After the guests have sufficiently amused themselves with the
ghosts and witches it will be time to commence some of the many
games which are always associated with Hallowe’en. “Bobbing for
apples” is, of course, the most common of these games and great
sport it is, too, to watch the awkward efforts of the guests as
they try to pick up with their teeth the apples floating in a
large tub. I know of one hostess who added greatly to the
evening’s fun by pouring twelve quarts of gin into the tub; the
effect on the bobbers was, of course, extremely comical, except
for the unfortunate conduct of two gentlemen, one of whom went to
sleep in the tub, the other so far forgetting himself as
playfully to throw all the floating fruit at the hostess’ pet
Pomeranian.
Most Hallowe’en games concern themselves with delving into the
future in the hopes that one may there discover one’s husband or
bride-to-be. In one of these games the men stand at one end of
the room, facing the girls, with their hands behind their backs
and eyes tightly closed. The girls are blindfolded and one by one
they are led to within six feet of the expectant men and given a
soft pin cushion which they hurl forward. The tradition is that
whichever man the girl hits, him will she marry. Great fun can be
added to the game by occasionally substituting a rock or iron
dumb-bell in place of the romantic pin cushion.
Another game based on a delightful old Hallowe’en tradition is as
follows: A girl is given a lighted candle and told to walk
upstairs into the room at the end of the hall where, by looking
in a mirror, she will see her future husband. Have it arranged so
that you are concealed alone in the room. When the girl arrives,
look over her shoulder into the mirror. She had better go
downstairs after ten minutes, though, so that another girl can
come up. This tradition dates from before William the Conqueror.
No Hallowe’en is complete, of course, without fortune telling.
Dress yourself as a wizard and have the guests led in one by one
to hear their fortune told. Hanging in front of you should be a
caldron, from which you extract the slip of paper containing the
particular fortune. These slips of paper should be prepared
beforehand. The following are suggested:
“You will meet a well dressed, good looking man who understands
you better than your husband. How about Thursday at the Plaza?”
“You are about to receive a shipment of Scotch whisky that you
ordered last month. And it’s about time you kicked across with
some of your own.”
“You will have much trouble in your life if you lie about your
golf score as you did last Sunday on Number 12.”
Still another pleasing Hallowe’en game, based on the revelation
of one’s matrimonial future, is played as follows: Seven lighted
candles are placed in a row on a table. The men are then
blindfolded, whirled around three times and commanded to blow out
the candles. The number extinguished at a blow tells the number
of years before they meet their bride. This game only grows
interesting, of course, when some old goat with long whiskers can
be induced to take a blind shot at blowing out the candles. Have
Pyrene convenient—but not too convenient to spoil the fun.
For the older members of the party, the host should provide
various games of cards and dice. In keeping with the ghastly
spirit of the occasion, it would be well to have the dice
carefully loaded. Many hosts have thus been able to make all
expenses and often a handsome profit out of the evening’s
entertainment.
If the crap game goes particularly well, many hosts do not
hesitate to provide elaborate refreshments for the guests. Here,
too, the spirit of fun and jollity should prevail, and great
merriment is always provoked by the ludicrous expression of the
guest who has broken two teeth on the cast-iron olive. Other
delightful surprises should be arranged, and a little Sloan’s
liniment in the punch or ground glass in the ice cream will go a
long way toward making the supper amusing. And finally, when the
guests are ready to depart and just before they discover that you
have cut cute little black cats and witches out of the backs of
their evening wraps and over coats, it would perhaps be well to
run up stairs and lock yourself securely in your room.