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Ioana Popescu

10 Fun Facts About Halloween

Halloween 


Many of us recognize Halloween as the spooky time of year where people dress up in costumes, go door to door to trick or treat for candy, watch scary movies, and engage in many more fun activities. However, there are some facts about the annual celebration that not many are aware of. Here are ten interesting facts about Halloween that you might not have known before. 


  1.  Americans on average spend over $100 on Halloween. 


The National Retail Federation reported in 2023 that Americans spent an average of $108.24 on Halloween-related items such as costumes, candy, and decorations. 


  1.  The world’s heaviest jack-o’-lantern weighed 2,684 pounds and 2 ounces. 


This jack-o’-lantern was presented at the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival in Baden-Württemberg, Germany on November 6 of 2021. In addition to being incredibly enormous, the pumpkin also had a face etched onto it along with other decorations like stars and heraldic scenes. 


  1.  A full moon appears once every 19 Halloweens. 


Once per a 19 year period, a bright and beautiful round full moon will light up the night sky on Halloween night and add an atmosphere of eeriness to the celebration. 


  1.  Husband hunting used to be a Halloween tradition. 


In the 18th century, Halloween used to also be about finding a romantic partner. During this time period, people engaged in strange methods with the goal of obtaining a lover. Some of these techniques included lighting candles in front of a mirror in a darkened room to conjure up a future lover and tossing apple peels over their shoulders to form the initials of their future partner upon landing. 


  1.  Candy corn used to be chicken feed. 


This popular and well loved Halloween treat once served as farm food. When George Renniger invented the tri-colored candy in the 1800s, he marketed it as “Chicken Feed” before it soon took on the name of “Candy Corn” after World War I. 


  1.  The word “witch” comes from the Old English word “wicce,” which means “wise woman.” 


Additionally “wiccan were perceived positively, and their opinions were highly respected although this contrasts how women were treated during the infamous Salem witch trials. 


  1.  In Germany, it is a tradition for people to hide their knives on Halloween night. 


Germans hide all their knives away in order to prevent returning spirits from getting injured. 


  1.  The reason why the colors black and orange are associated with Halloween. 


Orange represents the harvest of autumn, while black is a symbol of darkness and serves as a reminder that Halloween was once a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death. 


  1.  Jack-o’-lanterns were inspired by an Irish legend. 


The name jack-o’-lantern is rooted in an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack who fooled the devil and, as a result, was forced to walk the planet with only a burning coal in a hallowed turnip to light his way. The Irish began to call him “Jack of the Lantern,” which later turned into “Jack o’Lantern.” 


  1. Trick-or-treating was inspired by a tradition called “mumming.” 


In the middle ages, people began practicing a tradition known as mumming, in which they dressed up as ghosts and demons, and went door to door performing songs and scenes from plays in exchange for food and drinks. This custom is believed to be an antecedent of trick-or-treating. 


Sources 





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