Halloween Part 2- Visit to the Witch City 🧹
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Season 2: Episode 26 Description
Ten News Gets Extra: 👻 More Halloween spooky fun! 🕯️Correspondent Sarah Namias hits the streets of Salem, MA, and meets some Hocus Pocus fans. ✨ Learn about November 1st holiday, Dia de Los Muertos. 🍬 Are you pro or con about candy corn? Our Ten'ers share their opinions. 🎃 And test your candy knowledge in today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:05
Do you know which city is Witch city? See what I did there? Homophones, gotta love them. Get ready to get spooked today. It's no tricks, all treats for Halloween eve. I'm Bethany van Delft. It's Saturday, October 30th and this is The Ten News Gets Extra Spooktacular.
Various Voices 0:34
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Bethany Van Delft 0:42
Grab your broomstick because we're about to go on a field trip to the witchiest city in America with correspondent Sarah Namias.
Sarah Namias 0:56
Here's a Halloween riddle for you. Which city in the United States is known as the witch city? The answer is Salem, Massachusetts, a town with a haunting history of real-life witches and witchcraft going back hundreds of years. When you think of witches, you might think of movies like The Halloween classic Hocus Pocus, much of which was filmed in the heart of Salem. Pop culture has long depicted witches as cackling old lady's casting spells and flying around on broomsticks. But you might be surprised to know that there is some truth behind the folklore.
Sound Bit 1:39
No way.
Sarah Namias 1:41
It's not known exactly when witches first emerged on history's radar, but early witches were actually known as wise women. They were natural healers who played a role in early medicine, using herbs, ointments, and prayers to help care for the sick in their local villages. But that didn't stop rumors from flying. By the early 1400s, hysteria started to brew across Europe, that these women were using spells and communicating with evil spirits. It wasn't long after that the Witchcraft Act was passed in England, officially defining witchcraft as a capital crime. Those accused of practicing it were considered felons, having committed a crime against their government by 1692, witch-mania had made its way to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which at the time operated under British law. In Salem, a sudden outbreak of strange illness and unusual behaviors among young women was feared to be the effects of witchcraft. What resulted was no doubt a very dark chapter in Salem's history. More than 200 women and even some men and children were rounded up and accused of practicing witchcraft. Find the witch! In what became famously known as the Salem Witch Trials, 30 were found guilty and 19 were sentenced to death. Today, the stories and relics of the innocent victims are preserved in the Salem Witch Museum and other monuments and sites around Salem. And thanks to its witch history, Salem has become one of the most popular Halloween destinations in the world. An estimated half a million people each year visit Salem throughout the month of October. Whoa, that's right. Halloween here isn't just a one-night event. Tourists descend on Salem dressed in which hats and other costumes for the city's month-long haunted happenings events. We're talking some seriously fun and spooky stuff. Like a thrilling ride on a ghosts and legends trolley tour, a parade of witches, and even a play where the audience gets to experience the Salem witch trials as if they were there. I took to the streets of Salem myself to talk to some kids and grownups and find out what the haunted fun is all about. So, I just stumbled upon some really fun-looking costumes and I can't wait to talk to these kids and find out what their dress does and what brings you to Salem today. Tell me your name and how old you are.
Speaker 1 4:30
My name is Bryce, I'm 10 years old.
Sarah Namias 4:33
Where are you from?
Speaker 1 4:35
Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Sarah Namias 4:38
So you're from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but you're in Salem, Massachusetts. What brought you here today?
Speaker 1 4:43
Ask my mom. Mom, what brought you here today? We're here because we love the movie Hocus Pocus, so we're interested in seeing Salem.
Sarah Namias 4:52
So, what are you excited about while you're here and what do you want to do?
Speaker 1 4:58
Go to the beach and go to the Hocus Pocus House.
Sarah Namias 5:02
Why do you want to see the Hocus Pocus House?
Speaker 1 5:03
Because I love the house. It just feels weird, if I went inside of it, I would probably feel magical, probably.
Sarah Namias 5:12
What do you know about witches?
Speaker 1 5:14
Not very much. All I know is that they fly around on a broom.
Speaker 2 5:17
I'm Caitlin and I'm 17.
Sarah Namias 5:19
So, What are you dressed as right now?
Speaker 2 5:21
M&M character or an m&m.
Sarah Namias 5:24
And, your mom here is also dressed as an m&m? Um, do you guys live nearby?
Speaker 2 5:31
No, we're from California. It's my first time back in 11 years, and it's her first time here in probably 14 years and I've never been to Salem. So here we are.
