Long before trick-or-treating caught on, Halloween was a night for parties, autumn treats, and trying to peek into the future. And in many homes across Ireland, Britain, and America, the most important prop for that fortune-telling was something already on the table: a pot of tea.
This week, as the leaves turn and jack-o'-lanterns start appearing on Boston stoops, we're looking back at three old traditions that tie tea to Halloween night.
Reading the leaves: a brief history of tasseography
Tea arrived in Britain from China in the mid-1600s as an expensive luxury. As trade grew and prices fell, it became an everyday drink for ordinary households, and the leftover leaves at the bottom of the cup took on a new life. Reading the shapes those leaves formed, a practice called tasseography, became a popular way to tell fortunes. According to NPR's history of the practice, it offered a much simpler alternative to older divination methods that involved molten lead or hot wax.
The oldest English-language book on the subject, Reading Tea Leaves by a writer calling themselves "a Highland Seer," described generations of Scottish "spae wives" (from an old Norse word for prophecy) peering into teacups to see what was coming. The Victorian era was the practice's real heyday. A reader would have the drinker swirl the last bit of tea three times, turn the cup upside down on the saucer to drain, and then study the leaves left clinging inside. Leaves near the rim were said to point to the near future, and those near the bottom to events further off.
By the early 1900s, porcelain makers in England and the United States were even selling "fortune-telling cups," painted inside with zodiac signs, playing cards, or symbols, so that anyone could read a fortune by noting where the leaves landed. Atlas Obscura notes that in the 1920s, fortune-telling tearooms offering leaf readings sprang up in cities.
The Halloween tea party
In the late 1800s, Halloween in America was mostly a holiday for parties, often for adults, filled with fall foods and games meant to forecast the future, especially romance. The New-York Historical Society notes that reading tea leaves was a favorite at Halloween parties of that era, alongside games like peeling apples and dropping melted lead into water (a game we strongly suggest you skip).
Some hostesses built a whole evening around it. In 1898, the Western Mail described a "candlelight tea" for sixteen young women, with a parlor decorated in autumn leaves, fruit, nuts, ears of corn, and jack-o'-lanterns lined along the mantel. Guests found hand-painted fortune cards at each place setting. One popular tea game of the time: balance a dry spoon on the rim of your cup, then drip tea into it from a second spoon until it tips. Each drop was said to stand for one year until your wedding.
Barmbrack: Ireland's tea-soaked Halloween bread
In Ireland, the fortune-telling happened in a slice of bread. Báirín breac, usually called barmbrack, is a sweet loaf studded with dried fruit; the name means "speckled loaf." Irish families have baked it on the eve of Samhain, October 31, for generations, and the fruit is traditionally soaked in strong tea (and sometimes a splash of whiskey) before baking.
The fun was in what was hidden inside. According to the National Museum of Ireland and Ireland's official tourism sites, a barmbrack might hold several small charms, each with a meaning for whoever found it in their slice:
A ring meant you would marry within the year.
A coin meant wealth and good fortune.
A pea meant no wedding that year.
A bean meant good fortune, but without riches.
A rag meant hard times or bad luck.
A stick meant a quarrelsome marriage.
Today, most shop-bought barmbracks hold just a ring, but plenty of families still bake the full set at home. And if you've ever had a slice, you know it's best served toasted, buttered, and with a strong cup of tea alongside.
Brew your own Halloween traditions
You don't need a crystal ball to bring a little of this history to your table this October. A few of our teas fit right in:
Irish Breakfast: Our robust blend of Assam and Kenya black teas is strong enough to stand up to milk and sugar, which makes it a natural partner for a buttered slice of barmbrack. Brew a strong pot and use the leftovers to soak your dried fruit, the way Irish home bakers have done for generations.
China Black Tea: Want to try reading the leaves? Brew a loose-leaf tea right in the cup without a strainer, then leave a little liquid at the bottom, swirl, and turn the cup over. This smooth, slightly malty classic is a pleasant cup to linger over while you wait to see what shapes appear.
Pumpkin Spiced Tea: Ceylon black tea with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cardamom tastes just like the autumn parlors those Victorian hostesses decorated.
Apricot Cinnamon: A caffeine-free choice so the whole family can join in on Halloween night.
Hosting friends this month? Our Autumn Harvest Tea Box brings together a selection of fall favorites, perfect for setting out at your own candlelight tea.
Whatever you find at the bottom of your cup this Halloween, we hope it's a cozy evening and a good brew. Happy Halloween from all of us at Beantown Tea & Spices!
Sources
For Centuries, People Have Searched for Answers in the Bottom of a Tea Cup (NPR)
These Fortune-Telling Tea Cups Made Divination Easy (Atlas Obscura)
Halloween History: Fortune-Telling Games (New-York Historical Society)
A Halloween Tea Party for Unmarried Victorian Ladies (Mimi Matthews)
The History of Ireland's Spooky Halloween Treat, Barmbrack (Tourism Ireland)
Halloween Traditions and Their Origins (National Museum of Ireland)