Popcorn balls, trick or treating, carving a pumpkin, of all the Halloween traditions and games, bobbing for apples is the most mysterious. While apple bobbing is typically played by children, there is an adult version where apples on strings are hung from the ceiling. You win by jumping up and taking bites of your apples. Whoever eats their apple first is the winner. Allegedly. It seems like a lot of work or an apple. Now, I love a good apple. What I don’t understand is filling a communal tub of water with apples and taking turns trying to catch one in your mouth.
So, what’s it all about?
Well, the invasion of Britain, actually. Hundreds of years ago, young European singles used bobbing for apples as a courting ritual. The apples in the barrel each represented a young, eligible man. Young ladies would then take their turn at the barrel, trying to bob the apple of their crush. If they succeeded, it meant the stars were aligned and the two were soulmates. If not, better luck next time. And I thought dating apps were weird.
Then came the Romans. After the Roman invasion of Britain, the Romans adapted some of the quirkier, more quaint Celtic traditions and, as the empire grew, so did the tradition of bobbing for apples. The Romans came and went and, well, bobbing for apples morphed from a dating game to a, frankly, dangerous game for children. In a medically advanced, post-pandemic world, it is likely that the tradition is officially a thing of the past.
Now, go grab an apple and enjoy. You don’t even have to bob for it!
Ryanne Harper