Page 30 - 201210 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - October 2012

13 Halloween Superstitions Explained 13 Halloween # 4 - Halloween Colors North America — before concerns over Superstitions & Traditions unwrapped candy became an issue. Today, candy apples can be covered in caramel or Explained chocolate with nuts, as well as in the classic, shiny red syrup. The fusion of Celtic and Roman Continued from Page 28 traditions is behind Halloween's candy-apple staple. Samhain was around the time of the # 6 - Witch's Broomstick Roman festival honoring Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees. The goddess is often symbolized by an apple, so the fruit became synonymous with Samhain celebrations of the harvest. The traditional Halloween colors of orange and # 1 - Candy Corn black actually stem from the pagan celebration of autumn and the harvest, with orange symbolizing the colors of the crops and turning leaves, while black marks the "death" of summer and the changing season. Over time, green, purple and yellow have also been introduced into the color scheme of Halloween decorations. The witch's broomstick is another superstition that has its roots in medieval myths. The elderly, # 3 - Mischief Night introverted women that were accused of witchcraft were often poor and could not afford horses, so they navigated through the woods on foot with the help of walking sticks, which were The candy most synonymous with Halloween, sometimes substituted by brooms. candy corn was invented in the late 1880s and English folklore tells that during night- began to be mass-produced in the early 1900s. time ceremonies, witches rubbed a "flying" The original process for making candy corn was potion on their bodies, closed their eyes and felt cumbersome and time-consuming, as each color as though they were flying. The hallucinogenic of syrup had to be heated up in large vats and ointment, which caused numbness, rapid carefully poured by hand into specially shaped heartbeat and confusion, gave them the illusion molds. that they were soaring through the sky. But the yellow, orange and white candy — meant to resemble a corn kernel — was a From some — namely troublesome teenagers huge hit and remains a popular part of # 5 - Trick-Or-Treating in Costumes — Halloween is also a time for neighborhood Halloween to this day. [] pranks. From egging and toilet-papering houses to smashing jack-o'-lanterns, "devil's night" can be full of mischief and menace. FAMOUS PEOPLE The ancient Celts celebrated Samhain WHO WERE BORN with bonfires, games and comical pranks. By the 1920s and 30s, however, the celebrations ON became more rowdy, with rising acts of vandalism, possibly due to the tension caused OCTOBER 31 by the Great Depression, according to Jack Santino's "Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life" (Univ. of Tennessee Press, (Alphabetically by Last Name) 1994). To curb the vandalism, adults began to In olden times, it was believed that during hand out candy, reigniting the forgotten Lorena Bobbitt - 1970 - Criminal Samhain, the veil between our world and the tradition of trick-or-treating in costume in John Candy - 1950 - Film Actor spirit world was thinnest, and that the ghosts of exchange for sweets. This successfully replaced Michael Collins - 1930 - Astronaut the deceased could mingle with the living. The most of the mischief elements from Oct. 31 Christopher Columbus - 1451 - Explorer superstition was that the visiting ghosts could celebrations, so the troublemakers instead Dale Evans - 1912 - Actress, Singer disguise themselves in human form, such as a adopted Oct. 30 as their official night to pull Adam Horovitz - 1966 - Rapper beggar, and knock on your door during Samhain pranks and wreak havoc. Peter Jackson - 1961- Director, Producer asking for money or food. If you turned them John Keats - 1795 - Poet away empty-handed, you risked receiving the # 2 - Candy Apples Michael Landon - 1936 - Television Actor wrath of the spirit and being cursed or haunted. Another Celtic myth was that dressing Juliette Gordon Low - 1860 - Philanthropist up as a ghoul would fool the evil spirits into Jane Pauley - 1950 - Talk Show Host thinking that you were one of them so that they Dan Rather - 1931 - News Anchor would not try to take your soul. In the U.S., Stephen Rea - 1946 - Film Actor trick-or-treating became a customary Rob Schneider - 1963 - Television Actor Halloween tradition around the late 1950s, after Willow Smith - 2000 - Film Actress, it was brought over by Irish immigrants in the Singer early 1900s. Vanilla Ice - 1967 - Reality Television Star Jan Vermeer - 1632 - Painter REMBRANCE DAY, NOVEMBER 11 Ethel Waters - 1896 - Film Actress REMEMBER THOSE WHO FOUGHT AND THOSE WHO MADE THE Candy apples are popular Halloween treats, and ULTIMATE PRICE FOR FREEDOM AND the sugary fruit on a stick was handed out The ‘X’ Zone Podcasts Are Available At DEMOCRACY - WEAR YOUR POPPY. during the early days of trick-or-treating in www.xzonepodcast.com