Sarah Namias 5:38
So this must be exciting to make the trip from California to Salem. And so, what about it is like, so exciting to you?
Speaker 2 5:49
For me, I'm very much into the witchy aspect of it. I love the heritage and just the history of it. It's just it's, it's solid. You know, it's been here for years. It's over 100 years old, so it's like, it's really cool. Yeah, for me, it's the heritage. The history is just amazing.
Sarah Namias 6:10
Do you share that enthusiasm?
Speaker 2 6:12
Yeah, I think she kind of passes it down.
Sarah Namias 6:15
What do you like about witches?
Speaker 2 6:18
I like more scary stuff. Like actually the haunted like that type of stuff. I'm into that. Yeah.
Sarah Namias 6:24
Okay, I found some more fun people to talk to on the street. Can you tell me your name and how old you are?
Speaker 3 6:28
Velena with a V. I'm seven and a half.
Sarah Namias 6:35
And, what do you love about Hocus Pocus?
Speaker 3 6:37
Um, the books, that it's Halloween and it's a good movie.
Sarah Namias 6:45
All right, well, I hope you have an awesome time here and I hope you guys get to enjoy all the fun things and see all the Hocus Pocus stuff.
Speaker 3 6:53
We're gonna try.
Sarah Namias 6:56
So, there you have it. If you love Halloween and want to learn some history along with it. Then Salem, Massachusetts, otherwise known as the Witch city, is the place to visit.
Bethany Van Delft 7:18
Do you have a favorite Halloween candy? Some people love chocolate. Others prefer fruity flavors. I see the beauty in all of them, which is why I spend a lot of my life flossing. But, there's one candy that seems to spark debate every Halloween. I'm talking about candy corn. You know, those little tri-colored cones of chewiness. Love them? Or, would you rather leave them? Here's what you Ten'ers had to say.
Speaker 4 7:52
I'm definitely a pro candy corn. Because there's no candy that's better than candy corn in my opinion.
Speaker 5 7:59
The thing about it's good, but if you eat too much, you get that feeling. I think they're like in the middle. A little bit, like candy corns aren't like my favorite candy, like not even close, but they are pretty good. That's the thing is you don't really get them that much. So, that's why they're always at my most, or at least, that's why I like to get them cause you never really get them.
Speaker 6 8:22
Candy corn are the best corns.
Speaker 7 8:25
Um, hi, my name is Brooke, and I am 11 years old. And, my opinion about candy corn is that it's really gross and too sweet, and not good.
Bethany Van Delft 8:38
Big thank you to Leilani, Brooke, Noah, and Zach for sharing what you think! And a super special shout out to listener Tyrion who let us know that our pumpkin principles were missing from the website. Oh no! But they're up now for any of you crafty tenors out there and we all have Tyrion to thank for it. After Halloween is over a different holiday begins. Midnight, on November 1st, is the start of Dia de los Muertos. The Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that originated 1,000s of years ago and is based on a belief that the dead are kept alive in memory and spirit and contemporarily returned to Earth during the holiday. As part of the celebration, families create Ofrendas, altars that honor the dead and pile them with food, marigolds, photographs, candles, and meaningful personal items meant to welcome spirits back to the land of the living. Maybe you've seen the Pixar film, Coco? It's one of my favorites. If you haven't seen it, watch it. It's a beautiful story film with amazing music and it shows us that Day of the Dead, it's not a sad time. It is a joyful celebration of a life filled with food, music and dancing, costumes, and parades. Up next, it's time for...
Various Voices 10:21
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 10:24
Trivia on The Ten. Okay, back to candy corn. Before the triangular candies were associated with Halloween, what were they originally called? Was it a) tiny teeth? b) chicken feed? or c) chewy nuggets? Did you guess it? The answer is B. Before they became known as candy corn, the original candy first produced in the 1880s was marketed as chicken feed. According to National Geographic, the candy was created to appeal to the Farmers of America and meant to be near around while the feelings of you Ten'ers are split on it. Candy Corn is still a big seller at Halloween time.
Pete Musto 11:20
Hey, gang, this is Pete, one of the sound designers of the show. And I just wanted to say candy corn tastes like sugary candle wax. And I'd rather lick the bottom of my shoe than eat a piece.
Bethany Van Delft 11:37
Times up, but before we go, here is a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is still arguing about candy corn and includes TraceyCrooks, Pete Musto, Andrew Hall, and Nathalie Alonso. Sarah Namias contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator isTracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany van Delft, and thanks for listening to The Ten News. And you know what? If you don't like candy corn, send them my way. I am not picky about candy. Now I gotta go floss all these unwanted candy corns out of my teeth!
