Coins Safe Alternative to Halloween Candy

(ARA) - Many grown-ups are turning to candy-less treats for the ghouls, ghosts and goblins knocking on their door.



With growing concerns about the tampering of candy, not to mention the nutritional detriments of traditional Halloween treats, more and more grown-ups are giving coins to little ghouls and goblins.



Generally considered to have been first made in the regions of Lydia and Ionia -- now known as western Turkey -- more than 2,600 years ago, coins have been around longer than Halloween itself.



For anyone who thinks coins aren’t particularly spooky, consider this: It is a custom in some cultures to place coins on the eyelids of the dead to keep their eyes closed. Some believe that, if the eyes of the dead remain open, we would see our own death captured in their eyes.



Ancient Greeks believed coins are to be placed on the eyes of the dead as payment to Charon, the boatman on the river Styx, for ferrying the dead to the other side. For this service, he was paid a fee that was placed in the mouth of the deceased.



In the Middle Ages and well into the modern age, coins were placed into the coffin to pay for expenses in the afterlife. In popular myth, it was hoped that coins would prevent the deceased from returning. By placing coins in the grave, the heir probably also wanted to free himself of any debts to the deceased and to ensure the goodwill of the dead person.



Coins were laid around the necks of the deceased with chains or ribbons, and sometimes they were placed under the person's head or in their hand. Coins also occurred as parts of rings, and archaeologists have found metal money that was left with the deceased in bags.



Coins are said to also have mystical value. Tarot cards, which are used to help predict the future, to interpret life's obstacles and gain insight into one's soul, feature a number of suits, or characters, including the “King of Coins” -- an especially powerful omen of success. This card is portrayed as a somber man, said to be wise and generous, holding a wand of power.



U.S. coinage also features many of the nation’s most famous ghosts -- specifically the Lincoln penny and the Jefferson nickel. The ghost of Abraham Lincoln is said to haunt the Lincoln bedroom in the White House -- the very room in which he is said to have foreseen his own death. Many also claim to have encountered the ghost of Thomas Jefferson in various locations in Virginia. More importantly, because everyone depicted on them is long dead, coins make perfect targets for haunting.



This year, make your Halloween spook-tacular. Give trick-or-treaters coins instead of candy! For more spooky information about coins, contact Doug Hecox of the United States Mint at (202) 354-7577 or visit www.usmint.gov/kids.



Courtesy of ARA Content

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Source: ArticleTrader.com