Halloween Spells

Halloween is the night of supernatural and paranormal events and activities. Superstitions, spells and charms are quite popular on the night of Halloween when spirits are believed to roam the earth freely. Irish women and girls check the loyalty and faithfulness of their lover by keeping one nut each named after the lovers and one nut of the girl's name on the bars of the grate. Nuts that crack or jump denote that the lover whose name the nut has is unfaithful and will not be loyal to the girl. If the lover's nut burns or catches fire, it shows that the lover has true love or respect for the girl. If the girl's nut and the lover's nut burns together, it means that they will be married. One of the other popular spell of Halloween ceremony is known as Luggies. In this, three dishes are taken. One is empty; one has dirty water in it while the last one has clean water.

These dishes are arranged on the hearth and the people are blindfolded and taken to the dishes and they have to dip their fingers into one of the dishes, one by one. Those who dip their fingers in clean water will marry a virgin; those who dip in dirty water will marry a widow or widower while those who find empty dish are destined to be a bachelor or a spinster. Change the position of the dishes every time a person is about to dip, so there can be no cheating. Another popular Halloween charm says that if you eat a salted herring on this night just before you sleep, you will be visited by your future husband or wife who will come to offer you water to quench your thirst in your dream.

If you slip outside alone at midnight and sow a handful of hemp seed saying, "Hemp seed, I sow thee, Hemp seed I sow thee; And he that is my true love, come behind and harrow me", you will see your future husband or wife harrowing, when you look over your left shoulder. Another spell to see the face of your true lover is to wet a shirt-sleeve on Halloween night and hang it up near the fire to dry. Lie still in bed and watch it closely till midnight and you will see that your future partner will appear to turn the sleeve. These spells may not be true but they still intrigue young minds into experimentation and give them hopes in their quest to meet their lovers and spouses.