HALLOWEEN: Treats, Tricks & Traditions
It’s month number 10 and time to turn again to the mystical, magical mind frame of fun, fright and frolic. This happy haunting was originally thought to have originated in 4000 B.C., however, Halloween as we know it actually evolved from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated approximately 2,000 years ago, not 6,000 years ago.
Still going strong to this day, this annual affair is second only to Christmas in terms of volume of annual consumer sales. As we speak, many folks are fumbling to find a fitting costume to cater to their individual character. For the adults, classics this year will likely veer toward vampires, winsome witches and the ever-popular pirate.
The younger crowd is yearning to replicate the characters in the animated Netflix movie “KPop Demon Hunters” or the Labubu monster dolls. Likely you’ll also spy a Spider-Man or two, while witches and princesses will still prevail as popular picks. No matter how you are making your mark for your masquerade, time’s a-tickin’ for trick-or-treating! (A term first coined by the Canadians in 1927).
Now that we’ve talked of attire for this fateful annual fete, let’s take a peek at those tantalizing treats in our Halloween haul. Holy calculation of caloric content! A typical trick-or-treater’s bountiful bag of choice chocolates can reach a radical range from 5,000 to a whopping 11,000 estimable increments of energy. Annually, it’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that reign supreme at Halloween in the U.S. Although I’m in total contention here, candy corn comes in dead last as a definitive fall favorite. Millions of pounds of this marvelous maize are produced each year, yet it is a polarizing candy that many don’t cater to. And verily voted as a close second for “utterly undesirable” is another one of my favorites – circus peanuts. Who ARE these people?
If traipsing out for trick or treat isn’t your delegated desire, how about garnering a gathering of ghouls and goblins at your humble abode? Young and old alike can equally enjoy an enchanting evening of traditional treats, a gala of games and delightful dancing to such musical musings as “The Monster Mash.” Bring on the buoyant buffoonery of bobbing for apples, pumpkin painting, mummy wrapping and a favorite at our annual 4-H Halloween party, “Guess the Food” game. A lighthearted version of the famous show “Fear Factor,” we were befitted with a blindfold, munched on a mystery morsel and gleaned a guess at its ghastly identity. The foods were notoriously named, but were in actuality, appetizing edibles. You were doubtfully dared to consume “cat poop,” which tended to be a Tootsie Roll. Olives evolved into eyeballs, Frankenstein’s finger unfolded as a frankfurter, ketchup was coined as Dracula’s dinner, and so on. Let the ghoulish games begin!
Whatever it’s fearsome or fun or somewhere in between, from me to you – Happy Halloween!
Branna (McCarty) Shores believes that “HOME is where your story begins.” A Noblesville native and proud graduate of NHS and Purdue University, she is a professional speaker, advocate for mental health and work / family balance and retired social worker. Branna is the mother of two grown daughters, six precious grandchildren and wife of one brave husband! Her passions include singing, writing and sharing the lighter side of life through lessons learned, both personally and professionally. She can be contacted at branna18@gmail.com