From Corn Mazes to Candy Corn: How Our Fall Favorites Began
Fall, with all its colorful foliage and fun festivities, is officially upon us. Have you ever stopped to wonder where some of our favorite traditions began? What’s with the pumpkin spice craze and those endless corn mazes — really, where did it all start? Well, we’re going to take a look at where a few of our favorite fall traditions actually came from — and some of the stories might surprise you.
GREEK LEGEND OF AUTUMN
Autumn leaves and the changing colors we see in nature are linked to the Greek myth of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Hades, god of the underworld, fell in love with Persephone, kidnapping her and taking her to the underworld. Demeter was so grief-stricken that she refused to grow anything and the earth to went barren. While Persephone was in the underworld, Hades made Persephone eat pomegranate to enforce the rule that if anyone ate food from a different realm, they were forced to stay in that realm. Zeus noticed the famine was killing everyone on Earth, so he allowed Persephone to be returned to Demeter, on one condition. She had to live with Hades half the year and the other half with her mom on the Earth. Thus, Demeter let things grow during the spring and summer while she and Persephone were together, and all the vegetation was to die during the fall and winter when Persephone returned to Hades.
CORN MAZES
How in the world (and who in the world) came up with this idea? It turns out that this is actually a relatively new concept. According to Stacy Conradt in a blog for Mentalfloss.com: “The first corn maze was created in 1993 at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. Its creator, Don Frantz, has also been responsible for producing Super Bowl halftime shows and Broadway musicals like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.”
BOBBING FOR APPLES
This tradition began as a British courting ritual. Apples were each assigned the name of a bachelor, and women would try to grab the apple belonging to the man they fancied. If she secured the apple on her first try, it implied a happily ever after. On the second try, the couple would get together—but their love wouldn’t last. And there was definitely not a third try!
CANDY CORN
The Halloween treat that sparks a love-it-or-hate-it debate every fall. Did you know that it was originally called Chicken Feed? George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy company created this in the 1880s. By the mid-20th century, the confection was commonly known as "candy corn," a name that stuck due to its appearance and its growing popularity as a seasonal treat.
PUMPKIN SPICE (and everything nice)
This flavor has become a cultural phenomenon! And what company comes to mind when you think of this autumn blend of spices? Likely Starbucks. They did an incredible job marketing the iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte, and now the flavor has become a nationwide obsession.
BONFIRES
Bonfires have long been a way to celebrate and mark special occasions. One famous example is Guy Fawkes Night in England, where large fires and fireworks commemorate the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Conradt shares:” Building giant fires for fun instead of necessity started as a Fourth of July tradition, when towns in New England used to compete to see who could build the tallest pile of flaming debris. Fall bonfires were also a custom, in part because many of the colonists weren't that far removed from participation in Guy Fawkes Night. George Washington hated the tradition due to its anti-Catholic sentiment—another byproduct of the association with Guy Fawkes—calling it a “ridiculous and childish custom” in 1775.”
JACK-O’-LANTERN
An Irish legend that dates to the 1500s about a blacksmith named “Stingy Jack”. It is said that he made a deal with the devil to never claim his soul. However, when he died, God wouldn’t allow him entrance into heaven, so he was doomed to wander the Earth with only a carved turnip to light his path. When Irish immigrants came to America, they discovered pumpkins were perfect for carving, and the tradition evolved into the brightly lit pumpkins we display at Halloween today.
TRICK-OR-TREATING
Children wait for this all year—free candy, and lots of it! This tradition dates to the Middle Ages and has its roots in Celtic customs. Irish and Scottish children went door-to-door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food. Costumes eventually became part of the tradition, known as guising or mumming. Trick-or-treating became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, evolving into the Halloween we know today. If you were alive in the 1950s and 1960s, you might remember the phrase, “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF.” Since then, the charity has raised more than $180 million.
HAUNTED HOUSES
You can thank Madame Tussaud and Disney for playing a large role in this creepy and eerie concept. Disney opened The Haunted Mansion attraction in 1969 – complete with ghosts and creative illusions. Long before Disney, Madame Tussaud opened her wax museum in London in the 19th century. Her macabre depictions of French people getting their heads lopped off captivated and horrified visitors, setting the stage for the spooky, theatrical experiences we now associate with haunted houses.
MONSTER MASH
Here is a fun bit of trivia for the song that has become synonymous with Halloween. Written and performed by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett in 1962, it quickly rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October that year. And while it remains a seasonal hit to this day, it was briefly banned in 2017 by the BBC because it was considered ‘too morbid’ for children.
PUNKIN CHUNKIN
The first World Championship Punkin Chunkin Contest was held in Bridgeville, Delaware in 1986. According to some, Bill Thompson is credited with the invention of this crazy sport which has since evolved into contests which boast thousands of spectators watching contestants ‘chunk a punkin’ using trebuchets, catapults, and a myriad of kooky contraptions.
There you have it—some fun trivia about the autumnal season! What are some of your favorite fall traditions? Whether it’s tapping into the eerie side of Halloween, chunkin’ a punkin, cozying up to a bonfire with s’mores, or carving a jack-o’-lantern, fall is full of ways to celebrate. And of course, it’s also the perfect time to fall in love with a new home—one that’s just right for making your own autumn memories. If you’re dreaming of a new place to start your own traditions, I’d love to help make that dream a reality.
Sandi Downing Real Estate/Keller Williams Greater Omaha
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