Forgotten Halloween traditions
- Colcannon: This dish was common in Ireland, and was just a meal made of cabbage, kale, and potatoes. On Halloween, however, the colcannon would have small gifts and coins hidden in it.
- Barmbrack:Another Irish food tradition, barmbrack is a traditional fruitcake. Like the colcannon, it has items baked into it; however, in this case they are supposed to predict the future of the person who finds it. A wedding ring foretells marriage, while a coin predicts wealth.
- The “tricking” part of trick-or-treating: Causing havoc on the streets was a common part of Halloween some time ago, and the only way to avoid being a victim of pranks was to give out treats. Nowadays, “trick-or-treat” is less of a threatening ultimatum, and more of a cute thing that children yell at you.
- Bonfires: We’re all about the fire safety these days, but huge bonfires used to be a staple for Halloween celebrations
- Nut-tossing: Get your mind out of the gutter. This was a tradition in Scotland, where a young woman would name a hazelnut after potential husbands and then throw them into the fire. The nut that burned the fastest was thought to symbolize her future husband.
Halloween by the numbers
99 per cent: The number of pumpkins sold during the Halloween season that is used for Jack O’Lanterns.
4000 B.C.: The approximate year in which Halloween is believed to have originated.
93 per cent: The percentage of children in North America that go trick-or-treating every year.
90 per cent: The number of parents that admit to occasionally taking their kids’ Halloween candy.
2: Halloween’s ranking of commercial success compared to other holidays (the most commercialized holiday is — you guessed it — Christmas).
Didja Know?
-Jack-o-lanterns were initially made from turnips instead of pumpkins.
– The idea of jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland. Legend has it that Jack — after whom the lanterns are named — was a man who tricked the devil multiple times; because of this, he wasn’t allowed to enter heaven or hell, and so he had to spend the rest of his days wandering the Earth, waving a lantern at people.
– Samhainophobia is the overwhelming and irrational fear of Halloween itself.
-Children are more than twice as likely to be killed in a car accident on Halloween than on any other night of the year.
-Black and orange are the colours of Halloween because black represents death, while orange is a symbol of harvest and the fall season.
-There are variations of Halloween that are celebrated all around the world. The traditions are different, but all have the same idea of celebrating and honouring the dead. For example, in Mexico, it’s Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) on Nov. 1 and 2, while in China, it’s Teng Chieh (the Lantern Festival).
-There is a superstition that if a person wears their clothes inside out and walks backwards on Halloween, they will see a witch at midnight. It’s doubtful that too many people have gone through with that one, though.
