Halloween’s Religious Ties
October 31st marks the holiday known as Halloween and is eagerly awaited by children across the nation to sport festive costumes in hopes of scoring bags of candy from neighbors. There are a lot of people who think that Halloween is an American holiday. It is not. However, it is the fourth most celebrated holiday in America and actually originates from various religious customs. It is the day before All Saint’s Day which is a Christian holiday honoring the dead. In some cultures it is a day to mock death or “trick nature”. Many religions mark this day as a special feast to celebrate the memories of loved ones who have passed.
According to Catholic.org, All Saints’ Day (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas, often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honor of all the saints, known and unknown. Other names for Halloween are Hallowe’en, Allhallowe’en, All Hallows’ Eve, and All Saints’ Eve.
October 31st also marks the celebration of Samhein, which is a Gaelic festival. It is a time to welcome the fall harvest, in preparation for winter or the “darker part of the year”. Samhein also means the “End of Summer”. People celebrating Samhein reflect upon the hard work performed during the year and honor their ancestors. In the Wiccan religion, it is referred to as the Witches New Year.
Traditional Halloween Treats
Trick-or-treating also has a long history combining various elements from many religious practices. In some cultures, people would abstain from the consumption of meat and opt for a vegetarian meal. Gifts of food were given out to visiting neighbors as the community celebrated a successful harvest. Sometimes apples, nuts and other foods were buried along the road so that the souls of the dead would have nourishment as they traveled back home to visit families and friends.
Souling or soul-caking was a Christian practice in which people would sing as they visited neighbors and receive a small cake to honor the dead. Children also would visit neighboring houses to seek out treats such as nuts, apples, pears, money, ale, etc . In the Christian religion, this was done primarily from November 1st and November 2rd. Today, Halloween has transitioned into a multi-billion dollar industry with an anticipated $2.08 billion dollars spent just on candy according to the National Retail Federation.
No Tricks, Just Treats!
It’s that time of the year to consider the types of treats you will be handing out to trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Although many parents are concerned about the amount of sugar their kids will consume, many are unaware of some of the hidden artificial ingredients such as aspartame and neotame that are in many popular treats. Artificially sweetened and sugar-free candy such as gum, lollipops, mints, pretzels and other treats contain deadly sweeteners such as aspartame, phenylalanine or neotame. In baked goods, it is used as an accelerator in place of sugar when working with yeast. While this may reduce calories, it is still a chemical that should not be used in food.
According to the FDA, “when aspartame is used in baked goods and baking mixes, the amount of the additive is not to exceed 0.5 percent by weight of ready-to-bake products or of finished formulations prior to baking. Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients or food additives approved for use in baked goods shall be used in combination with aspartame to ensure its functionality as a sweetener in the final baked product.”
Earth Candy- Bee A Good Example!
Kids learn from the examples adults teach them. If you don’t want your kids to consume candy that is unhealthy for them at home, why hand out unhealthy treats to other kids? A very inexpensive way to help the bees and encourage kids to connect with the environment is to give out treats such as seed packets, pods, honey sticks, honey candy, and maple candy. Teaching kids at a young age to enjoy alternatives treats to Halloween candy will not only help the planet but will also prevent cavities!
Garden Seeds and pods are a great way to encourage kids to connect with nature!
Seeds can be inexpensively purchased at the end of the growing season from 2 cents per pack to 75 cents! It is a great way to get kids jazzed up for the next growing season and get them thinking about protecting their environment.
Honey sticks should not be colored and it is preferable that you purchase them from a local beekeeper. You can check with your local apiary society or purchase them online. They are also an inexpensive option and can cost anywhere from 10-25 cents per stick. The more you purchase, the cheaper they will be. Also, if you have left over honey sticks, you can always use them yourself or give them as gifts.
Listen To The Interview:
In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to aspartame authority, Mary Nash Stoddard who will share tips for healthier alternatives to Halloween candy this Halloween. Also learn about the hidden dangers of artificially sweetened candy and baked treats and how to avoid them! To listen to the interview, please click the video below.
Excellent ideas! I am going to remember buying seeds next year.
We make packets of bird seeds to hand out to kids that want to choose something that will help the birds during the upcoming winter months. (We are located in VT) I have an uncle who runs maple and maple candy has always been a staple to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Maple candy is not only a healthier option but is a way to support local maple farmers.
You are right. What we give our kids at home should be what we give out to other kids.
Great interview!
As a chef, I enjoy baking as often as I can. My wife, my boys and I will make homemade chocolate chip cookies for our kids and the ones that live nearby. We decorate the cookies with each child’s name and wrap them in eco-friendly decorative paper. We have made this our family tradition and the neighbors look forward to it. We even make one for our mail carrier!
Aspartame appear to be in everything these days. I never thought about it in pretzels. I will make it a point to read the labels with baked goods too.
As a former military pilot, thank you, Mrs. Stoddard for all you do!
I have been following The Organic View now for five years. Every time you do an interview with Mary Stoddard, I always learn something new. I read about neotame in pretzels and haven’t touched them since. It is a shame that these companies are taking short cuts at our expense. I am now wondering if this is in kettle corn too. Anything made with sugar can easily substitute aspartame. This is so out of control. It is a shame that this is a subject that none of the politicians are willing to discuss. Please keep sending the information out there. The public needs to be educated about these issues. Thanks for all you do.
My grandmother used to make the most amazing soul cakes! What great memories!
All baked goods could have aspartame. This is scary. Bread is a staple. With all of the health issues going on in this world, it is pathetic that they are taking such shortcuts! Thank you for the information. I will make my own pretzels or buy organic.