With only a couple of weeks to go, we have Halloween firmly on our minds at DaffyDownDilly.
Our shelves are full of skulls, pumpkins, ghosts, snakes, rats and frog sweets and candiesā¦ yum!
But being surrounded by all these themed sweets got us thinkingā¦
Where did Trick or Treating come from? How did it start and what does it all mean?
Well, it seems that Trick or Treating is a world wide tradition, traceable in America back to the 1920ās and spread across many counties. In the UK it goes back even further. There is a school of thought that it originated as āsoulingā. Where children and the poor would go from door to door praying and singing songs for the dead in return for food.
But whatever the origins, Halloween is firmly fixed in our national calendar.
Itās a great time to get dressed up, usually as something pretty scary. Weāre going for witches and wizards in store. And go from door to door asking for treats, usually sweets. There is a threat of a trick to play if nothing is forthcoming ā letās hope itās all in jest!!
Interesting to note that if you want to join in the fun you should leave your porch light on. That way any little visitors know youāre ready with treats for their baskets.
The colour orange is also traditionally associated with Halloween, it seems to come from the pumpkins we all see and enjoy around this time of year.
We have great fun every year hollowing out a pumpkin and then cutting in a face (as scary and monstrous as we can manage of course!) into the shell of the pumpkin to make a jack-oālantern or will-oā-the-wisp. So letās get decorating and preparing a fantastic Halloween festival for all those excited skeletons and witches that are bound to come a-knocking on October 31st.
We have a fabulous range of Halloween candies and cakes in store, so if youāre having a spooktacular party, weād love to design something unique and startling, even a little bit scary and gross for your tableā¦