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What is the Connection Between Candy and Halloween?

It’s that time of year where things get spooky, bales of hay make their way to front lawns across the country and grown adults stockpile candy. And although Halloween is probably looking very different this year, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy a sweet treat or two. But what is the connection between candy and Halloween anyway?

It all started with the Celts and their celebration of “Samhain” at the end of October. But we’ve covered that in another Halloween blog, so we won’t go too deep down that historical rabbit hole. All you need to know is that during this celebration, the Celts would leave out food to appease wandering spirits and some people would dress up in costume. This turned into people dressing up as ghosts and asking for food which was then combined with Christian traditions and brought over to America by European immigrants.

In America, Halloween was traditionally a night of pranks and parties but when immigrant traditions mixed with the American traditions, you wound up with a pretty close relative of modern trick-or-treating that really began in the 1930s and didn’t really solidify until the 1950s. But the snacks favored back in those days were seasonal fruits and home-baked sweets or treats. Enter: the candy companies.

According to some, the candy companies aimed their marketing dollars squarely at inventing a need for candy in the fall and this then led to their pushing candy as a Halloween must-have. And many people were pleased to substitute apple picking and baking for buying candy. Then, there’s also a potential deeper reason for our fall-time sugar cravings. Some say that the ancient use of sugar and honey to preserve food in the fall and an evolutionary instinct to add some extra pounds for a lean winter are engrained in our behavior.

Whatever the reason, we can’t wait to enjoy our favorite candies this Halloween. Or maybe even a healthier option to celebrate those days when seasonal fruits were the fad. And the good news is that micro markets are a great option for providing indulgence items like candy but also healthy snacks like fruits to your employees. So, don’t limit your employees to traditional vending machines, contact us today to discuss why a micro market is the best possible option for your business.

Happy Halloween!

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