Traditional Scottish Halloween Games
From angelarmck 13 years ago
- / to make
- Serves /
Samhain <Halloween> is considered a time to eliminate weaknesses - our Celtic ancestors slaughtered weak animals that were not likely to survive the winter and their meat was salted and stored for the dark months, this has evolved into the custom of writing your own weaknesses onto a piece of paper then burning them. Read more It was customary at Samhain to leave an empty chair and a plate of food for any dead guests, so that they would not be offended. At the stroke of midnight - believed to be the hour the dead visited - all remained silent in respect. When a candle flame flickers on Halloween night it is being touched by the spirits of dead ancestors. Those born on All Hallows Eve are believed to have the gift of second sight. If you catch a falling leaf on Samhain before it touches the ground it will bring you good luck and health for the coming winter. See less
Ingredients
- apples shopping list
- ivy leaf shopping list
- cup of water shopping list
- silver coin shopping list
How to make it
- 'Dooking' for apples. This may have evolved from the Roman celebration of honouring the goddess of fruit 'Pomona' represented by an apple. It may also have its origins in witches being 'ducked'. Eating treacle-covered scones hanging from a string is another part of a traditional Scottish Halloween. Other traditions involving apples include peeling an apple in a long peel then throwing the peel over your shoulder - the letter the peel forms would be the initial of a future spouse. It was thought that a future spouse may also appear by slicing an apple in half and eating it in front of a mirror by candlelight.
- The Ivy Leaf prediction: everyone in the house places a perfect ivy leaf into a cup of water and then leave them undisturbed overnight. In the morning if a leaf is still perfect and has not developed any spotting, this predicts that the person who placed the leaf in the cup will enjoy 12 months health until the following Halloween. If not...
- On the morning of November 1st ( Celtic New Year)a silver coin was thrown through the front door of the house. The coin had to remain where it had fallen in order to bring financial luck.
- Bury an apple or pomegranate in the garden for spirits passing by on their way to being reborn.
- Many folks would leave milk and cakes ("Bannock Samhain" ) outside their door on Samhain Eve or set a place at their table for their ancestors who may want to join in the celebrations with their kin and family.
- It is also customary to light a new candle for the "new year". This ritual harkens back to the days when Samhain was one of only two days- the other being Beltaine-when it was considered correct to extinguish the "hearth fire" and then to re-light it. If your fire failed at any other time of the year, it was thought to be very bad luck indeed. Upon the rekindling of the fire in the morning, this blessing was often said:
- We Call Upon The Sacred Three:
- To Save... To Shield... To Surround
- The Hearth... The House... The Household
- This Night, Each Night, Every Night.!
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