1. Halloween is celebrated on October 31, which is the last day of the Celtic calendar.
2. The custom of Halloween has evolved from the ancient Celts’ belief that the border between this world and “the Otherworld” thins on All Hallows’ Eve. People used costumes to disguise themselves and avoid harm.
3. The day after Halloween is called All Saints’ Day. Christians dedicate this day to all those saints who do not have their own special day.
4. All saints is another way of saying all saints. All-Hallows-Eve means the night before All Saints’ Day.
5. The first evidence of the use of the word Halloween comes from Scotland in the early 16th century. It was All-Hallows-Eve lingo.
6. The colors orange and black represent Halloween because orange is the color of pumpkins (and fall) and black is associated with death.
7. The tradition of carving a jack o’lantern started in the UK. They were carved on All Hallows Eve and left on the door step to ward off evil spirits.
8. The original pumpkins were carved out of turnip or kohlrabi.
9. Jack o’ lanterns got their name from the phenomenon of a strange light flickering over peat bogs.
10. Carving gourds into elaborately decorated lanterns dates back thousands of years in Africa. They were intentionally brought to the New World through prehistoric migration through Asia.
11. A record for the most simultaneously lit jack-o-lanterns was set on October 21, 2006 when 30,128 jack-o’-lanterns were lit simultaneously on Boston Common.
12. The World’s Largest Pumpkin was carved from the largest pumpkin in the world (at the time) on October 31, 2005 in Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA by Scott Cully. The pumpkin weighed 1,469 pounds (666.33 kg),
13. Today, the record for the world’s largest pumpkin is held by Nick and Kristy Harp, whose pumpkin weighed in at 782.45 kg (1,725 ​​pounds).
14. Trick-or-treating is the Halloween custom in which children in costumes go door to door asking for candy asking “trick or treat?” The “trick” is a (usually idle) threat to do harm to the homeowners or their property if they are not given a deal.
15. Many people believe that trick-or-treating developed from the Middle Ages custom of giving freshly baked soul cakes to children who went door-to-door on All Hallows’ Eve offering prayers.
16. It was believed that each soul cake eaten represented a soul released from purgatory.
17. In Sweden, children dress up as witches and go trick-or-treating on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter).
18. In northern Germany, Norway, and southern Denmark, children dress up and go trick-or-treating on New Year’s Eve in a tradition called “Rummelpott.”
19. In Scotland, kids are only supposed to get treats if they perform tricks for the homes they go to. This usually takes the form of singing a song or reciting a funny poem.
20. For several years (in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), Halloween in the US became identical to vandalism.
21. In 1912, Boy Scout clubs and other community organizations came together to encourage a safe celebration of Halloween. School posters at this time called for a “sane Halloween.”
22. In an effort to prevent damage to their property, homeowners began offering children candy if they promised not to play “tricks.”
23. By the late 1930s, trick-or-treating had gone mainstream.
24. Research conducted by the US National Confectioners Association in 2005 revealed that 80% of adults and 93% of children went trick-or-treating on Halloween.
25. The first on-screen representation of Trick or Treating was in the Disney cartoon, “Trick or Treating.” In this cartoon, Huey, Duey, and Louie try to trick their Uncle Donald Duck into giving them candy.
26. In 1964, a New York housewife upset about Halloween began handing out packages of inedible items to children she believed were too old to trick-or-treat. The packages contained items such as steel wool, dog biscuits, and ant buttons (which were clearly labeled with the word “poison”). Although no one was hurt, she was arraigned and she pleaded guilty to child endangerment.
27. In 1970, the New York Times published an article stating that “those Halloween treats kids collect this weekend on their rounds of trick-or-treating may bring them more horror than happiness.” He provided examples of possible manipulations. The examples were speculative, but they caused a wave of fear.
28. In the 1980s, the fear of American and Canadian parents that trick-or-treating kids might eat candy in danger reached its peak. In 1985, an ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 60% of parents feared their children would be injured or killed due to Halloween candy sabotage.
29. Other than one incident, actually a premeditated act of murder by the parent of a trick-or-treater, there have been no recorded incidents of malicious and deliberate tampering with candy during Halloween.
30. In 1970, a 5-year-old boy from the Detroit area found and ate heroin that his uncle had hidden. The boy died after a four-day coma. The family tried to protect the uncle by claiming that the drug had been sprinkled on the boy’s Halloween candy.
31. In 2008, candies were found embedded with metal shavings and metal blades. The candies were Valentine’s Day Pokémon lollipops purchased at a Dollar General store in Polk County, Florida. The candy was determined to have been manufactured in China using faulty equipment.
32. In the US, Halloween accounts for 25% of the year’s candy sales.
33. In the US, nearly $2 billion is spent each year on Halloween candy.
34. Candy corn is the most popular Halloween candy.
35. Sweet corn was created by the American company Wunderlee Candy in the 1880s.
36. Snickers bars are the most popular candy bar sold on Halloween.
37. Snickers bars were created in the 1930s by the Mars family. They named him after his family horse.
38. Research by the US National Retail Federation found that in 2005, 53% of Americans purchased a Halloween costume, spending an average of $38.
39. The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in the 1930s in the US.
40. Originally, Halloween costumes were scary characters like vampires, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and ghouls.
41. Nowadays, Halloween costumes are often inspired by science fiction, television, movies, cartoons, and pop culture.
42. According to the US National Retail Federation, the most popular adult Halloween costume themes are, in order: witch, pirate, vampire, cat, and clown.
43. In 2009, the most popular Halloween character for adults and children was Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009.
44. In 1966, the Batman TV series was so popular that a fabric company issued costume patterns.
45. Apple movement is a traditional Halloween game. The game is played by filling a tub or large container with water and placing apples in the water. Since apples are less dense than water, they will float. Players then try to catch one with their teeth.
46. ​​The apple movement is becoming less popular, possibly because more and more people consider it unsanitary.
47. Girls who place the moved apple under their pillows are said to dream of their future lover.
48. On February 19, 2008, New Yorker Ashrita Furman shook 33 apples in one minute to set a world record.
49. Agatha Christie’s mystery novel “Hallowe’en Party” is about a girl who drowns in a tub of apples.
50. New York City hosts the largest Halloween celebration in the United States, known as The Village Halloween Parade. The afternoon parade attracts more than two million spectators and participants.