All Hallows Eve

hild bobbing for apples at a Halloween party, biting an apple from a water-filled tub as friends watch and laugh

Bobbing for Apples… or, How to Gamble With Your Soul

Antheny / October 29, 2025

Before bobbing for apples was a party game, it was a sacred Samhain ritual for seeing the future. Apples, nuts, and bones once helped the living peek beyond the veil, asking spirits about love, death, and fate. Here’s how a Celtic act of divination became a splashy Halloween staple.

Children dressed for Halloween sitting at a decorated table with pumpkins and popcorn, one wearing a witch hat.

Why It’s Called “Halloween” (and Whatever Happened to ‘E’en’?)

Antheny / October 27, 2025

The word “Halloween” is a centuries old shortcut for “All Hallows’ Eve.” But behind that lazy contraction lies a deeper story, one where sacred bonfires, fortune telling, and ancestor worship slowly transformed into candy, costumes, and porch lights. Here’s how a Celtic New Year became a global party for the living and the dead.