An old custom of Halloween, which was meant to be fun, but was dangerous,
involved hanging a stick horizontally from the ceiling, using string. On one
end, an apple was hung from the stick, while on the other end was a lighted
candle. The stick was twirled rapidly and then left to unwind the string on its
own, while the guests used to leap up and bite the apple, while their hands were
bound behind their backs. Most of the time, while they were jumping, the candle
used to scorch their faces or black soot stuck on their face and it was thought
to be hilarious.
Apple bobbing is an ancient Halloween sport too, where people duck inside the
tub to catch the apple, as it floats away from them. While some know how to suck
up the apple deftly, others force it to the bottom by plunging in. People also
display their marksmanship skills by taking turns to drop a fork from some
height into the tub and try to make it stick into the apple. In the old Greek
and Celtic mythology, apples are often associated with sex and pagan religions.
The Three Mothers of the World were said to be connected with apple tress, while
the apple tree was sacred to the Goddess in Romanian folklore.
In Christianity, apples are well portrayed as the symbol of sex in the Garden of
Eden legend. It is believed that eating an apple, while looking at a glass, at
midnight on Halloween will allow a young girl to see her future husband in the
reflection peeping over her shoulder. The spell says that the girl should cut
the apple into two pieces in such a way that the ‘seed part’ resembles a
pentangle. She should then throw one of the pieces over her left shoulder for
her lover and walk backwards towards the mirror without looking back, while she
eats the rest of the apple with one hand, and comb her hair with the other,
before the mirror. Then, she should look back to see the face of her future
spouse.
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