The last day of the pagan year, October 31, has long been known as Halloween or Samhain. And it has been noted for the strange celebrations which many people observe, some of them offensive to modern ideas of how civilised people should behave. For Christians, of course, the day is reckoned as the eve of the feast of All Saints.
Halloween celebrations in rural communities, from Roman times, have featured apples, nuts and ale, suggesting some connection with the rites associated with the goddess Pomona. In classical times the food stores laid up in the summer were opened up for consumption during the winter months. Hence the emphasis on nuts and apples. Indeed, in the 18th century the feast was known as nut-crack night. It was the custom to throw hazel nuts into the fire to see which burned with the most noise and flame, individual nuts being awarded the name of a likely sweetheart. In Ireland it was customary to arrange named nuts along the fire-grate; the one which crackled or jumped first revealed the identity of a faithless lover, whereas the first to blaze up revealed the faithful one. Simultaneous burning of nuts given the name of a girl and lad foretold their coming marriage.
Likewise in Ireland youngsters made a point of pulling up cabbages on the eve of All Saints. If much soil adhered to the roots it was an indication that the future spouse would be wealthy. There was a time in the late 1930s when the owners of domestic cabbage patches were advised to sit up all night and watch, to ensure that their vegetables were not ruined by the celebrants.
John Brand in his 'Observations on the popular antiquities of Great Britain' (1777) quoted masses of the traditional ceremonies performed at Halloween, involving not only nuts, apples and cabbages, but also snails, blazing faggots and ceremonial cakes.
There is, however, a darker side to Halloween, which was an occasion for witches and warlocks to roam abroad and do their worst for those they met. Today we have children in strange attire wandering from door to door and terrorising elderly residents by knocking on their doors and demanding gifts, preferably hard cash, in default of which they throw stones and abuse at the scared victims. This unpleasant development appears to have been one of the less desirable imports we have received from the other side of the Atlantic. It is a great pity. Folklore is one thing, begging with threats another.