A Little History for Thursdays: Bobbing for Apples

Ever wonder why we're so willing to shove our faces into a barrel of water for an apple?

(Well, maybe not this year...)

The History of Bobbing for Apples

This tradition appears to have originated from Samhain, the Celtic harvest celebration.  The apple (as I am well aware ;) ) is a symbol of fertility, then represented by the Roman goddess Pomona.  When sliced in half, the apple's seeds form a sort of five-pointed star, like the pentagram.  The pentagram, to the Celts, was also a great fertility symbol.  From there, the apple just seemed like a natural fit!

The apple then became an object of divination used to predict marrages during that time of year.  Those who were unmarried at the time of the celebration would take turns trying to bite into an apple, either in a pool of water or hanging from a string.  The first one to do so would be the next expected to wed.

And to think that today it's thought of as a child's game...

One article on the topic says that the [girl] to possess the bitten apple would dream of her future lover when placed under her pillow at night.  I find that to (1) be uncomfortable and (2) be sticky.

The apple was also used to foresee other things.  By peeling an apple infront of a candle-lit mirror, one could see not only the image of one's future hubby but also the years left of one's life according to the peel length before it broke.  I think knowing such things only takes the fun and mystery out of life!

Links/Sources:

• Haunted Bay
• Wikipedia
• The Spectator

A Little History for Thursdays: Trick-or-Treating

(Photo from Warner Bros. film Trick or Treat. Not sure what that is...)

The act of "trick-or-treating" can be traced back centuries. Some sources compare the act to wassailing in the Middle Ages. Perhaps most relevant, though, is the medieval practice of souling. Souling consisted of the poor traveling door to door on Hallowmas (then celebrated November 1st) to receive food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2nd.) Such practices were mainly found in Ireland and Britain, although similar ones have been found to have occurred as far as Italy.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, the reason behind dressing up in costumes to trick-or-treat most likely goes back to the Celts celebration of Samhain. Citizens would dress in "costumes" and masks created from the remnants of their herds. The purpose might have been to copy evil spirits, or appease them.

The history of trick-or-treating is a bit more hazy when it comes to tracing it to North America. Sources say there is no evidence of souling of the poor. The earliest mention of the tradition doesn't even pop up until 1911. It wasn't until 1927 that the first mention of it was to be found in print somewhere in Canada. The practice didn't seem to really catch on until the 1930s.

What we do know today is that trick-or-treating has become a central part to the tradition. Almost a social requirement. While it briefly declined in the 70s and 80s due to tainted candy scares, the tradition holds strong today.

What are some of YOUR trick-or-treating memories?

Resources:

• Wikipedia
• Things That Go Boo!

Other related links:

• TheHolidaySpot (no relation!)
• Halloween Alliance

A Little History for Thursdays: First Post!

There are many sources of the Halloween we know today, but perhaps the oldest and strongest source is the Celtic celebration, Samhain.

Samhain, celebrated some 2,000 years ago, was the mark of the end of the harvest and the beginning of a new year. The Celts believed with the end of summer came the cold, the dark, and therefore, the time most associated with deaths among the tribes. Originally, Samhain was the night where the barriers, holding the dead in their world, were blurred and broken. The passage of the dead into our world was long thought the reason for ruined crops and the rise of mischief. On the other hand, the Celts also believed Samhain to be the best time for their priests, the Druids, to make predictions on the upcoming year.

In celebration, enormous bonfires were erected where the remnants of crops and animals, removed of their offerings for the winter, were thrown to feed the blaze. The Celtic people would dress in the hides and bones of animals and exchange fortunes. Each house in the village would end the night by taking a piece of the fire back to light their hearth for luck in the new year.

To find out more about Samhain, only a piece of what Halloween has become, try these links:

• History.com
• WitchVox
• Wikipedia

I also highly suggest going to your local bookstore to find out more!