Traditional Halloween Party Games and Ideas

Bobbing For Apples Game: Traditional Halloween Party Games

Bobbing for Apples is, arguably, the most popular of all the traditional Halloween games. The actual roots of the game are still debated. Some maintain that the game comes from the Roman goddess Pomona, while others say that its roots can be traced to the Celtic Pagan religious festival Samhain, in which families used to gather for a community feast. Interesting improvisations have now been introduced in the game to make it even more fun for the participants. You can eat the apples at midnight for good luck.

How To Play

One of the oldest Halloween games, bobbing for apples is easy to arrange. Fill a large washtub with water and put apples in it, until they are still a few inches below water. Keep a good supply of dry towels handy for your guests, to dry their heads after bobbing. People participating in the game have to take the apples out of the tub only with their mouths, without using hands. A messy fun game, it is extremely hilarious to see people trying to adjust apples in their mouths. Don’t forget to remove stems from the apples, for the real scene. The first person to retrieve an apple or the special apple marked with Halloween sign is the winner.

The game can be made more challenging by putting fewer and larger apples in the tub that won’t fit inside contestant’s mouth easily. Use smaller and softer apples for children. People often bite the apple to hold it, so the harder apples are difficult to pick. You can also chill the apples and put ice in the tub with the apples, until it is time to play. Then, fill the tub with water. It makes picking up an apple quite difficult. You can also go for group bobbing. However, you will need a very large tub for that, where all the guests can dive at once and try to come up with an apple first or collect maximum number of apples in their bags.