KIRKBEAN FOLKLORE. 43 
Christian name as the future husband or wife. In order to ascer- 
tain the Christian name of her future husband or its initials, a 
young woman would pare a potato, taking care to keep the skin 
im 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 futurespouse. 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 midnight 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 unprepossessing 
appearance, who concealed himself in the chamber of a young 
woman who was about to practice this form of divination. It is 
said that 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, ima 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 “ champers,” round which the company 
gathered, seated on the floor, and helped ‘themselves from the pot 
with spoons. Asis 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 float away. This is quite extinct, and turnip lanterns 
seem almost things of the past. 
