Cromniomancy is divination by onions. It is usually done by interpreting their sprouting behaviour, after some kind of ritual to state the topic of the divination. This often involves inscribing the onions, dedicating them on an altar or something similar. But cromniomancy is/was also done in idiosyncratic way not involving sprouting them. Divination is the occultic practice of ascertaining information by supernatural means. ... Binomial name Allium cepa L. Onion in the general sense can be used for any plant in the Genus Allium but used without qualifiers usually means Allium cepa L., also called the garden onion. ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ...

It is not really known why the onion was chosen for that kind of divination, not other fast-sprouting plants. A look at other divination methods shows that plants used for divination have or had some significance as important food source and/or medicinal herb. The onion is rich in Vitamin C and was important because of this, and it was widely used as medicinal herb against colds and other infections. Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient essential for life, used by the human body for many purposes. ... Cold can have the following meanings: Low temperatures, and/or the absence of heat Common cold, an infectious disease of the nose and throat Cold (band), a hard rock band Abbreviation for Computer Output to Laser Disk, see Enterprise Report Management (ERM) A James Bond novel, COLD by John Gardner... Infection is also the title of an episode of the television series Babylon 5; see Infection (Babylon 5). ...

History

Cromniomancy was historically performed across Europe, Africa and northern Asia. The sphere within a sphere of the onion made it a much-revered symbol of spirituality and eternity, to the extent that the ancient Egyptians took their sacred oaths with their right hand on an onion. There are many forms of cromniomancy, from divining the weather by the thickness of the skin, to gaining inside information. A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... Map of Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was an organized civilization of the Nile Valley from around 3300 BC until the conquest of Alexander the Great in 332 BC, although recent excavations reveal a cattle-herding society of peoples living in the region as early as 6000 BC. By 4000 BC...

Specific methods

One method is to place onions on a sacred altar to learn about friends and family far away and out of contact. The names of the beloved are inscribed on individual onions and left undisturbed until they began to sprout. The faster the sprouting, the better health and happiness was enjoyed by the friend named on the onion. Picture of an altar from the Meyer Encyclopaedia An altar, (Hebrew mizbeah, from a word meaning to slay) is any structure on which sacrifices known as the korbanot as well as incense offerings are offered for religious purposes. ...

Onions also provided romantic advice for the love-lorn. A woman trying to choose between lovers would carve out their names on separate onions. The one that sprouted first would reveal the suitor most worthy of her affections. Some sources have it that this should best be done on December 1. December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Answers to any question could be sought by inscribing yes and no on two separate onions and planting them to see which sprouted first.

A method practiced in southern Germany to predict the weather for the following jear goes like this: At Sylvester evening you take twelve big, sphere- like pieces of onion and put them on a wooden board in a row. They represent the months from January to December . Then a grain of salt is put into every piece of onion, and the whole thing is left overnight in a room without heating, but without frost. The ammout of liquid in every onion piece tells how much rain/snow there will be in the respective month. Sylvester as a single name can refer to: Pope Sylvester I Pope Sylvester II Antipope Sylvester III Sylvester the cat Sylvester James, disco performer Sylvester is also the name of several places: Sylvester, Georgia Sylvester, West Virginia Sylvester, Wisconsin This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other... January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ...

Comment on modern use

Today, cromniomancy is mainly practiced in rural areas where it has a long tradition. In the modern world, it seems to be done sometimes by teenagers who are desperate about finding a mate. It is cited on several Wicca pages on the internet. But in the general occult comunity it is not considered a serious form of divination or even spiritual enlightenment. A Neo-Pagan pentacle: a symbol used by most Wiccans. ... The word occult comes from Latin occultus (hidden), referring to the knowledge of the secret or knowledge of the hidden and often meaning knowledge of the supernatural, as opposed to knowledge of the visible or knowledge of the measurable, usually referred to as science. ... This article is about a religious term. ...