Lost Halloween Traditions...Rituals to Find a Husband!

Note:  This is a repost from 2013.  I have been very lax about posting and I thought if I shared this older post, it would get me back on the horse, so to speak!

Will I see my true love's face?

One of my favorite places to visit in the Las Vegas area is the Clark County Museum in Henderson.  Located on the old Boulder Highway, it's not too far from our condo.  The museum's curator, Mark Hall-Patton is often seen on the reality television show "Pawn Stars."  I love this museum...they have created a street of heritage houses...each from a different decade and featuring different aspects of Nevada and Las Vegas history.  I will do another post sometime on those houses.  Each is fully furnished for the time period and often by the original owner's possessions!  There is even a historic Vegas wedding chapel!  This morning I received their email newsletter and found an article called "Halloween Rituals to Find a Husband."  This was an aspect of Halloween I knew very little about.

Does it count if you stand in front of your true love's  picture?

The author asks "But what about the Halloween traditions and beliefs that today's trick-or-treaters have forgotten all about?"  A lot of traditions were focused on the future and the living...instead of the dead.  One of the reasons that "fortune telling" was so popular at parties.  Many of the rituals had to do with helping a young woman identify her future husband...giving her hope that someday...by next Halloween perhaps...she would be happily married.  For example, in 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook might hide a ring in the mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping that whoever found it might also find true love.

Popping Hazelnuts...

In Scotland, a fortune teller might instruct a young woman to name a hazelnut for each of her suitors, then toss the nuts into the fire.  If the nut popped or exploded...he was not the one for her. But the one that burned steadily to ashes would be the future husband...the one whose love burns true and steady, I suppose.  In some versions...the opposite was true.  Another legend says that if a young woman eats a sugary concoction of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg on Halloween night, she will dream of her future husband.

Apple Peel Test....

Apples appear a lot in old Halloween traditions and rituals.  In Christianity, apples are portrayed as the symbol of sex in the Garden of Eden.  Young women tossed apple peels over their shoulders, hoping the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands initials.

Apple Bobbing...

Apple bobbing is a very old Halloween tradition...but one we still follow.  Boys and girls duck inside the tub to catch the apple as it floats away from them.  It takes a certain amount of skill to get a grip on the apple...whether with your teeth or by suction.  At many parties, the first successful apple bobber would be the first down the aisle.

The Apple and the Candle...

An old custom the was meant to be fun...but was kind of dangerous...involved hanging a stick from the ceiling.  On one end of the stick was an apple...while on the other a lighted candle.  The stick was twirled rapidly and let go to unwind.  With one's hands tied behind their back, the object was to try to bite the apple without getting burned.  Most of the time the participants went home with scorched and blackened faces.  This was considered hilarious! 

Another apple ritual or "spell" says that the girl should cut an apple into two pieces in such a way the the seed part resembles a pentacle.  She would throw one of the pieces over her left shoulder, walk backwards towards the mirror without looking back, while she eats the rest of the apple with one hand, and combing her hair with the other before the mirror.  Then she should look back to see the face of her future spouse.

The Candle and the Mirror...

There seemed to be a lot of variations of the "see my love's face in the mirror" ritual.  The young lady stands in front of a mirror in a darkened room on Halloween, holding a candle.  When she peers over her shoulder, she should see the face of her true love.

Candle Twirling Test...

I hadn't come across any info on this particular test of love...but apparently if the twisted candle stays lit, Girlie, you will be!  Whatever that means...lol!  I had a lot of fun learning about some old Halloween traditions that have passed into oblivion.  Thanks to the Clark County Museum for the interesting topic!  It might be fun to experiment with a couple of these...but maybe not the "apple and candle" test...yikes!

Best Halloween Witches Wishes!











"Jack Valentine"...and a Few Valentine's Treats!

Punch-out Valentines were my favorite!

I loved Valentine's Day as a child.  In school we would spend a day decorating old shoe boxes with construction paper hearts and stickers.  We struggled cutting out hearts with those blunt scissors and usually got more paste in our hair than on our boxes.  There were usually a few kids who enjoyed the sweet minty taste of the school paste...myself included!  In my mind my finished box was a work of art...but probably looked something like this...

I liked to wander around the room admiring...critiquing...all the other boxes.  I imagined that there would be a special card left in my box by a secret admirer.

Typical Grade School Party.

The 60's were my era.

