Halloween’s Candy Connection
by Susan Davis on 28/10/09 at 9:27 am
How exactly did we get to the trick or treat tradition?
This Saturday, ghouls, goblins and witches galore will join with other costumed characters and spend the evening collecting a staggering 600 million pounds of candy from friends and strangers. It’s no wonder that Halloween is a favorite holiday for kids and one decried by dentists.
Today, Halloween, with all of its modern masquerade and trick-or-treat traditions, is big business. It wasn’t always this way, though. With its roots as an ancient pagan ritual, Halloween was not fully celebrated in America until the early 20th Century.
Trick-or-treating for candy and sweets started in earnest after World War II, as a way of bringing joy, excitement and enthusiasm to weary Americans, who were tired of war. City and suburban neighborhoods encouraged costumed children to go from door to door, begging for traditional Halloween treats, such as candied and caramel apples, popcorn balls and homemade cookies, which were supplemented with pre-wrapped commercial candy.
It was at this time that business-savvy candy companies realized they were on the cusp of a lucrative opportunity, and began manufacturing and selling miniature versions of regular size candy products.
In the last 60 years, Halloween has been a prime sales time for candy retailers. Trick-or-treat, however, is no longer the carefree time it used to be. Reports each year of tainted candy and tampered fruit have put a damper on what used to be one of the most joyful holidays for kids. Now children are advised not to accept any homemade treats or loose, unwrapped candy and parents fiercely guard and chaperone their offspring during supervised trick-or-treat hours, regulated by communities.
Despite the extra caution that parents take when sending the little ones out for an evening of trick-or-treating, Halloween still remains a holiday cloaked in mystery … and of course, lots of sweet treats for the little foodies-in-training!
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