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Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Beware of the Spirits

Beware of the Spirits



 In 1936, Adelaide newspaper News printed an article titled Beware of the Spirits, which detailed an old custom from Scotland and Ireland used during Hallowe’en. The ritual was to be done by young ladies to tell if their partners were faithful.

 

Three nuts were placed upon the bars of a grate, each being named after the lovers. If a nut cracked or jumped, the lover whose name was written on it would prove unfaithful; if the nut began to split or burn, the lover had regard for the person making the trial; if the nuts were named after the girl and a lover burned together, they would marry.[1]

 The ritual is a relic of pagan beliefs and is done only when the curtain between the spirit world and ours is open – Hallowe’en.



[1] 'Passing By', News, (29 October 1936), p. 10. 

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