49 Creepy Facts About Halloween

1. Halloween is celebrated annually on October 31.
2. The term Halloween comes from “Hallows’ Eve” and means “hallowed evening.”
3. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, where people lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off ghosts.
4. It was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world on Halloween, according to Celtic tradition.
5. Halloween is celebrated in various countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
6. Carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns is a popular Halloween tradition.
7. In Scotland and Ireland, the first jack-o’-lanterns were actually made from turnips.
8. Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas in the United States.
9. Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
10. Chocolate candy bars are one of the most popular candies for trick-or-treaters.
11. Trick-or-treating originated from the medieval practice of “souling” or “guising.”
12. The owl is a popular Halloween image. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl’s call meant someone was about to die.
13. Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance, and tell fortunes.
14. Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America, and are popular Halloween treats.
15. Halloween symbols are not random. Witches symbolize the ancient Celtic priests who had control over spirits; black cats were believed to be witches’ familiaries, and bats, spiders, and other creatures of the night are typically associated with Halloween.
16. The tradition of adding pranks into the Halloween mix started to turn troublesome in the 1930s and a movement began to substitute practical jokes for kids going door to door collecting candy.
17. Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the Roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
18. Black and orange are traditional Halloween colors. Orange represents the Fall harvest, while black symbolizes darkness and death.
19. Candy Corn was originally called “Chicken Feed.”
20. The iconic Michael Myers mask from the “Halloween” movies is actually a Captain Kirk mask from Star Trek, painted white.
21. The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown by Norm Craven, who broke the world record in 1993 with an 836 lb. pumpkin.
22. The fear of Halloween is known as Samhainopobia.
23. In many countries, such as France and Australia, Halloween is seen as an unwanted and overly commercial American influence.
24. Many animal shelters won’t allow the adoption of black cats around Halloween for fear they’ll be used in satanic rituals.
25. The first known mention of trick-or-treating in print in North America occurred in 1927 in Blackie, Alberta, Canada.
26. Harry Houdini, one of history’s most famous magicians, died on Halloween in 1926.
27. Mexico celebrates the Days of the Dead (Días de los Muertos) on the Christian holidays All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2) instead of Halloween. The townspeople dress up like ghouls and parade down the street.
28. Ireland is typically believed to be the birthplace of Halloween.
29. Halloween is thought to have originated around 4000 B.C., which means Halloween has been around for over 6,000 years.
30. Children are more than twice as likely to be killed in a pedestrian/car accident on Halloween than on any other night.
31. In 1974, eight-year-old Timothy O’Bryan died of cyanide poisoning after eating Halloween candy. Investigators later discovered that his father had taken out a $20,000 life insurance policy on each of his children and that he had poisoned his own son and also attempted to poison his daughter.
32. Halloween is the biggest holiday of the year when it comes to candy sales. Over 600 million pounds of candy are sold during Halloween season. That’s 90 million pounds more than during Easter season.
33. In Hollywood, it’s illegal to use silly string on Halloween.
34. Halloween is short for “Hallows’ Evening.”
35. There’s a $1,000 fine for using or selling Silly String in Hollywood on Halloween.
36. The first citywide Halloween celebration in the United States occurred in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921.
37. The fastest pumpkin carving time is 16.47 seconds, achieved by Stephen Clarke.
38. Halloween was influenced by the ancient Roman festival Pomona, which celebrated the harvest goddess of the same name.
39. The tradition of wearing scary costumes on Halloween comes from the ancient Celts. They believed that dressing up as demons and spirits would scare away the real ones.
40. The Count Dracula Society was founded in 1962.
41. The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.
42. Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas.
43. In many countries, such as France and Australia, Halloween is seen as an unwanted and overly commercial American influence.
44. Fifty percent of kids prefer to receive chocolate candy for Halloween, compared with 24% who prefer non-chocolate candy and 10% who preferred gum.
45. In Alabama, it is illegal to dress-up as a priest.
46. The tradition of making Jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween comes from an Irish myth about a man named “Stingy Jack.”
47. The number one candy of choice is Snickers.
48. “Souling” is a medieval Christian precursor to modern-day trick-or-treating.
49. Samhainophobia is the medical term for a pathological fear of Halloween.

Originally posted 2023-09-21 22:04:59.

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