Thought Back on Track
Let’s Unmask Halloween: The Origins and Legends Behind Your Favorite Traditions
Here come the scary decorations, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and spooky costumes because Halloween is just around the corner! These traditions are what make Halloween fun and exciting year after year. However, did you know that jack-o’-lanterns come from an Irish legend or that trick- or-treating comes from a historical ritual called “souling”? As we prepare for Oct. 31 activities, here are some fun facts you might not know about Halloween! Halloween is based on a Celtic festival. Samhain, a pagan festival held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, celebrated both the harvest and the “dark” second half of the year. During this celebration, it was believed the barrier separating the spirits from the physical
world would come down, allowing demons to enter and the spirits of all who passed away that year to move on to the next life. ‘Stingy Jack’ helped evolve jack- o’-lanterns. The Irish myth of a man named “Stingy Jack” goes like this: Stingy Jack invited the devil for a drink, and because he didn’t want to pay, he convinced the devil to turn into a coin so he could buy their drinks. However, instead of paying, he placed the “coin” next to a cross in his pocket that prevented the devil from returning to his original form. Once he freed the devil, Stingy Jack continued to trick him. When he died, God turned away Stingy Jack with only coal to light his way, so he placed the coal in a carved-out turnip to create a lantern. From there, people slowly transformed his “lantern” into the modern- day jack-o’-lantern!
Candy corn was once called chicken feed.
Candy corn, which the Wunderlee Candy Company began producing in the late 1880s, is an extremely popular Halloween candy. In fact, today, about 35 million pounds of the candy are sold each year! When the Goelitz Candy Company brought it to the masses at the turn of the century, they called the sweet tricolored candy “Chicken Feed” because so many people worked on farms at the time. Their early ads exclaimed, “Something worth crowing for!”
Now you know! Happy Halloween!
OUTSMART THE SCAMMERS
How Seniors Can Stay One Step Ahead
Scam artists make a living by tricking unsuspecting people out of their hard- earned money. Oftentimes, seniors find themselves on the receiving end of these financial scams, but thankfully, most noticed something was off and pulled themselves out of the situation before removing funds from their accounts. However, as the years pass and technology evolves, scammers are growing more cunning and developing new strategies to swindle others. Below, you’ll find some of the more common scams targeting seniors and how you and your loved ones can thwart the scammer’s attempts. The Grandparent Scam Picture this scenario: It’s the middle of the day, and you receive a call from a number you don’t recognize. You answer the phone to hear a panicked voice claiming to be your grandchild calling from a friend’s phone. They say they’re in a bad situation and desperately need money, asking you to wire money to a bank account. Of
course, you want to help your grandchild, but how do you really know it’s them? End the call and try calling your grandchild’s actual number. If they don’t answer, call their parents, siblings, or anyone else who may know their whereabouts. Don’t let the scammer take control of your emotions and scare you into sending money. Bank Fraud You may get a text, email, or phone call from someone claiming to be a representative of a bank (not always your bank) stating that there are issues with your account. They’ll say they need to verify information and begin asking you questions regarding your address, Social Security number, bank account information, and more. They’ll use this information to access your accounts or even open up new ones in your name. Don’t fall for this scam. Your bank will likely never call you, and they definitely aren’t going to ask for such sensitive and personal information over the phone. If you ever get a message from someone claiming to be from your bank, hang up and call your bank directly.
2
VANDYCKFIRM.COM
Published by Newsletter P
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator