Superstitions become more popular and mysterious every year at Halloween. Many superstitions have their origins in ancient beliefs, such as spirits wondering the night and telling the future by various means. These superstitions and traditions below have very specific explanations:

• Black cats: Middle Ages belief that witches took the form of black cats to avoid detection during Halloween.

• Breaking Mirrors: mirrors were used by young women to divine their future husbands, and breaking them was bad luck.

• Put a ring in mashed potatoes: the man who found it was the woman’s future husband.

• Name a hazelnut for each suitor: the one that burns instead of pops is the woman’s future husband.

• Throw an apple peel over a shoulder: they fell to spell a future husband’s initials. (Ancient superstition for today’s spilled salt tradition).

• Egg yolks in water: used to divine the future.

• Stand in a dark room: hold a candle and look in the mirror and over the shoulder to see a future husband’s face.

• Apple bobbing: first one to successfully bob for an apple got married before everyone else.