HoweEnterprise.com
October 21, 2019
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Learn about your antiques and Howe Intermediate Top Dogs collectibles with Georgia Caraway Halloween is mostly a Western custom with Americans spending more than $9 billion dollars annually on Halloween costumes, decorations, and candy. A quarter of all annual candy sales occur during the Halloween season in the United States. What is it about Halloween (or Howe-lloween as Howe-ites call it) that makes October 31 so popular? Perhaps we just like to be frightened (think of the popularity of Halloween movies), or do we just like the candy (no other holiday thrusts our “sweet tooths” into overload except Easter), or do we just like to dress up in costumes and be something/someone else for a night? Certainly, it is fun to wear goofy, sexy, clever, scary get-ups. The word Halloween literally means the evening before All Hallows Day (or All Saint’s Day) celebrated on November 1. Halloween is also the shortened name of Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Evening, and All Saint’s Eve which is celebrated on October 31. The origin and meaning of Halloween are derived from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, but more recently we think of Halloween as a night filled with costumes, trick-or-treating, pumpkins, candy, spooks, and evil spirits. The tradition of bobbing for apples dates back to the Roman invasion of Britain, when the conquering army merged their own celebrations with traditional Celtic festivals. The Romans brought with them the apple tree, a representation of the goddess of plenty, Pomona, to whom gardens and orchards were dedicated. Eating or giving away fruit, especially apples, was a custom during the Feast of Pomona on November 1. Folklore has it that during the annual celebration, young unmarried people would try to bite into an apple floating in water or hanging from a string on a line. The first person to bite into the apple would be the next one to be allowed to marry. In an Irish legend, a maiden who placed the apple she bobbed under her pillow was said to dream of her future sweetheart. Apple bobbing is played by filling a tub or a large basin with water and putting apples in the water.
Because apples are less dense than water, they will float at the surface. Players (usually children) then try to catch one with their teeth. Use of arms is not allowed, and often are tied behind the back to prevent cheating. In Scotland, this may be called "dooking” (ie, ducking). In northern England, the game is often called apple ducking or duck-apple. In Wales, it is known as “Twco Fale” (apple ducking). In County Kerry Ireland it is known as “Snap Apple.” In Newfoundland and Labrador, “Snap Apple Night” is the name given to Halloween. Today candy has replaced fruit, and the fun of bobbing for apples is no longer part of the holiday, most probably because parents have become concerned about the unsanitary conditions of so many people dunking their mouths and faces into the same tub. We don’t worry about spooks and evil-doing as much as we worry about germs. Ah for the good ol’ days. Downtown Howe is celebrating Howe-lloween on October 26. It is a great coming together of the community including downtown merchants, the churches’ trunk-or -treat participation, music, and vendors. And the KHB ChiliCookoff is an added spicy bonus. Howe Mercantile is going to celebrate BOTH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY October 25 and October 26 with a storewide sale as well as a FLEA MARKET behind the store on the Cottonwood Creek Pavilion. Several of our dealers will set up tables of bargains. Our event will start at NOON and continue all day both days. Come by and buy. Georgia Caraway owns and operates Howe Mercantile at 107-109 East Haning. SHOP LOCAL. LET US SHOW YOU HOWE.
Howe Intermediate wants to congratulate our Top Dogs of the week: Cooper Finney, Taylor Brunner, Brenice Gonzalez, Lane Hance, Langston Kalu, Sophia Tonga-Hall, Kennedy Garner, Cooper Shadden, Samantha Fuhr, Jackson Leal, Hudson Harris, Macie Bryant, Madison Janek, Skylee Busch, and Houston Beebe. Way to go!
