School: Coill an tSrotha (roll number 5352)

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1. Halloweve Customs

   

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   Halloeve which is the last day of October is the feast of all Saints. On this night all the children amuse themselves by playing all sorts of games such as hanging apples from the roof and taking them down in their mouths, putting apples in water and taking them out without putting a hand to them, and putting a sixpence in a tub of water and getting it up in the mouth.
   After all the games are played they get a large supper with all kinds of bread and all the people of the house sit in to a good repast. There is a cake made in which a ring, a thimble, a sixpence and a piece of cloth are placed. There is great joy on the people while the supper is going on as they are all watching to see what they will get. After the supper is over the old people begin to tell stories and the younger ones listen to them.
   Long ago it was a custom for the girls to go out with a claw of yarn and throw it down into a lime-kiln. They rolled it up again and if it got untangled they shouted out. "Who is that holding the thread" and whatever name would be answered it was he who was to be her husband.
   Some boys play tricks on their neighbour such as taking something out of its place and bringing it away so that the people of the house would think it was the fairies who brought it away. On Halloweve night, it is said that all the fairies be out and dancing round forts and all the people are afraid to go out on that night lest the fairies would bring them away.

   

   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

   Informant

   Jhos Mc Loughlin

   Age

   88

   Address

   Ardvarney, Co. Leitrim