Halloween bob the apple

Apple bobbing

Apple bobbing, also known as bobbing for apples, is a game often played in connection with Halloween. The game is played by filling a tub or a large basin with water and putting apples in the water. Because apples are less dense than water, they will float at the surface. Players (usually children) then try to catch one with their teeth. Use of hands is not allowed, and often are tied behind the back to prevent cheating.

In Scotland, this may be called «dooking»,» [ 1 ] i.e. ducking.

In Ireland, mainly County Kerry, it is known as «Snap Apple», and in Newfoundland and Labrador, Snap Apple Night is a synonym name for Halloween. [ 2 ]

Contents

History

The current game dates back to when the Romans conquered Britain, bringing with them the apple tree, a representation of the goddess of fruit trees, Pomona. The combination of Pomona, a fertility goddess, and the Celts’ belief that the pentagram was a fertility symbol began the origins of bobbing for apples [ citation needed ] . When an apple is sliced in half, the seeds form a pentagram-like shape, and it is thought that the manifestation of such a symbol meant that the apple could be used to determine marriages during this time of year. From this belief comes the game bobbing for apples [ citation needed ] . During the annual celebration, young unmarried people try to bite into an apple floating in water or hanging from a string; the first person to bite into the apple would be the next one to marry.

The custom is mentioned (along with apples suspended on a string) in 18th century Ireland by Charles Vallancey in his book Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis.

The current game is based on a New Year tradition, where whoever chokes on the apple first in the group will be the first to marry. [ 3 ] The similar tradition of throwing rice at a wedding evolved from this, except apples were thrown originally. However, the popularity of throwing other types of fruits such as peaches and pears is believed to be making a comeback. [ 4 ]

Girls who place the apple they bobbed under their pillows are said to dream of their future lover. [ 5 ]

Health Risks

Due to the nature of the game, whereupon a number of individuals each place their entire head into a bowl of water, it is thought to be a somewhat unsanitary game to play, and is therefore falling out of favour with some groups [ 6 ] . A potentially more sanitary variation of the game exists, with the apples hung on string on a line, rather than in a bowl of water. [ 5 ]

In Novels

Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, Hallowe’en Party, is about a girl who is drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.

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What is bobbing for apples?

Bobbing for apples has been an autumn tradition for hundreds of years. Despite its presence at Halloween parties and festivals today, however, its origins are more rooted in love and romance than tricks and treats. In fact, it began as a British courting ritual, popular among young ladies and their potential beaus. There were several variations of game: In one set of rules, each apple was assigned to a potential mate. The bobber would then attempt to bite into the apple named for the young man she desired. If it only took her one try, they were destined for romance. If she succeeded with her second attempt, he would court her but their love would fade. If it took three tries, their relationship was doomed. Another approach to the game was a race to be the first to bite an apple; the first to emerge successful would be the first to marry. A related superstition suggested that if a girl put the apple she had bitten underneath her pillow, she would see her future soul mate in her dreams that night.

Eventually, the game declined in popularity, and by the 1800s, it was common only in Ireland and certain areas of England. At the end of the century, though, Americans exploring their immigrant roots decided to bring back this Celtic fall tradition as a game for both children and adults at Halloween parties. Today, some parents may keep their kids away from the tub of apples for fear of spreading germs, but bobbing for apples is a comparatively safe tradition when compared to another old apple-centric Halloween pastime: Snap Apple. In the game of Snap Apple, an apple was speared on one end of a stick while a lit candle was fixed at the other end. The stick was spun around, and the participants’ goal was to take a bite of the apple, avoiding a face full of hot candle wax—definitely not a game to play with kids!

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Why Do We Bob for Apples on Halloween?

If you’ve ever found yourself at a Halloween party, it’s likely that at one time or another, you’ve witnessed the strange yet time-honored act of bobbing for apples. Even if you haven’t, you’ve probably at least heard of this classic Halloween tradition.

If you need a little refresher, apple bobbing goes a little something like this: the bobber voluntarily dips their entire head into a large bucket of water, desperately hoping to wrap their mouth around an old, damp apple. An apple which, if you aren’t the first one to try, has probably already felt the frantic gnawing of several different mouths by that point. Still hungry for apples?

This strange, ancient fall tradition has been the humorous focal point of many Halloween TV specials , and even occasionally the sweet catalyst for love in romantic comedies. The question is, why? Where did all this craziness start? Why do we bob for apples on Halloween, despite its inherent grossness? And does it have anything to do with the whole strange concept of Halloween candy ?

Let’s bite into this topic a bit more.

