I Just Learned Where Apple Bobbing May Come From, And I Had No Clue

Bobbing for apples in 1973We’ve written before at Huffpost UK about the fact that the first jack o’lanterns weren’t pumpkins – instead, they were fashioned from turnips.In fact, in Ireland, where the holiday began, the candlelit veggie’s name originally referred to “the folktale about Jack, who was welcome neither in Heaven or Hell and was destined to wander the countryside forever, with just a lantern to light the way,” the National Museum of Ireland shared.All interesting stuff – but what about that other spherical seasonal produce, bobbing apples?Well, it turns out that while we don’t know the exact origin of the likely centuries-old practice, the tradition does have a romantic past I had no idea about. Where does bobbing for apples come from? Speaking to Martha Stewart’s site, Halloween historian and author Lisa Morton said: “We do know that apple bobbing has been around since at least the 14th century when an illuminated manuscript called The Luttrell Psalter depicted it in a drawing”.What we don’t know is where exactly the bucket-based challenge began, and, of course, it could have been popular long before the 14th-century picture. But in an interview with NPR, fruit historian (my job suddenly feels crushingly mundane) Joan Morgan said the association with apples and spooky season starts with Samhain, the Irish holiday that eventually became Halloween. Apples, which come into fruit as much of the rest of the garden’s bounty is dying out, and which can last for months, were linked to fertility and renewal.“To encourage the sun deity to return the following year, ancient Celts burned huge bonfires into the night and tied apples to evergreen branches. Gifts of fruit and nuts, and animal sacrifices were offered to the gods,” the article read.And, the expert added, “apples, apple peels and even pips have long been used to peer into the romantic future”. How is apple bobbing linked to romance?According to AllRecipes, the apples in the water once used to represent different men looking for a wife, and women would aim to bite the apple of their crush on their first “bob”.That’s because, while a bite-in-one spelt perfect romance, only biting your beau’s apple the second time around meant your love would be fun but short-lived. Three tries or more? No chance, unfortunately, the site added. Per Morgan, in a separate ritual, some young women in America used to peel an apple in one strip, throw the peel over their shoulder, and look at the letter it formed on the floor.This was meant to reveal the initial of her future husband.Related...I Just Learned Where Pimple Patches Really Come From, And It's More Medical Than I RealisedI Just Learned The Gruesome Reason Why Chainsaws Were InventedI Just Learned Why So Many Airport Names End In 'X', And Huh

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