The party above was probably a lot more fun than the ones I remember.  The last hour of school was set aside for us to line up and "deliver the mail."  We all seemed to get an equal amount of cards and teacher made sure no one was left out.  I worried about that...there were usually a few quiet and shy children in the class.  I wasn't quiet, but I was a bit shy.  We usually got a heart-shaped cookie that someone's mom had made, then we gathered up our boxes and went home.  It was fun to sit on the floor and open the cards.  Some had a few conversation hearts sealed inside the envelope, but I don't remember a lot of candy in the stores, except for the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates.  I eagerly read each card with Mickey Mouse, Fred Flintstone and others seeking a secret message from my admirer, but "I Choo-Choo-Choose You" wasn't exactly a confession of undying love!

Jack Valentine...

Who is Jack?  

Until this morning I had never heard of a character called "Jack Valentine."  I was online looking for Valentine's trivia as a possible blog topic, when I came across several mentions of Jack. Jack is a folk character from Norfolk in eastern England.  He is sometimes known as Old Father Valentine. In Victorian times in Norfolk, Valentine's Eve was almost as important to children (and hopeful lovers) as Christmas with anonymous gifts from secret admirers or parents.

Dressed in a top hat and tails, Jack Valentine would knock upon the door and leave presents for the expectant child.  Sometimes Jack would play tricks upon the children and tie string to the gift, so when the child reached for it, he would jerk it away.  After the children were thoroughly frustrated, Jack would let go of the string and let them have the gift.  But they must never look for him.  Some children found the idea of Jack a bit frightening.

This story of Jack brought back a few Valentine's memories from my own childhood.  As much as I enjoyed the school party...it was the evening that I liked most.  When I got home from school, my mom would be putting sugar cookies on paper plates for our friends. In my old neighborhood in American Fork, it was popular to leave cards or cookies on a neighbor's porch, ring the doorbell and run.  This was also when we gave cards to children that were not in our classes.  Some tricksters would tie a string to a card and jerk it away when you tried to pick it up.  Does this sound familiar?  I had never heard of Jack Valentine...yet it seems his spirit crossed the ocean with the British pioneers who settled my home town.  What do you know?  I learn something new every day!

My Funny (Random) Valentines....

Snowmen for Valentine's.

Bethany Lowe tall snowman hat was changed with glittery red hearts.

I had so many creative intentions for Valentine's this year.  But some time in January the road got a little bumpy.  First, my father fell and broke his hip, which required surgery.  On the same day his wife, Geri, suffered a stroke that in a few weeks would take her away.  It was hard for my dad to be in a rehab center in one Chicago suburb while his wife was in ICU in another.  I am so thankful that Geri's family was on hand to help him.  When Geri passed away on the 26th, we made our plans to fly to Chicago for the funeral and to support Dad.  There are a lot of plans still to be made.  Dad will be in the center for a couple of months until he can get around, then he will be coming home to stay with us.  I'll be glad to get him here...Chicago is a whole world away from here.

In the meantime...here are the few Valentine's I was able to make this year...

Snow White Mini Fairy Garden

Alice and Bambi Mini Fairy Gardens.

I discovered that I could get miniature trees and such at Hobby Lobby in the train miniatures aisle.  Alice's tree has red "roses" added. The Queen likes them red.

Glitter Snowman Hat Ornament.

Framed Valentine's Card.

Print a vintage card 8"x 10'' on printable fabric

Paint the edge of an 8"x 10"canvas frame.

Glue the fabric to the frame and add glitter hearts and letters.

Walmart sold the frames in a 2 pack.

In the hall and on the wall...

A fast, easy project that would be a great gift!

Happy Valentine's!

Meri Wiley's Darling Valentine House!

Saw it in my file and had to share!

St. Nicholas Day...December 6!

St. Nicholas Day...
This Sunday, December 6, is known throughout Germany and many European countries as St. Nicholas Day.  Children in those countries put their shoes on the front step in hopes that the kindly gentleman will fill them full of treats.  Traditional gifts include chocolate, fruit, small toys and gold coins...chocolate coins most likely.  The legends about St. Nicholas begin with the story of a poor man with three marriageable daughters.  He could not afford to provide them with a dowry...in those days girls could not get married without a cash dowry.

Wooden shoes filled with treats...

Passing by the home of the poor girls one winter's evening, Nicholas was moved to pity by their penniless state and wanted to help them.  Wishing to remain anonymous, he secretly tossed a bag of golden coins into the window of the girls' room.  The story claims that the coins fell into some stockings hanging out to dry by the fire.  This is how the tradition began of filling stockings with gifts.  Next year on the eve of St. Nicholas day, it might be fun to have your children put their little shoes on the front porch.  Wouldn't they love to find a little bag of gold chocolate coins in their shoe when they get up the next morning?  Be sure to tell them to leave a carrot out for St. Nicholas' white horse.

A fun new tradition!

