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Old 06-29-2006   #13 (permalink)
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Arrow Re: Quirky History facts!

Looking forward to next Halloween & a go at this!

Quote:
Originally Posted by freedictionary.com
Snap-dragon (also known as Flap-dragon, Snapdragon, or Flapdragon) was a parlour game popular from about the 16th to 19th centuries. It was played during the winter, particularly on Christmas Eve. Brandy was heated and placed in a wide shallow bowl; raisins were placed in the brandy which was then set alight. Typically, lights were extinguished or dimmed to increase the eerie effect of the blue flames playing across the liquor. The aim of the game was to pluck the raisins out of the burning brandy and eat them, at the risk of being burnt. Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language (1755) describes it as "a play in which they catch raisins out of burning brandy and, extinguishing them by closing the mouth, eat them". According to an eighteenth-century article in the Tatler magazine, "the wantonness of the thing was to see each other look like a demon, as we burnt ourselves, and snatched out the fruit." Snap-dragon was played in England and the United States (Blain (1912) suggests that in the United States it was played at Halloween instead), but there is insufficient evidence of the practice in Scotland, or other countries.
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http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/flap-dragon


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