Hallowe'en Season - Apple Bobbing

 

Hi Guys,

Continuing our Hallowe'en season today, I am going to look at some of the customs associated with this time of year. We already covered the Jack-o'-Lantern and trick or treating last Hallowe'en, so I have decided to look at apple bobbing!

I will tie this in with our Apple Magic post from last October, and hopefully not repeat too much!

Apple bobbing is seen as a game these days in which a barrel or other large container is filled with water, and apples are added. People then attempt to 'catch' and apple using only their teeth, leading to much hilarity, and some very wet people! The idea is to catch as many apples as you can.

But, did you know, that originally, apple bobbing was a courtship experience, many hundreds of years ago?

Each apple placed in the tub was attributed to one particular person, and if that was the apple you caught, that was the person you were meant to be with.

• Tradition states that if the 'bobber' (usually female) caught the apple on the first attempt, then love would blossom and last between her and the person named on the apple, and they were aligned; if it took two attempts, then they should probably at least attempt a relationship, but not be surprised if it did not last; if it took three attempts, then the relationship was doomed from the start and should not be entered into at all!

• Another version is that among a group of friends, many people would bob for the apples simultaneously, the first one to catch an apple would be the first within that group to get married.

• Yet another tale tells that if a woman places her won and bitten apple under her pillow on Hallowe'en night, she will dream of her future spouse.

A lot of these apple traditions date back to the Roman invasion (first century AD), where their traditions became integrated with our own Pagan rituals and beliefs, before Christianity took over, and named the very beginning of November as All Saints and All Souls days. Pope Gregory III was the person who so named these days, his years were 731-741 AD.

In fact, in Cornwall, this time of year is still often referred to as Allantide, being that the feast day of St Allan was on October 31st, the gifting of highly polished large red 'Allan Apples' to friends and family for good fortune in the coming year was widely practised. 

Essentially, Hallowe'en or Samhain (pronounced Sow-ween) was a thanksgiving festival for the last of the harvests gathered in before the dark days of Winter. As we can tell by looking at the trees, apples, indeed most fruits, are in abundance at this time of year. 

So, why apples and not acorns, rosehips, hawthorn berries or conkers? That is something I am, as yet, unable to answer. Should you know, drop us a line in the comments below.

I hope this post has shed a little light on apple traditions for you.

Kerenza x

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