Why was Halloween known as ‘Cabbage Night’ in some cities in the United States?

Trick-or-treat season is almost upon us.

On October 31, the United States, along with various countries around the world, will celebrate one of the most fun and at the same scariest festivities: Halloween.

Despite the fact that Halloween is the official name of this celebration, in some towns in the US, this creepy holiday was also once known as “The night of the cabbage”. Here’s why this day was once associated with another vegetable.

READ ALSO: 10 easy last-minute Halloween costume ideas

Why was Halloween known as ‘Cabbage Night’ in some cities in the United States?

In certain places in the US, Halloween was once known as “Cabbage Night” due to a game of Scottish origin played on this holiday, in which women used the stem of this vegetable to predict what their future husbands would look like.

In addition to the supposed predictive ability of these leafy greens, there were places like Framingham, Massachusetts, where teenagers used to go through neighborhoods throwing cabbage at the facades of houses. This tradition had its origins in the 19th century, when rural youths tossed cabbage, corn on the cob, and rotten vegetables to celebrate and ward off death, reports Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure by Samira Kawash.

READ ALSO: Witches, vampires and Barbie to dominate Halloween festivities

The role of cabbage and pumpkins in Halloween

As if that weren’t enough, cabbage also played an important role in the history of the iconic Halloween pumpkin. The tradition of carving pumpkins on Halloween stems from the old Irish legend of drunken Jack, who supposedly wandered between heaven and hell with a hollow cabbage lit with a burning coal, simulating a flashlight.

As time passed, the legend evolved to exchange the cabbage for pumpkins, as this is an easier vegetable to find, decorate and hollow out.