In Italian folklore, chestnuts are associated with wisdom, knowledge, and the autumn harvest season. Long believed to have magical and curative powers, an old English tradition was to carry horse chestnuts in one's pockets to bring good luck and protect from evil spirits.
It is said that placing conkers on windowsills and thresholds will keep the spiders at bay, and conkers placed in closets are thought to deter moths. The prickly outer shells of the Hores Chestnut gave them their nickname of hedgehogs in the trees, and in England, the inner seeds are known as conkers. A European folklore divination says the longer the conker’s prickles, the harsher the winter to come.
Roasted chestnuts are an old autumn tradition along with the children’s game from the 1800s called conkers. To play the traditional conkers game, two players flip a coin for who goes first, then face off with their conkers tied to a string. Each player swings three times at their opponent's conker, taking turns until one conker is eventually smashed and the winner is declared.
When finding the first conker of the season, it is said that whispering, "Oddly, oddly onker, my first conker!" will bring good luck.
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