Shetland Halloween divining and a prank.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1954.107.5
Original Tape ID
Summary
Shetland Halloween divining and a prank.
At Halloween money was put in a sieve and sifted. When a man approached the door, the money was cast away and if he found it, he would marry the lass who'd scattered the money. If a young girl washed her handkerchief in water where streams from three lairds' properties ran together, and hung the cloth at the fire to dry, the next man in would be revealed as her husband. Another marriage divination custom was for a man to throw a ball of wool down the chimney shouting, "Wha hauds my clew end?" A girl picking up the ball was his intended. He would then reveal his own identity.
Kale casting was the prank of uprooting kale from someone's yard and throwing it in the house door before fleeing.
Recording Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Yell
Island - Yell
Village/Place - Burravoe
Item Location
County - Shetland
Language
Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good