Bobbing for Apples Origin

The history of bobbing for apples goes back several centuries to the Roman invasion of Britain. There is no clear consensus on the connection between the two cultures, or which provided which elements of the game, but the most common early version was that women did the bobbing in hopes of getting their teeth on the apple symbolizing their desired mate. First try – great news! Get ready for a steamy union and long marriage. Second try – don’t expect it to work out in the long-term, but it still might work for a night or two. Third try or more – you probably shouldn’t even try to team up for the pumpkin-carving contest.

Of course, as with any tradition, there were regional variations that evolved over time. For instance, in one version of the game, multiple women all bobbed for the same apple, representing the same man. This presumably brought a bit more of an edge to the competition, although there is little information as to how the rest of the men were doled out. Bobbing for pumpkin seeds, maybe?

Of course, as with any pagan ritual, more sinister theories abound. Some historians suggest that potential human sacrifices were forced to bob for apples in scalding water, with failure dooming them to death, while success saved their life but left them badly burned and disfigured. Sorry for ruining apple bobbing for you.

Why Do We Bob for Apples on Halloween?

So, how did bobbing for apples come to be associated with Halloween? Well, the connection between the game and Halloween is likewise a bit murky.

We do know that by the 19 th century, bobbing for apples had mostly fallen out of favor, only to be revived along with Halloween, which is roughly based on the Celtic festival of harvest known as Samhain. Since a big part of Samhain involved celebrating the Roman goddess of fruit, Pomona, who was normally represented by an apple, the old tradition eventually became part of Halloween. Or maybe people just thought Halloween needed something a little more fun than ghosts and witches ?

Interestingly, though, even as the popularity of Halloween has increased over time, bobbing for apples has declined in popularity. Which probably isn’t all that surprising, considering the dangers involved , and the fact that it requires people to actually get their hair wet.

Apple bobbing is still an integral part of some Halloween festivities, however, along with a wide variety of different games people have come up with over time to spice up their annual October parties. In the end, though, whether people choose to think of bobbing for apples as edgy due to its alleged malevolent origins in Celtic festivals, or as a tender and romantic way to force a man into marriage against his will, it will almost certainly make a mess of the tablecloth. And you always want to go first!

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Apple bobbing

Apple bobbing on Halloween at an English school in Taiwan. Note that each child has a separate tub for hygiene reasons.

Apple bobbing (also known as bobbing for apples, as dooking in Scotland and as snap apple in Ireland) is a traditional game often played at Halloween parties.

Players have to remove apples from a tub of water without using their hands, only using their mouths. Players are usually told to put their hands behind their backs, sometimes their hands are tied behind their backs. The game can be made more challenging by making the players wear blindfolds. The winner is either the first person to remove an apple from the tub or the person who removes the most apples.

Variations on the game include placing the apples on top of poles or hanging them from strings or wires. The first player who manages to bite the apple is the winner in those versions of the game. Other types of food are sometimes used in place of apples in the second variant version, sticky doughnuts being a popular choice.

In Agatha Christie’s 1969 Hercule Poirot mystery Hallowe’en Party and its 2010 television adaptation, the murder victim is drowned in an apple bobbing tub.

In It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, apple bobbing Is one of the games at the Halloween party held by the girl Violet. The girl Lucy is the first one to have go. She finds that the apple she has caught is in the mouth of the dog Snoopy, much to her disgust.

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Halloween games

Are you ready to have the scariest and funniest party of the year? Halloween is perfect time to let students relax a little bit and have fun in the lesson. Here are some top games for Halloween celebration.

Traditional games

Toilet Paper Mummy Game

The aim of the game is to wrap up a friend like a mummy using a roll of toilet paper. It can be played with kids, teens and adults. Divide students into groups of two and have one wrap the other up like a mummy as quickly as possible and whichever team’s mummy runs to the finish line first wins.

Bob for Apples

A classic game that students will love as they try and catch the apple with their mouths. Once they master it, they won’t want to stop playing. Fill a bucket with water and put apples in it which will float. The children must kneel down next to the basin and try to catch the apples with their mouths only. The first child to take a apple out wins.

Halloween Feel Box

A favorite Halloween party game for trick-or-treaters of all ages that will have everyone saying «ewww!» Raid your fridge for slimy, squishy, or crunchy foods and hide them inside DIY cubbies. Label the spaces with the foods’ eerie doppelgängers and watch kids gleefully giggle in disgust. This is a great sensory game idea and there are lots of ideas for what to put in your Halloween box.

