Treehouse of horror VIII

Here we are agin to talk about the eighth Simpsons Halloween episode which you can watch if you visit this site.

The must obvious reference to Halloween in this episode is its third segment, set in 1649, a period when witch-burning was the norm.

Actually, the famous Salem trials did not take place until 1692 when  town girls began having fits nobody was able to explain. More girls began to have the same symptoms and finally the doctor who saw them diagnosed bewitchment, in fact, the girls supported this statement!

Three people were accused at first, but then one woman confessed being a witch and even denounced other women. This trend continued for years and many died just because somebody else had said they were witches! Here we can see an example of how these accusations were made:

No proofs were needed, you only had to name somebody to send them to a bonfire! If you want more information about Salem trials, visit this site: http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials.

 In the episode, Marge speaks up against accussations based on no evidence, unfortunately for her, people start thinking she is a witch.

Not that they were mistaken but let's face it, it was just a coincidence.

As you can see, the witches potrayed in The simpsons follow the stereotype, they fly on broomsticks and brew potions in cauldrons and even have warts!

People in the episode are afraid of witches because they are thought to attack children in order to eat them, a possibility that Marge and her sisters had not considered but which they decided to try anyway.

To avoid witches taking the children away, the town inhabitants gave candies to the witches in exchange. The witches accepted the gifts and allowed the children to stay with their parents.

Some of the typical American Halloween candies are shown in the episode, such as candy Apple or caramel cods!

The witches realise that scaring people into giving them treats is fun, so they decide to do it every year.

This yearly custom became an annual tradition and people has continued trick-or-tricking since then.

Well, this is the explanation The Simpsons offer us about the origings of Halloween and probably many American children consider that the celebration started this way. What about dressing yourself up as a witch at the next Halloween party? If you do it, don't forget to put a wart on your nose!