# Halloween explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James McIntyre.

## What happens

A nostalgic poem recounting traditional Halloween customs from the old world, such as nut-burning, kale-pulling, and apple-ducking, and contrasting them with the present. It references Queen Victoria celebrating Halloween at Balmoral Castle and criticizes Highland landlords for clearing land of people for deer, while celebrating the Canadian opportunity for land ownership.

## Themes in this chapter

### Cultural Heritage and Immigrant Identity

The poem preserves old world Halloween traditions and contrasts them with the new Canadian context, reflecting the immigrant experience of maintaining cultural roots while embracing new opportunities.

### Pioneer and Settler Struggles

The poem highlights the contrast between the old world's land clearances and the Canadian promise of land ownership, a key aspect of settler life.

## Character check-ins

### Queen Victoria

Mentioned as celebrating Halloween at Balmoral Castle in the old world tradition.

## Key lines

> They first did give each nut a name, This was Sandy, that was Jane. If they did blaze side by side, She knew her husband, he his bride, But if one up the chimney flew, One knew the other was not true.

Lovers would name two nuts after themselves and place them in the fire; if they burned together, it meant true love, but if one jumped away, it signaled unfaithfulness.

_Describes the traditional Halloween divination game of burning nuts to test a lover's fidelity._

> And one sure test did never fail, Blindfold to find good stock of kale, To pull the first comes to the hand With heavy roots of earth and sand, For the very weight of mould Does denote weight of lovers gold.

A reliable method was to go blindfolded into the garden and pull the first stalk of kale; the amount of earth clinging to its roots foretold the wealth of one's future spouse.

_Describes the Halloween tradition of kale-pulling as a divination for a lover's riches._

> But Highland landlords now do clear Land of men to make room for deer, But here upon Canadian soil A man may own where he doth toil.

In Scotland, landlords are evicting people to create deer parks, but in Canada, a man can own the land he works.

_Contrasts the Highland Clearances with the promise of land ownership in Canada._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se/chapters/halloween
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se/chapters