Category: Halloween

Bats— Traditional Halloween symbol, mainly in the United States. The connection of bats to Halloween may be as simple as the fact that bats are…

Barm Brack— An Irish loaf or CAKE made with dried fruit, popular during the Halloween season. Quite often the barm brack serves as a FORTUNE…

Barley—In Shetland, a small stack of “bere,” or barley, was set apart in an annual offering to “Broonie” (the origin or real meaning of this…

Bannatyne, Lesley—Lesley Bannatyne is an American author of five books on Halloween, including Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History (1990), which inaugurated contemporary Halloween…

Backwards—Doing things in reverse order or backwards is a common theme in Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING customs and protective charms. For example, while on the road, wearing…

Autopsy—Popular Halloween presentation, performed in many variations. The version referred to as “Autopsy” involves setting up a back-lit sheet, behind which a “doctor” performs either…

Ashes are a central element in a few Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING customs, mainly found in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Lancashire. In one form of…

Apple Seeds—If APPLE PARING—or using the skin of an apple — is a popular Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING method, the use of the seeds within the apple…

Apple Parings—In this popular Halloween FORTUNE-TELLING custom, an APPLE is pared, then the peelings are waved over the head THREE times before being thrown over…

Apkarian-Russell, Pam ela—American Halloween collector and vintage COLLECTIBLES expert known as “the Halloween Queen.” Apkarian-Russell has, more than any other individual, been responsible for creating…