A Rueful Samhain Confession
I did not finish my October reading list. I didn’t even come close, to be frank.
I started a new job in mid-October that has completely altered my sleep schedule, I’m in the last stage of grief in the processing of the multiple family deaths that occurred in my family during the pandemic, and I’m learning to pack (and eat) lunch again after over a year of making it fresh in the kitchen every day.
In short, it’s been an adjustment. I have had no time to read or watch any of the texts I had lined up for this month, and that saddens me deeply. On the other hand, I now get to extend that October content into November, basically making this a Long Hallowe’en (I say, referring tongue-in-cheek to the convention of long-eighteenth or long-nineteenth-century scholarship), so I do hope that you are as kind as you are patient as I get back on track with the blog.
In lieu of a well-written piece of literary criticism for you all, I thought an offering of low-effort (but interesting) facts about how the Victorians celebrated All Hallow’s Eve would interest you. So, read on and enjoy this short-but-sweet attempt at keeping this blog alive throughout all these major life changes.
1) Hallowe’en tea time was an established tradition among upper-class Victorian ladies, and the occasion was usually used as an excuse for group divination.
There were two days to do this.
The first was for a woman to walk into a room, alone, and gaze into a mirror while peeling an apple. It was believed that she’d be able to see the reflection of the woman she would marry as she worked, or else a seasonally-appropriate skeleton, signaling she’d die alone.
The second was to bake a number of objects into a tea cake and serve it at tea. Getting a ring or a coin in your slice signaled a wedding or good fortune. A thimble in your slice indicated spinsterhood.
There was also a teatime game wherein one would suspend a teaspoon on the rim of your cup and drip tea into the bowl with another spoon. Each drop signaled a year you’d wait to marry, making this a rather stressful pastime for some people.
2) Pumpkins weren’t a thing in Victorian England, but people did carve turnips! And yes, they were terrifying.
3) Spooky parlour games were an absolute must. I like to keep this particular tradition alive by having a Hallowe’en board game night when I can (especially with games like “Masque of the Red Death”, which will be getting its own post soon).
4) Victorian costumes were kind of awesome.
Some spooky Victorian children.
Some even spookier Victorian children (?).
I should also mention that the Victorians loved a good house party and they usually went hard. Costume balls/banquets, masquerades, and good ol’ fashioned benders at friends’ houses were all regular occurrences for the Victorians we assume were so stuffy. Hallowe’en only increased the impetus to party, so the next time that frat house on your street goes ham on Hallowe’en, just remember that they could be attempting to be historically accurate. Maybe.
I hope this was at the very least topically interesting to you all, and I look forward to getting you some (better) content soon.
Blessèd Samhain to you all!
I’m hoping to have my post on Mcann’s Cryer’s Cross finished by the end of the week.
Sincerely,
L.
