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An engraving of divination by nuts taken from the Chambers Bros. Book of Days, Edinburgh, 1869.
Nutcrack Nights
Oct 22
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Two hazel-nuts I threw into the flame,
And to each nut I gave a sweetheart’s name:
This with the loudest bounce me sore amazed,
That in a flame of brightest colour blazed;
As blazed the nut, so may thy passion grow,
For ’twas thy nut that did so brightly glow!"
~ A Spell, John Gay, 1742
It's nut gathering season! If you're lucky enough to have a hazel tree or hazel nuts handy and an open fire, you can play an old-fashioned game popular with young people during the Hallowe'en season! Divination and fortune-telling games involving nuts were so widespread that Hallowe'en night was often called "Nutcrack Night." The most popular game featured hazelnuts, where two were chosen to represent oneself and a potential partner. The nuts were thrown into the fire with the chant, "If you love me, crack and fly; if you hate me, burn and die." The Hazel Tree’s long-standing association with fortune-telling may stem from the Celtic belief that hazelnuts granted wisdom and inspiration! This namesake jig by John Drewry is one way to enjoy Nutcrack Night by starting off with a sprightly jig-time Espagnole and then turning all corners in the set! 🎃 🔮 💕🔥 🌰 🌰 🌰
The Hazel Tree
October is nut season!
The Celts equated hazelnuts with concentrated wisdom and poetic inspiration, seen in the related similarity between the Gaelic word for these nuts, cno, and the word for wisdom, cnocach. There are several variations on an ancient tale that nine hazel trees grew around a sacred pool, dropping nuts into the water to be eaten by some salmon (a fish revered by Druids) which thereby absorbed the wisdom. The number of bright spots on the salmon were said to indicate how many nuts they had eaten.
The Gaelic word for hazel is Coll. It appears frequently in placenames in the west of Scotland, such as the Isle of Coll and Bar Calltuin in Appin, both in Argyll-shire where the tree and its eponymous placenames are the most common. It also appears in the name of Clan Colquhoun whose clan badge is the hazel.
In days gone by hazelnuts would have provided a plentiful and easily stored source of protein, and they were often ground up and mixed with flour to be made into nourishing breads, such as nut loafs. Cultivated hazelnuts called filberts take their name from St Philibert's Day on 20 August, the date by which hazelnuts were supposed to start ripening.
By Nutcrack Night, an old Scots and Northern English name for Hallowe'en (also called The Oracle of the Nuts), nuts were enjoyed around the fire along with fortune-telling and other rituals. Several customs involved throwing nuts into the fire to determine the fate of yourself and your sweetheart.
Two nuts would be put into the fire: if they burn quietly together, the courtship will be smooth; if they jump apart, the wooing will be rocky. Another tradition has young women testing their sweetheart's fidelity by placing named nuts on the bars of the fire grate. If a nut cracks or jumps, the lover will prove unfaithful; if it burns or blazes, he has a true regard for the girl making the trial.
And for a delicious Nut Loaf recipe, a Flourless Orange & Hazelnut Cake with Caramelised Walnuts, click the slice!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