Halloween Spoon Game

This is just like a traditional egg/spoon race but instead of using eggs you will use plastic eyeballs (you can paint ping pong balls to resemble). You can have races where all the children hold a spoon and race to a finish line balancing the eyeball on the spoon. They cannot hold or shield the eyeball with their hand and if it falls off their spoon they are out. Another way this game can be played is as a relay race. To play this version divide the students into two groups and line them up at the start line. The first player on each team places their plastic eyeball on the spoon and race to the finish line and back. If they drop the eyeball they must freeze for five seconds before picking it up and resuming the race. When they get back to their team they pass the spoon and eye to the next player who continues the race. The first team whose members complete the race wins.

Monster Freeze Dance

A traditional Halloween party game where you dance to the music and then freeze when it turns off.

Pin the Spider

A fun, spooky alternative to “Pin The Tail On The Donkey”. Students should pin a spider on the web with their eyes closed. Who sticks their spider closest to the web’s center is the winner.

Candy Corn Bingo

This Halloween board swaps out snoozy numerals for witch hats, ghosts and black cats. Purchase a bag of colorful candy corn to use as markers. When the game is over students eat the candies they have placed on the board.

Skeleton Hunt

You will need to dismember two sets of plastic skeleton bones (printed bones will also work). Hide the bones throughout your playing area. Divide kids into two teams.
The first team that finds and reassembles their skeleton wins. After the game you can sing the song and do the skeleton dance.

Some other great games

Mini Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe

You’ll need a mix of mini orange and white pumpkins—real or faux—plus fun Halloween washi tape to make a tic-tac-toe “game board” on your table. Use the orange and white pumpkins in place of the Xs and Os. Whoever gets three in a row first wins!

Face the Cookie

Players have to put a cookie on their forehead and using only their face muscles (no hands!), get the cookie from their forehead into their mouth. If the cookie falls to the ground, they must either pick up the cookie from the ground or get a new cookie and start over

Roll a Frankenstein

Make a craft project more interactive by rolling dice to see who can attach the most body parts to their Frankenstein first.

Pumpkin Twister

Swap out colorful circles with a printable pumpkins for a fun twist on the classic party game.

Bobbing for Donuts

String up some donuts from a tree and let kids go after their own treat.

Ghost Relay Race

In this relay race teams must race the ghosts (white balloons) to and from the finish line by keeping them up in the air. The players can never grab or hold the balloon; they must keep it up in the air by hitting it. Each team is given their own ghost balloon. You can draw a face on it to add a bit of fun. On the start of go the first player from each team bumps their balloon with their hand or head to the finish line and back to the start where the next player on the team takes it over. The team that finishes first claims victory. An alternative is when students should balance a white balloon (ghost) on a paper plate without letting it drop.

Spider Races

All you need for this game is some straws and plastic toy spiders — whichever kid blows their spider across the finish line first wins.

Spiderweb Walking Game

Create a spiderweb out of tape on your floor and have kids see how long they can walk on the «web» without falling off, while dodging obstacles and collecting prizes along the way.

Frankenstein bowling

Paint faces on cans, then stack scary heads. Students should knock them down in one shot. You can also create jack-o’-lantern cans or just use toilet paper rolls to create ghosts.

Poppin’ pumpkins

Use orange balloons topped with green leaves to make instant pumpkins and hide some tasks inside. Your students will love the excuse to make a loud mess.

Ideas for Halloween lesson with adults

Murder Mystery Game

A murder mystery game is perfect for this time of year. Your students will become characters in a story and it’s up to them to find out which character is the murderer.

This game requires some memory. As the lesson starts let students know that there are certain words that they can’t say. If they do say them, you can set up some type of fun or embarrassing penalty.

Halloween Camera Scavenger Hunt

Students at your Halloween party are going to love this fast-paced Halloween party game for adults. Split them into groups and have them race around the town trying to get all the pictures (or videos) they need to win the Halloween scavenger hunt.

Pie eating Contest

For this contest, you might want to supply the pies. Have a table and chairs ready for the contestants. To make it really fun, you can have the hands of the contestants tied behind their backs. This will give them an added challenge. Instead of using traditional pies, you can put gummy worms at the bottom of plates and then cover the plates in whipped cream. The contestants have to get all the gummy worms out and whoever is first wins.

Would you rather

The game of “Would you rather” is a great ice breaker for any group of people to play. Use some of the Halloween-themed questions below to get your students talking and warmed up to play even more fun Halloween games.

Sample questions:
-Would you rather be abducted by aliens or chased by a serial killer?
-Would you rather stay the night in a haunted house or in a cemetery?
-Would you rather have a pumpkin as a head or have knives as hands?
-Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf?

What are your favourite Halloween games? Write in comments below.

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