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What do you think the ancient Celtic origin is, behind popular Halloween games like apple bobbing and pumpkin craving? Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. There is something magical about the way the air feels crisper, how the leaves crunch beneath your feet, and the excitement of planning the perfect costume. Right from my childhood I have always wondered where all those classic Halloween activities and games came from. I did not think much about it until my nephew asked me last year while bobbing for apples at our family gathering. It got me thinking these traditions have been around forever.
The Ancient Roots of Our Favorite Halloween Pastimes
Many of our beloved Halloween activities date back centuries, originating from ancient Celtic harvest festivals , particularly Samhain. During Samhain, the Celts believed the boundary between our world and the spirit world became thin, allowing ghosts to cross over. Does that sound familiar? It should – this belief is the foundation for so much of what makes modern Halloween spooky and fun.
I remember visiting Ireland in my twenties and hearing locals talk about traditional Samhain fortune-telling games. These were not just entertainment they were serious business. Young people would perform rituals to divine their future spouses or predict important life events. Many of these divination games evolved into the Halloween activities we know today.
Apple Bobbing – More Than Just Getting Wet
Let’s look at Apple Bobbing for instance. This game has been around for AGES. It originated as a Roman tradition honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees, which merged with Celtic Samhain celebrations when the Romans conquered the Celtic territories.
The first time I hosted a Halloween party in my small apartment during college, I decided to include apple bobbing. What a mess that was! Water all over my floor, makeup running down faces, and everyone laughing hysterically. I did not realize I was participating in a tradition with roots in ancient marriage divination. Young unmarried people would try to bite into specific apples floating in water, representing potential suitors. The first person to successfully bite an apple would supposedly be the next to marry.
Carving Pumpkins and the Legend of Jack
Now let us talk about pumpkin carving a quintessential Halloween activity that I absolutely cannot get right no matter how hard I try. My jack-o’-lanterns always end up looking more confused than scary. This tradition originated in Ireland, but they did not use pumpkins originally. They carved turnips and potatoes.
The practice stems from the legend of “Stingy Jack” who tricked the devil and was condemned to roam the earth with only a hollowed-out turnip containing an ember to light his way. When Irish immigrants came to America, they found pumpkins were perfect for carving much easier than the rock-hard turnips they had used back home.
From Divination to Party Games
Many classic Halloween party games have evolved from these ancient divination practices. The tradition of hanging treats from strings that participants had to catch with their mouths originated as another form of romantic fortune-telling. Successfully biting the treat meant good luck in finding love.
I tried this at a Halloween party last year hanging donuts from the ceiling that guests had to eat without their hands. Most of us ended up with frosting on our noses, but it was hilarious to watch everyone try. These days we play these games purely for entertainment, not realizing we are practicing watered-down versions of ancient rituals.
Trick-or-Treating’s Surprising History
And what about trick-or-treating? This beloved Halloween activity has connections to multiple historical practices. In medieval times, “souling” involved poor people going door to door on Hallowmas, receiving soul cakes in exchange for prayers for the dead. Later, “guising” in Scotland and Ireland involved people in costumes going house to house performing songs or tricks in exchange for food or money.
I still remember my mother painstakingly sewing my first Halloween costume a pumpkin with a green stem hat. We walked around our neighborhood collecting candy, not knowing we were participating in a tradition with roots in ancient souling practices. It feels special knowing that kids today are connecting with history, even if they do not realize it.
What is your favorite Halloween tradition? Perhaps there is more history behind it than you realized.
Reference
Rogers, N. (2002). Halloween: From pagan ritual to party night. Oxford University Press.
Santino, J. (1994). Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life. University of Tennessee Press.
Kugel, J. L. (2017). The role of divination practices in Celtic seasonal festivals. Journal of European Folklore Research, 54(2), 118–142.
Morton, L. (2012). Trick or treat: A history of Halloween. Reaktion Books.