Our family tradition of celebrating St. Nicholas (Nikolas) Day only lasted a few years...but it was fun while it lasted.  We wouldn't wait until morning...St. Nicholas came just before bedtime in our little corner of Germany.  Children would get ready for bed and put their shoes on the porch.  Then there was a special program on television for them to watch while one of the parents filled their shoes.  Bedtime television featured a character call the Sandmännchen or "little sandman."  I suppose the purpose was to make children sleepy.  They might show a cartoon, then the Sandmännchen would tell a bedtime story.   When the Sandmännchen said "Gute Nacht...und schlaf recht schon" it was time to see if St. Nikolas had left candy or a switch in their shoes.  Nikolas had a helper named Knecht Ruprecht, a dark and sinister character who just might put naughty children into the big sack on his back.  There are many legends and traditions about the Knecht Ruprecht character...in some he later became "Der Weihnachtsmann," the German version of Santa Claus.

Der Weihnachtsmann shopping at the Christmas Market.

He could also be wearing blue or brown.

Christmas Eve in the home of our German friends, the Dahnkens, was the time when the Christ Child...or Christkindl...decorated the tree and left presents.  They didn't use Christmas stockings, but the Christkindl left plates full of cookies and candy.  In other homes, gifts were left by Der Weihnachtsmann. 

I loved learning the customs and traditions of Germany.  Thank you for letting me share the story of St. Nicholas Day.

Frohliche Weihnachten!

Note:  This is a repost from December 2013.

Kodak Moments...Sascha's Costume Parade!

Kodak Moments!

Neither boy wanted to be Tonto.

Every Halloween we attempt to line up our wriggling, impatient little ghosts and witches for a quick photo.  Back when film and developing was expensive we didn't have as many pictures of our children as we do in this digital Instagram...quickly post it on Facebook...world.  Since I have been working on family stories, I realized that I have very few pictures of my older children dressed for the costume parade and Trick or Treat...and none of me and my siblings.  Sometimes I wish I could go back in time with a digital camera and recapture all my missed moments.

Cute Little Devils!

Digging through albums, boxes and computer photo files I discovered that the majority of my Halloween snapshots are of my youngest daughter Sascha.  She's had various interesting looks over the years...so I thought it would be kind of fun to put all her strange and unique costumes on my blog for her to see and maybe be embarrassed by.  These are mainly from her high school and college years. 

She called this look "Priestess of Cain."

Danged if I know...lol!

Sailor Moon...this is pretty recent!

Gomez Addams

Demented "Alice."  Not shown...bloody knife in White Rabbit.

Lol!  Still haunting the halls of Lone Peak High.

I miss those days when my children were young and holidays were a joyful madness.  They each had a "scathingly brilliant" costume idea that they forgot to tell me about until just before the big day.  Remember the scramble to find the right accessories the store has been out of for days?  It's amazing what the kids could come up with if you just told them "No, I will not stay up all night and sew your costume!"  Where was Martha Stewart and her brilliant no-sew last minute ideas?

I miss the class parties and costume parades.  Sadly schools are moving away from holiday celebrations and costumes have to be "politically correct."  At my granddaughter's middle school, they can't dress up in costume, but they can wear "tutus" over their jeans.  I bet there will be a lot of really creative little fluffy skirts on Halloween.  Will any boys be bold enough to join them?  We'll see.



Long live costume parades!

Have fun and take pictures!

 

A Few More Costumes

Weird Al...Halloween 2014

Sascha couldn't decide between Afro Al or Alanis Morrisette Al.

Devil Child

Note to self...do not glue devil horns on with rubber cement!

I have no memory of this!

Lost Halloween Rituals...Romance!

Will I see my true love's face?

 

One of my favorite places to visit in the Las Vegas area is the Clark County Museum in Henderson.  Located on the old Boulder Highway, it's not too far from our condo.  The museum's curator, Mark Hall-Patton is often seen on the reality television show "Pawn Stars."  I love this museum...they have created a street of heritage houses...each from a different decade and featuring different aspects of Nevada and Las Vegas history.  I will do another post sometime on those houses.  Each is fully furnished for the time period and often by the original owner's possessions!  There is even a historic Vegas wedding chapel!  This morning I received their email newsletter and found an article called "Halloween Rituals to Find a Husband."  This was an aspect of Halloween I knew very little about.

 

Does it count if you stand in front of your true love's  picture?

 

The author asks "But what about the Halloween traditions and beliefs that today's trick-or-treaters have forgotten all about?"  A lot of traditions were focused on the future and the living...instead of the dead.  One of the reasons that "fortune telling" was so popular at parties.  Many of the rituals had to do with helping a young woman identify her future husband...giving her hope that someday...by next Halloween perhaps...she would be happily married.  For example, in 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook might hide a ring in the mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping that whoever found it might also find true love.

 

Popping Hazelnuts...

