AMERICANALMANAC (Charles McAdams) - Halloween a century ago meant paper masks, flour-sack pranks, and Prohibition parties
A century ago, American Halloween meant homemade paper masks, bobbing for apples, and flour-sack pranks so wild some towns considered canceling the holiday altogether. In 1926, spooky season looked little like the store-bought spectacle families know today. Mental Floss describes a holiday built on homemade costumes, parlor games, live jazz, and neighborhood mischief that sometimes […] The post Halloween a century ago meant paper masks, flour-sack pranks, and Prohibition parties appeared first on American Almanac .
A century ago, American Halloween meant homemade paper masks, bobbing for apples, and flour-sack pranks so wild some towns considered canceling the holiday altogether. In 1926, spooky season looked little like the store-bought spectacle families know today. Mental Floss describes a holiday built on homemade costumes, parlor games, live jazz, and neighborhood mischief that sometimes crossed into vandalism. Paper cats, skeletons, and witches draped living rooms. Guests bobbed for apples and tried pumpkin ring toss. The soundtrack ran to tunes such as “Undertaker’s Blues,” “Heebie Jeebies,” and “The Nightmare”, not a recorded “Monster Mash,” which would not arrive until 1962. Homemade masks beat the big-box aisle Families…Open
| Keywords | halloweenhistory1926prohibitionusaamericatraditionculturejazzbabe-ruthford-motor-companyroute-66homemadevintageamerican-historyentertainmentpop-cultureneighborhoodpranksholidayheritage |