Did you know...the tradition of dressing in costumes and trick-or-treating
may go back to the practice of "mumming" and "guising," in
which people would disguise themselves and go door-to-door, asking for food. Early
costumes were usually disguises, often woven out of straw, he said, and
sometimes people wore costumes to perform in plays or skits.
The practice may also be related to the medieval custom of
"souling" in Britain and Ireland, when poor people would knock on
doors on Hallowmas (Nov. 1), asking for food in exchange for prayers for the
dead.
Trick-or-treating didn't start in the United States until
World War II, but American kids were known to go out on Thanksgiving and ask
for food — a practice known as Thanksgiving begging, Santino said.
Mass solicitation rituals are pretty common, and are
usually associated with winter holidays. While one
tradition didn't necessarily cause the others, they were similar and
parallel..
Apples were also part of another form of marriage prophecy.
According to legend, on Halloween (sometimes at the stroke of midnight), young
women would peel an apple into one continuous strip and throw it over her
shoulder. The apple skin would supposedly land in the shape of the first letter
of her future husband's name. If you're looking for a future husband - give it a try and let us know what letter formed.
Another Halloween ritual involved looking in a mirror at
midnight by candlelight, for a future husband's face was said to appear. (A
scary variation of this later became the "Bloody Mary" ritual
familiar to many schoolgirls.) Like many such childhood games, it was likely
done in fun, though history proves, at least some people took it seriously.
We're also celebrating the release of my new book COMES A SPECTER, Book 2, Ghostland Series This book is very appropriate for Halloween because like many of my books, it features a ghost!
About Comes A Specter
Six
months ago, Anya Fleming's ten- year-old son, Willie-boy, found his father hanging in the barn. Traumatized over his father's suicide, the boy hasn't spoken a word since. Now, Willie-boy has come down with a grave, unknown illness and there's only one man who can save him, Sutter Sky, a learned Blackfoot shaman known as Yellow Smoke—a shaman who was once deeply in love with Anya.
But
Fate had other plans for Anya and Sutter—she was forced to marry Lewis Fleming, a cruel man who berated her night and day, and brokenhearted Sutter immersed
himself in the mystical customs and beliefs of his People and became a shaman
.
As
if Anya didn't have enough to deal with after her husband's death and son's illness, an evil, sinister ghost is terrorizing their ranch. Anya is convinced
the spirit is Lewis, who apparently isn't done making her life miserable.
When she turns to Yellow Smoke for help, will he put side his bitterness and save Willie-boy? And can the renowned shaman dispel the powerful ghost from their lives and send him back to Hades?
(Don't forget to check out Comes An Outlaw, Book1, Ghostland Series when you're on AMAZON
Also features a ghost!)
Sign up for my NEWSLETTER HERE and leave your email address below to enter the contest!
You can also enter at any of these blogs (mark your calendar for future dates of the blog tour) for even more chances to win!
You can also enter at any of these blogs (mark your calendar for future dates of the blog tour) for even more chances to win!
Author Beverly Bateman – October 13
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