 

In Scotland, a fortune teller might instruct a young woman to name a hazelnut for each of her suitors, then toss the nuts into the fire.  If the nut popped or exploded...he was not the one for her. But the one that burned steadily to ashes would be the future husband...the one whose love burns true and steady, I suppose.  In some versions...the opposite was true.  Another legend says that if a young woman eats a sugary concoction of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg on Halloween night, she will dream of her future husband.

 

Apple Peel Test....

 

Apples appear a lot in old Halloween traditions and rituals.  In Christianity, apples are portrayed as the symbol of sex in the Garden of Eden.  Young women tossed apple peels over their shoulders, hoping the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands initials.

 

Apple Bobbing...

 

Apple bobbing is a very old Halloween tradition...but one we still follow.  Boys and girls duck inside the tub to catch the apple as it floats away from them.  It takes a certain amount of skill to get a grip on the apple...whether with your teeth or by suction.  At many parties, the first successful apple bobber would be the first down the aisle.

 

The Apple and the Candle...

 

An old custom the was meant to be fun...but was kind of dangerous...involved hanging a stick from the ceiling.  On one end of the stick was an apple...while on the other a lighted candle.  The stick was twirled rapidly and let go to unwind.  With one's hands tied behind their back, the object was to try to bite the apple without getting burned.  Most of the time the participants went home with scorched and blackened faces.  This was considered hilarious! 

 

Another apple ritual or "spell" says that the girl should cut an apple into two pieces in such a way the the seed part resembles a pentacle.  She would throw one of the pieces over her left shoulder, walk backwards towards the mirror without looking back, while she eats the rest of the apple with one hand, and combing her hair with the other before the mirror.  Then she should look back to see the face of her future spouse.

 

The Candle and the Mirror...

 

There seemed to be a lot of variations of the "see my love's face in the mirror" ritual.  The young lady stands in front of a mirror in a darkened room on Halloween, holding a candle.  When she peers over her shoulder, she should see the face of her true love.

 

Candle Twirling Test...

 

I hadn't come across any info on this particular test of love...but apparently if the twisted candle stays lit, Girlie, you will be!  Whatever that means...lol!  I had a lot of fun learning about some old Halloween traditions that have passed into oblivion.  Thanks to the Clark County Museum for the interesting topic!  It might be fun to experiment with a couple of these...but maybe not the "apple and candle" test...yikes!

 

Best Halloween Witches Wishes!



 



 





 



 

Ray Bradbury's Halloween Tree!

Have you heard about The Halloween Tree?

"Suddenly the day was gone, night came out from under each tree and spread." -Ray Bradbury

 

A Tree Full of Jack-o-lanterns

I have always loved Ray Bradbury...but I had never heard about The Halloween Tree.  The book is a 1972 fantasy novel which traces the history of Samhain and Halloween.  Last year I wrote about the origin of Jack-o-lanterns, which was a lot of fun to research.  I am going to download this book to my Kindle.  The following plot summary is from Wikipedia:

 

Plot Summary:
A group of eight boys set out to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, only to discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin, has been whisked away on a journey that could determine whether he lives or dies.  Through the help of a mysterious character named Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, they pursue their friend across time and space through Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, and Roman Cultures, Celtic Druidism, Notre Dame Cathedral in Medieval Paris, and The Day of the Dead in Mexico.  Along the way, they learn the origins of the holiday that they celebrate, and the role that the fear of death, spooks, and the haunts has played in shaping civilization.  The Halloween Tree itself, with its many branches laden with jack-o-lanterns, serves as a metaphor for the historical confluence of these traditions.

Ray Bradbury's Halloween Tree

Just a few days ago I was sitting underneath this tree.  George was waiting out a bout of motion sickness...lol!  I told him that I really liked this tree...I loved the simplicity of a tree full of jack-o-lanterns.  I noticed a plaque at the base of the oak tree dedicated to Ray Bradbury's dream of a Halloween Tree.

 

A Tree Full of Jack-O-Lanterns

 

On October 31, 2007, Ray Bradbury attended the presentation of a Halloween Tree at Disneyland in California, to be included as part of their annual park-wide decorations every year.  When I read this, I couldn't wait to go home and make a simple version for my yard.

My Halloween Tree 

I tried to just keep it simple...hanging a dozen little pumpkins in the tree.

 

 

These were 97 cent pumpkins from Walmart.

I would have bought more...but I bought all there were in a "normal" orange...lol!

The faces were done "free hand" with a sharpie...easiest project ever!

 

I was going to wait until tomorrow to publish this...then thought...why? 

 

Happy Tuesday!



Note:  I tried to find The Halloween Tree on Amazon...but no luck.  Is it out of print?