Quote:
Originally Posted by
SilverTiger 
"Actually, the form of divination I was thinking of usually is done as a Hallowe'en activity. Part of those festivities, but I think the usual focus of it could apply to February as well," she thought aloud, letting the students think about what sorts of goals could be assigned to the nuts. They should get ideas given the month, but truly any sort of goal would probably work. Of course, in the same way, the focus of the hazelnut divination could veer from amusing to otherwise rather quickly, but she was hoping they could contain themselves. "Does anyone know anything about what I'm referring to?" If not, she could just keep talking, but she was aiming for more participation. She knew enough to know the students had to want the points that questions led to.[/COLOR]
Charley raised her hand excitedly.
"In Celtic paganism, there are two holy days, Hallowe'en, more commonly known, and Imbolc, or Candlemas, celebrated on the first or second day of February to commemorate the first signs of spring. I've only heard of this being done on Hallowe'en, but in some parts, they were used for divination purposes. They were placed in a pan over a fire and roasted. As they heated up, they would pop open. It was believed that if they popped enough to jump out of the pan, it guaranteed romantic success. That would be why it would apply to February-Saint Valentine's Day."
ooc: I'm mostly Irish and know a bit, this is from my brain and my father's.