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social glass o' strunt, [Then, liquor] They parted aff careerin' Fu' blythe that night. FOOT-NOTES TO HALLOWEEN [The foot-notes to this poem are those supplied by Burns himself in the Kilmarnock edition.] [4] Is thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other mischief-making beings, are all abroad on their baneful, midnight errands: particularly, those aerial people, the fairies, are said, on that night to hold a grand anniversary. [5] Certain little, romantic, rocky, green hills, in the neighbourhood of the ancient seat of the Earls of Cassilis. [6] A noted cavern near Colean-house, called the Cove of Colean; which, as well as Cassilis Downans, is famed in country story for being a favourite haunt of fairies. [7] The famous family of that name, the ancestors of Robert, the great Deliverer of his country, were Earls of Carrick. [8] The first ceremony of Halloween is pulling each a _stock_, or plant of kail. They must go out, hand in hand, with eyes shut, and pull the first they meet with: its being big or little, straight or crooked, is prophetic of the size and shape of the grand object of all their spells--the husband or wife. If any _yird_, or earth, stick to the root, that is _tocher_, or fortune; and the taste of the _custoc_, that is, the heart of the stem, is indicative of the natural temper and disposition. Lastly the stems, or to give them their ordinary appellation, the _runts_, are placed somewhere above the head of the door; and the Christian names of the people whom chance brings into the house, are, according to the priority of placing the runts, the names in question. [9] They go to the barn-yard, and pull each, at three several times, a stalk of oats. If the third stalk wants the _top pickle_, that is, the grain at the top of the stalk, the party in question will want the maidenhead. [10] When the corn is in a doubtful state, by being too green, or wet, the stack-builder, by means of old timber, etc., makes a large apartment in his stack, with an opening in the side which is fairest exposed to the wind: this he calls a _fause-house_. [11] Burning the nuts is a favourite charm. They name the lad and lass to each particular nut, as they lay them in the fire; and according as they burn quickly together, or start from beside one another, the course and issue of the courtship will be. [12] Whoever would with success
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