KiRKBEAN Folklore. 43 



Christian name as tlie future husband or wife. In order to ascer- 

 tain tlie Christian name of her future husband or its initials, a 

 young- woman would pare a potato, taking care to keep the skin 

 in one piece, and place the skin above or behind the door. The 

 Christian name of the first man who came into the house was held 

 to be the same as that of the future spouse. The other way was by 

 paring- an apple, the skin being again kept in one piece, and then 

 throwing the skin over the left shoulder. In falling it was sup- 

 posed to assume the form of the first letter of the future husband's 

 name. It was also quite a common thing- for the young women 

 to eat an apple before the looking-glass at midnig-ht on Hallowe'en, 

 with the expectation that the face of their future husbands would 

 be seen in the mirror as if looking over their shoulders. A 

 story is told of one mischievous man of rather unprei^ossessiug- 

 appearance, who concealed himself in the chamber of a young- 

 woman who was about to practice this form of divination. It is 

 said tliat he looked over her shoulder at the time she began to eat 

 the apple, and that the astonished damsel called out in her amaze- 

 ment : " Losh me, im a tae get Ned Tamson ?" I suppress the real 

 name, although the practical joker has long since gone over to the 

 majority. The eating of the " champers " was one of the great 

 events of the Hallowe'en gathering. The potatoes were pared, 

 boiled, and well bruised by means of the wooden " beetle " used 

 for the purpose ; the young men of the party relieving- the fair 

 sex of the duty of " beetling " the potatoes. Butter and milk 

 were added, and a ring, sixpence, and thimble, and often a button, 

 placed in the potful of " chamjjers," round Avhicli the company 

 gathered, seated on the floor, and helped themselves from the pot 

 with spoons. As is well known, the one who got the ring- was 

 understood to be the first to be married ; the one who got the six- 

 pence was understood to obtain riches ; and the unfortunate finder 

 of the thimble and button were respectively to be old maid and 

 old bachelor. Diving- for apples from a tub was also engaged in, 

 and led to much merriment. The younger portion of the inhabit- 

 ants found much pleasure in their lanterns, made out of turnips, 

 upon which were carved grotesque and other figures, which 

 showed well when the lantern was lighted up. At Carsethorn the 

 children placed their lanterns in the tide after being lighted, and 

 let them fioat away. This is quite extinct, and turnip lanterns 

 seem almost things of the past. 



