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Halloween History: DivinationA number of the games traditionally played at Halloween were originally forms of divination. Halloween was traditionally the best time for divination, as it was the most magical time of the year.
Bobbing for apples originated among the Celts as part of their celebrations of the Samhain season, celebrations that grew into our modern Halloween. The original custom generally took place during large gatherings of people. Apples, which were associated with love or fertility goddesses, were placed either in a tub of water or suspended from a string, and unmarried attendees would attempt to catch the apple in their mouths. According to tradition, the first person to catch the apple would be the next one to marry -- a tradition that echoes the modern "throwing of the bouquet" at weddings. Púicíní (pronounced "pook-eeny"), a form of "Blindfold", is played in Ireland. A blindfolded person was seated in front of a table on which are placed several saucers. The saucers are shuffled and the seated person then chooses one by touch. The contents of the saucer determine the person's life for the following year. A saucer containing earth means someone known to the player will die during the next year. A saucer containing water foretells travel, a coin means new wealth, a bean means poverty, etc. In 19th century Ireland young women placed slugs in saucers sprinkled with flour. The wriggling of the slugs and the patterns subsequently left behind on the saucers were believed to portray the faces of the women's future spouses. In North America, unmarried women were frequently told that if they sat in a darkened room and gazed into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future husband would appear in the mirror - or a skull if they were destined to die before they married. The custom was widespread enough to be commemorated on greeting cards from the late nineteenth century.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Halloween" and from www.ShiningRise.com
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