Welcome to Aaron Manky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of I Heart Radio and

Grim and Mild.

Our world is full of the unexplainable. And if history is an open book, all of these

amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore.

Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. There's a great debate that happens each October. What's the best Halloween candy?

Plenty of people jump in right off the bat with their Reese's or Snickers or Kitcats.

Maybe Sour Patch Kids or Gummy Bears if you want something fruity.

Me, I will always remember the popcorn balls that my next-door neighbor handed out each year.

But how did we get here anyway?

Where did this idea of walking door-to-door for candy handouts actually come from.

Well, Halloween actually originates from Sowen,

an ancient Celtic Harvest Festival that was celebrated

between October 31st and November 1st.

The Celts believed that the boundary between our world and the spirit world

was thinnest on those days and that residents of the Netherworld could cross into this one

to you know wreak some havoc.

To bring order to that chaos, participants left offerings outside the village for any fairies,

spirits, or monsters that might make an appearance.

Bondfires were lit, and later during the middle ages, little carved turnips called

jack-o-lanterns began cropping up to ward off evil.

According to some sources, people also disguise themselves in costumes made of animal hides in an attempt to scare away those unwelcome ghostly visitors.

And over time, it evolved into a practice called soulling.

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