"The Food of the Gods": Apples, Halloween Games and the 1904 Book Vitalogy
Welcome along, fellow time travelers! If one fruit belongs to Halloween, it is the apple. Long before trick-or-treating, Halloween parties were full of apples: apples bobbing in tubs, apples dangling from strings and apples peeled by candlelight to reveal a sweetheart's initial. So many apple games were played that in parts of England, Halloween was simply called "Snap-Apple Night."
Why apples?
Halloween falls right at the peak of the apple harvest, when cellars and barrels were full of crisp fruit. Apples were also tied to old autumn festivals. When the Romans came to Britain, some historians suggest their festival honoring Pomona, goddess of fruit and orchards, may have blended with local harvest customs. Whatever the origin, apples became the star of the season.
The Victorian apple games
Bobbing for apples. Apples floated in a tub of water, and players, hands behind their backs, tried to catch one with their teeth. In some versions, the first to succeed would be the first to marry.
Snap-apple. An apple hung from a string, or from a stick with a candle on the other end (a daring version!), and players tried to bite it as it swung. The Irish painter Daniel Maclise captured the merry chaos in his famous 1833 painting Snap-Apple Night.
The apple peel fortune. A young lady would peel an apple in one long, unbroken ribbon, then toss it over her left shoulder. Whatever letter the peel formed on the floor was said to be the initial of her future love.
What Vitalogy said about apples
Our shop takes its name from Vitalogy, a beloved household health encyclopedia of the early 1900s by Dr. George P. Wood and Dr. E. H. Ruddock. Its authors adored the apple. The book calls it "the food of the gods, the mainstay of life in Eden, the most luscious, the most precious, most health-giving food on earth," and adds, "No wonder poets in all ages have sung its praises."
The book also gives practical advice that still sounds sensible. It recommends choosing apples that are "fully ripe, without being over-ripe, and be ripened on the tree." And it shares a charming legend that Cleopatra was told by a temple priest to breakfast on ripe apples to keep her beauty. A lovely story to tell at your Halloween table!
An apple a day
The famous saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" grew from an 1866 Welsh proverb recorded in Pembrokeshire: "Eat an apple on going to bed, and you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread." Today we know apples are a delicious source of fiber, and they make a wonderful everyday snack as part of a balanced diet.
A healthy, happy Halloween
This year, why not bring back an old-fashioned apple game? Set out a tub for bobbing, try the apple peel fortune, or bake warm cinnamon apples for your guests. It is a fun, wholesome way to celebrate. Explore our traditional formulas at VitalogyShoppe.com, including Relaxology for your evening routine after all that Halloween fun.
So tell me, fellow time travelers: were you ever a champion apple bobber?
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This post shares history, folklore and traditional uses only.
Comments