31 Days of Halloween - Day 7

I do not know if you have already spoken of these but...

"Most of the divination games seemed to require food and lots of it. One popular game for couples was called Fortune. A engaged couple would throw a hazelnut into the embers of a fire. If the hazelnut split apart with a loud cracking noise, this was a sign that the marriage would be a strong and happy one. If the hazelnuts only caught fire and burned, this was an indication that their love would fade away. A variation of this game was to crack a walnut in half. If the walnut cracked easily into two equal sections, the guest would be lucky in love. If the walnut broken into pieces, this would signify a shattered love.



The Irish had a number of divination games still used in modern Halloween celebrations. Predicting the future with Barmbrack cake is still a popular pastime. Barmbrack cake is a raisin & spice tea cake which has been filled with different objects. These cakes usually contain a coin to predict prosperity, a key to signify a journey, a thimble for spinsterhood, a button to indicate a man will remain a bachelor, and a scrap of cloth to predict poverty. As the cake is sliced and served, the object inside the recipient’s slice would divine his future for the upcoming year. Puicini is another Irish divination game in which a blindfolded person is seated at a table which holds a number of saucers. The saucers are shifted around, and the guest choose one at random. The contents of the bowl predict his future for the coming year.".