Bobbing for apples
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bobbing for apples is a game customarily played on 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. The popularity of this game is falling because it can be viewed as unsanitary.
In Scotland this may be called "dooking," i.e. ducking.
[edit] History
The custom originated among the Celts as part of their celebrations of the Samhain season, celebrations that grew into modern-day Halloween. The original custom generally took place during large gatherings of people. Apples were associated with love or fertility goddesses; the first person to catch an apple would be the next one to marry, a tradition that is echoed in the modern "throwing of the bouquet" at weddings.
