Scots and Irish immigrants brought Halloween customs to America, where they seem to have taken root and combined with traditions from other immigrant cultures – German witchcraft lore, English and Dutch masquerades, additional superstitions about witches and black cats brought by African slaves, and practices from the Mexican Day of the Dead. These customs developed differently in different areas. On Halloween in the Virginian Mountains, it’s said you can hear the future whispered on the wind; in Louisiana, it’s said that if you make a meal in silence and cook it backwards, a ghost will slip in and sit at the table.
from Pumpkins, ghosts, masks and mysteries – a little history of Halloween by David Castleton
wee ditty 
Gee! I might have to try that! Would be interesting to see who turned up! 😀 I think my favorite Samhain (All Hallows Eve) custom was that every village would contribute to s bonfire in the town square. Then each household would put their heath fires out. They’d lay out new wood and go to the bonfire to bring a light back to their hearth. It was symbolic of the unification of the village against the long, dark nights of winter.
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Oh, awesome! Sharing fire has to be older than… cloth.
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