Halloween kale casting and fortune-telling in Mid Yell.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1958.189.4(b)
Original Tape ID
Summary
Halloween kale casting and fortune-telling in Mid Yell.
Gangs go out at night on Halloween and cast [throw] kale through the doorways of houses, then run away. People usually notice a few kale stalks gone from their yards the next morning. At the time of recording [1958], kale casting only continued in the far north of Shetland. Neepy [turnip] lanterns were commonplace, however, with a candle inside a hollowed-out neep with a carved face.
For years, the oldest member of the Mid Yell WRI [Women's Rural Institute] would tell fortunes at the annual Halloween party by slowly breaking an egg into a glass of water. The white of the egg would form all sorts of figures in the water, which could be read.
Item Notes
Kale casting was a common winter prank on the West Side of Shetland until the 1980s.
Recording Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Tingwall
Island - Shetland Mainland
Village/Place - Scalloway
Item Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Yell
Island - Yell
Village/Place - Mid Yell
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good