Trick or Treat?

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. As we are entering Halloween week I thought this was the perfect time to delve into the background and the history of the occasion. Sadly there will be no Halloween parties this weekend due to the current pandemic. However, there are still many ways that we can enjoy and celebrate the occasion. So without any further ado, let's jump straight in Halloween - Trick or Treat?

Now I'm sure we all have our favourite Halloween snacks - marshmallows, candy and anything else sweet related you can think of. Well in some countries their menu options might surprise you. Here are just a few that stood out to me:

Raisin bread and colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage) - Ireland

Peanuts in the shell - Scotland

Toffee - Great Britain

Soul cakes - Portugal

Roasted sweet corn - Mexico

As well as the need to eat culinary classics, did you know that worldwide this is one of the most popular and most celebrated holidays. It ranks significantly above both Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve in terms of parties and money spent on those days around the world. So why do people go crazy on 31st October every year? Traditionally it is an American celebration, but one that has spread to many countries who all take part in the festivities. Here are 10 wacky facts I have found about the holiday:

1. Halloween is more popular than Valentine’s Day and New Years. Both the holiday of love and the party-throwing New Year’s holidays fall behind Halloween in popularity with children and adults alike.

2. Major money is spent on Halloween. Did you know that Americans spend almost 10 billion dollars per year on Halloween? That’s BILLION with a B. That is a lot of money to be spent on candy and costumes. Each consumer typically spends about $80 dollars per year on their Halloween goodies.

3. Historically, the owl has been one of the most popular Halloween images. This is because, during medieval times in Europe, owls were seen as witches. It was said that hearing an owl’s call was a sign that someone was about to die.

4. The idea of trick or treating came from a Celtic tradition originating in ancient times. The ancient Celts would put treats on their doorsteps and in the streets to provide offerings to the spirits of Samhain.

5. Houdini died on Halloween. In a strange twist of events, Harry Houdini, who is considered by many to be the most famous magician of all time, died on Halloween. His death was caused by appendicitis, which was brought on by 3 blows to the stomach he took during one of his acts.

6. The candy-drugging was a myth. In 1974 a young boy ate a piece of heroin laced candy which led to a mass fear of drug-laced candy being passed out during Halloween. As it turns out, that young boy had gotten into his uncle’s drugs and it was never meant for the Halloween candy. Knowing the facts of this story could have prevented many urban legends that still exist to this day.

7. Halloween is old, like really old. It is believed that Halloween traditions began in the year 4,000 B.C., which means that humans have been celebrating Halloween for over 6,000 years. 

8.Boston knows how to light their jack-o-lanterns! Boston holds the unique record of having the most Jack O’Lanterns lit at once (over 30,000).

9. Legend has it, Jack O’Lanterns get their name from an old Irish story of a man named Jack who liked to trick the devil and because of his tricky ways, was barred from entering both heaven and hell, instead, he was forced to wander the earth, where he used his lanterns to wave people away from their intended paths.

10. Halloween colours are what they are for a reason. There are several colours that you almost always see used in relation to Halloween (orange, black, brown and gold)  Here’s why these colours are the chosen ones:

Orange – Orange is known as a symbol of strength.

Black – Black is known as a symbol of death.

Brown and Gold – These colours are typically in the symbolism of harvest.

I love Halloween. Every year I attend at least one Halloween party as it is a fun night to dress up, drink way too much and play silly but hilariously funny games such as bobbing for apples (don't do this at the beginning of the night trust me). Halloween in 2020 has in store a virtual Zoom party which of course will not be the same but under the current circumstances my advice is dress up, have fun and trick or treat the people in your household. We can't even go from door to door picking up free sweets - what has life become? Just make sure you get candy and not an egg in the face (a story for another time I think).

Enjoy the spooks!

Connor

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