- Because who doesn't want to know about the bizarre reason these traditions came about?
What do you think of these fall traditions and where they came from? Do you know the history and reason for apple bobbing?
Corn Mazes
The first corn maze was created in 1993 in Annville, Pennsylvania at the Lebanon Valley College. The creator was Don Frantz, also responsible for producing the Super Bowl halftime shows and Broadway musicals like Beauty and The Beast and The Lion King.
S’mores
Sometime around 1927, a recipe for “Some mores” was released in a handbook called Tramping and Trailing with Girl Scouts. This combination was nothing new as the chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker came out as a Mallomar in 1913. (But they just aren’t quite the same as a melty, gooey over-the-fire- s’mores.) Is this one of your favorite fall traditions?
Apple Bobbing
Apple bobbing started as a British courting ritual and each apple had the name of an eligible bachelor, so the women would try to grab the apple of the men they were interested in. ((Yike.)) If you got the apple on the first try, it was “happily ever after,” the second meant the couple would get together but their love wouldn’t last and for the third and final try was simply not happening. (The game fell out of popularity during the 1800s though it was later revived at the end of the century by some Americans and their remembrance of cultural roots.)
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Parliament didn’t happen in 1605 and with that, the government declared November 5th a day to celebrate. 400 years later, November 5th is still the day to celebrate with fireworks and large bonfires (to burn the Fawkes effigies, of course.)
Candy Corn
You love or hate candy corn, but do you know where it came from? It’s been around since the 1880s and was invented by candy maker George Renninger. It was originally named Chicken Feed when it was brought to the masses at the end of the century. Did you know this about candy corn and its spot on the list of fall traditions?
Trick-or-Treating
Believe it or not, this tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. It gained popularity in the United States in the 20s and 30s, though there was a brief hiatus in WWII due to sugar rationing. When the war was off though, trick-or- treating was back on. So much so that UNICEF latched onto the tradition in 1950 and “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” has raised $180 million to date.
Black Friday
The term “black Friday” actually came from the police of Philadelphia, referring to the day after Thanksgiving when the city was filled with rowdy fans from the Army-Navy football game. Local retailers used this to their advantage, calling it the “Big Day.” By the time the 1980s hit, discounts and super sales associated with Black Friday spread across the nation.
Turkey Pardon
The president of the United States issues pardons to a pair of birds (turkeys) every year, a tradition since Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln pardoned a turkey named Jack that he son had befriended. (Though no real documentation exists for the turkeys.) Do you think this is a silly fall tradition?
Nanowrimo
If you’re a writer, have you ever heard of this? Nanowrimo is short for National Novel Writing Month, the brainchild of Chris Baty. In 1999, him and 21 of his friends vowed to get 50,000 words down on paper during the month of November. (Only six succeeded.) But word spread and next year, 140 participated and by year three, there were over 1,000 writers up to the task. Thousands of people now participate yearly though the non-profit that sponsors NaNoWriMo shut down officially as of 2025.
Are these fall traditions and where they came from new to you? Tell us what you think and which traditions you celebrate in the comments!