Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Nutty Crack Night

A wet start to All Hallows Eve. Tree roots provide steps up a steep path to Nettle Hole. If the rain continues, a damp night of trick or treats awaits. But long before Hallowe’en became a just another commercialised opportunity, in North Yorkshire All Hallows Eve is known as Nutty Crack Night. Girls could try to learn the name of her future husband by writing her name and that of the boy she fancied on a hazelnut, a nut believed to have mystical powers. She would then place the nut near a blazing fire. She could also ensure she had selected the right boy, by adding more nuts bearing her name with other potential suitors. All the nuts would be placed equally close to the fire and in time nuts were spat away by the heat until one nut remained closest to the heat. This was believed to bear the name of her future husband. If that failed, or gave the wrong answer, she might try putting a snail into a closed dish and leaving it overnight. It was thought the initials of her future husband would be written in the snail trail in the morning.




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