Irish people don't eat roadside blackberries after November 1st

In rural Ireland, there's a very practical rule: blackberries by the roadside can't be eaten after November 1st.

The reason is a creature called a "Púca". It can turn into a black horse, a black dog, a rabbit, or an old man, and loves to play tricks on people. October 31st is the Celtic festival of "Samhain", the eve of the new year, when all sorts of sprites come out to roam. By November 1st, the Púca comes out, spits on the blackberries, or pisses on them, and from then on, the berries are unclean; eating them will make you sick.

This rule has its logic: most blackberries in November have already rotted, gone moldy, or have worms in them, so not eating them is good for the body.

In some places in Ireland, old farmers, when harvesting crops or picking fruit, deliberately leave some in the field or on the branches uncollected, called "the Púca's share".

They say that if you leave it, next year's harvest will be good; if you don't leave it, there will be trouble.

In early November in Ireland, it gets dark early, the fields are all gray, and only on the roadside bushes do a few blackened berries still hang, untouched by anyone.

#Folklore #网络转载 #欧洲民俗