Halloween Handful of Games

TRUE-LOVER TEST

Two hazel-nuts are thrown into hot coals by maiden, who secretly gives
a lover’s name to each. If one nut bursts, then that lover is
unfaithful; but if it burns with steady glow until it becomes ashes,
she knows that her lover is true. Sometimes it happens, but not often,
that both nuts burn steadily, and then the maiden’s heart is sore
perplexed.

KISMET

Take half as many apples as guests, tie two long strings, one red and
one yellow, to each apple.

Place them in one large or several small baskets or receptacles on a
table. The girls choose the red and the boys the yellow strings and at
a signal they carefully pull the strings and follow them up until each
finds his or her mate holding the string of the opposite color,
attached to the same apple. The apples are then to be divided between
each couple and the seeds in each half, counted as follows:

One–I love thee.
Two–he (she) loves me.
Three–Wedded we will be.
Four–he (she) loves me dearly.
Five–he (she) loves me nearly.
Six–a friend forever.
Seven–we must sever.
Eight–we met too late.
Nine–why hesitate.
Ten–he (she) is my chosen mate.

THREADING A NEEDLE

Sit on round bottle laid lengthwise on floor, and try to thread a
needle. First to succeed will be first married.

SNAPDRAGON

1. The dragon consists of half a pint of ignited brandy or alcohol in
a dish. As soon as brandy is aflame, all lights are extinguished, and
salt is freely sprinkled in dish, imparting a corpse-like pallor to
every face. Candied fruits, figs, raisins, sugared almonds, etc., are
thrown in, and guests snap for them with their fingers; person
securing most prizes from flames will meet his true love within the
year.

2. Or, slips of paper on which verses are written are wrapped tightly
in tin-foil and placed in dish. Brandy is poured on and ignited. The
verse each person gets is supposed to tell his fortune.

Place burning dish in middle of bare table, for drops of burning
spirits are often splashed about.

PUMPKIN ALPHABET

Carve all the letters of the alphabet on a medium sized pumpkin. Put
it on a dish and set on a stand or table. Each guest in turn is
blindfolded and given a hat-pin, then led to pumpkin, where he (she)
is expected to stick pin into one of the letters on the pumpkin, thus
indicating the initial of future life-partner.