The custom of handing out candy on Hallowe’en traces its roots back to the ancient Celtic custom of leaving out sweets to distract the wandering spirits of the dead on the night before November 1 (Samhain), the Celtic New Year’s Day. But “trick-or-treating” in America as we know it today only became a nation-wide phenomenon after World War II. Homemade cookies, popcorn balls, fudge, and caramel apples were staple offerings in the 1950s, along with cider and doughnuts.
But when rumors of tainted or poisoned Hallowe’en treats spread in the 1970s, parents warned their children not to accept or eat anything homemade or unwrapped – and the food industry gladly stepped in, mass-producing small, pre-packaged candy bars and Tootsie Rolls, as well as individually-wrapped lollipops, bubblegum and jelly beans.
Some parents tried to counter those “sugar high” offerings by giving out granola bars, packets of microwaveable popcorn, juice boxes, raisins, boxes of crayons, Hallowe’en-themed party favors – and even toothbrushes! Almost all parents routinely sift through bags of “loot” to discard anything that’s homemade, unwrapped or which presents a choking hazard (like giant gumballs) or allergy risk (like peanuts).
But candy is king on Hallowe’en, even for us grown-ups, and Americans spend in excess of $2 billion each year buying it. And chew on this – the average plastic Jack-o-lantern candy bucket holds about 250 pieces of candy, which translates into about three pounds of sugar or 9,000 calories!
And just in case you’re wondering what to hand out (or not) this Hallowe’en, here’s the Huffington Post’s recommendations:
Top Ten Most Favorite Hallowe’en Treats
- Kit Kat
- Starbursts
- Twix
- Pop Rocks
- Butterfinger
- Snickers
- Nerds
- Sour Patch Kids
- Reese’s Cups
- Nestle’s Crunch
And the Top Ten Least Favorite Hallowe’en Treats??
- Smarties
- Raisins
- pencils
- Good & Plenty
- candy corn
- Dots
- Now & Later
- hard candy
- flavored Tootsie Rolls
- bubblegum
