The Origins and Legends Behind Your Favorite Traditions LET’S UNMASK HALLOWEEN:
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”?
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!
As we prepare for Oct. 31 activities, here are some fun facts you might not know about Halloween!
CANDY CORN WAS ONCE CALLED CHICKEN FEED.
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.
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!”
‘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
Now you know! Happy Halloween!
Are You Getting Enough Sleep at Night? Quality sleep is vital to our overall health, yet many Americans don’t get enough sleep every night. According to the National Institutes of Health, 7%–19% of adults do not get enough sleep. A similar study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 35% of American adults get under seven hours of sleep daily. While sleep is essential for our energy levels, alertness, and overall health, getting the proper amount of sleep is vital for anyone struggling with injuries or pain. For sleep to do its job properly, you need to get quality sleep each day for a healthy amount of time. This means sleeping for 7–9 hours straight every night. If you’re lying in bed restless and unable to sleep, you’re not doing your body or mind any justice. We’ve all had nights of staring at the ceiling, counting sheep, and hoping we’ll drift to sleep, but that sleep never comes. In most instances, we can derive our lack of sleep directly from our activities earlier in the day and right before bed.
If you’re struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep at night, exercise is one of the best things you can do. Work up a sweat, and you’ll quickly notice falling asleep is easier. Just be sure not to re-aggravate your injury or overwork yourself. We can teach you exercises that are well-suited to your needs and abilities. Other things you can do throughout the day to improve your sleeping habits include getting more sunlight, avoiding naps over 20 minutes, reducing your alcohol intake, and staying away from caffeine throughout the evening. If you smoke, you should stop at least two hours before sleeping. Once you’re getting ready for bed, try to create a routine to stick to every night. You should also put away all electronics and screens at least one hour before bed, as blue light can interrupt our body’s natural circadian rhythm.
Don’t let poor sleep stop you from feeling better. Adjust your daily routine, and you will notice improvements in your sleep patterns.
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