silver sixpence, then they would be wealthy. A similar custom involved what is known as a "dumb cake" and was practised in Scotland and England. Young women would bake the cake in total silence, hence its name. It was believed one spoken word would ruin the cake. If the young women successfully baked the cake while saying nothing, then they would see visions of their future husbands.

Today it might seem surprising to some that divination about one's love life played such a large role in Halloween, but then Halloween marked a transition when nights were growing longer and the weather was becoming cooler. The veils between worlds was believed by many to be at its thinnest. This made it an ideal time to foretell the future. Of course, young people would naturally want to know if love was in their future and whom they would marry. Many today, largely became of the Hallmark Channel's many movies, might tend to think of Christmas when they think of romance, but there was a time when it seemed romance was on the minds of many at Halloween.