Feature Friday: More Halloween FunFacts & Giveaway Winners!

Giveaway winners:

Thank you to those who participated in our giveaway for the paranormal anthologies & Halloween goodies last Friday! 

Our first winner chosen by random.com is Angel. Please contact me at readingbetweenthewines10@gmail.com with your mailing info and let me know which anthology you would like. 

Our second winner for the remaining anthology is Seduced By Books. Please email me also with your mailing address as well and I’ll get these out to you guys.

I will be posting another giveaway and review for Kresley Cole’s Demon from the Dark in just a few so make sure to check that out!

Halloween FunFacts:

As promised last week I have part 2 of Halloween’s history and facts that I posted.

So last week I discussed the origins of Halloween (link HERE), Samhain and how dressing-up, trick or treating and carving jack o’ lanterns came about. Today is going to be a short post discussing Halloween and Samhain’s traditional games, activities and foods. 

Games & Activities:

• Bobbing For Apples (Apple Bobbing, Dooking – Scottish, Snap Apple – Irish) This was originally a Samhain activity, when apples were associated with love or fertility. You will see that apples are used often in Samhain activities because of this belief. The belief of apple bobbing is that whoever bites into the apple first will be the first to marry. Another belief is that if you place the apple that you bobbed under your pillow you will dream of your future lover.   The fundamentals of this game are you place apples in a tub of water and because apples are less dense they will float. Then using your teeth only, no hands, you try to bite into an apple. A more sanitary version is hanging apples on strings. You never think of that kind of stuff when you’re a kid though. LoL
• A traditional Scottish game is diving your future spouse by carving an apple in one long strip then tossing the peel over your shoulder. The peel is supposed to land in the same of the first letter of your future spouse’s name. I’ve also seen this done by dropping the peel into a tub/barrel of water.
• Another game and belief that is somewhat creepy; unmarried women would sit in the dark on Halloween night and look into the mirror. The belief was that in the reflection you would see a reflection of you and your future husband. But if you were destined to die before marrying you would see a reflection of a skull.
• Bonfires are still built today, which was originally Samhain tradition for cleansing during the slaughter season.

Foods:

·    Candy Apples – So again, with the Samhain belief of apples being associated with love and fertility it is no surprise that they were also used as food goodies. Yum, yum. Another reason because Halloween falls during apple harvest as well. Candy apples are apples skewered with a stick and covered with a hard candy coating. Nowadays people also use caramel, chocolate, taffy and toffee to cover apples with as well.

·   An Irish tradition is baking barmbrack, a fruitcake that has a ring, coin or charm placed inside of it. The belief is that whoever finds the ring will find their true love with in the following year. Similar to a Three Kings Day cake.

·   Roasted nuts were and is also a popular food and during Samhain and believed while roasted them over your hearth if they stayed together so would the couple.

·   Not popular today but during Samhain if you dropped egg into a class of water you’d be able to tell how many future children you were going to have by the shapes formed.

·    Apple Cider is a favorite used during this season.

It might be fun to try out some of these old traditions & beliefs this Halloween. Whatever you choose to do for the holiday I hope you have a frightenly fantastic time!