Facts about Halloween
The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.
Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas.
The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman.” In fact, wiccan were highly respected people at one time. According to popular belief, witches held one of their two main meetings, or sabbats, on Halloween night.
Fifty percent of kids prefer to receive chocolate candy for Halloween, compared with 24% who prefer non-chocolate candy and 10% who preferred gum.
According to Irish legend, Jack O’Lanterns are named after a stingy man named Jack who, because he tricked the devil several times, was forbidden entrance into both heaven and hell. He was condemned to wander the Earth, waving his lantern to lead people away from their paths.
Trick-or-treating evolved from the ancient Celtic tradition of putting out treats and food to placate spirits who roamed the streets at Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year.
Have you ever heard of Anoka, Minnesota? The city of roughly 17,000 residents is home to what’s believed to be the very first Halloween parade hosted in 1920. Known as the “Halloween Capital of the World,” Anoka still celebrates the holiday each year with a house-decorating contest, 5K run and three Halloween parades.
The first known mention of trick-or-treating in print in North America occurred in 1927 in Blackie, Alberta, Canada.
Ireland is typically believed to be the birthplace of Halloween.
Halloween is thought to have originated around 4000 B.C., which means Halloween has been around for over 6,000 years.
“Halloween” is short for “Hallows’ Eve” or “Hallows’ Evening,” which was the evening before All Hallows’ (sanctified or holy) Day or Hallowmas on November 1. In an effort to convert pagans, the Christian church decided that Hallowmas or All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2) should assimilate sacred pagan holidays that fell on or around October 31.
Whether you’re making pumpkin muffins, bread or other pumpkin-inspired recipe in honor of Halloween, you may be curious to know where all that canned pumpkin comes from. The answer? The vast majority is produced in Morton, Illinois at the Libby’s Pumpkin canning plant, which accounts for roughly 75% of the country’s canned pumpkin.
According to the Library of Congress, black and orange are the colors of Halloween because the ancient Celts believed black symbolized the “death” of summer and orange symbolized the fall harvest.
Before costumes and trick-or-treating, Halloween was a night for pranking. The pranks eventually got out of control and in 1933, vandals caused millions of dollars of damage across the U.S., leading many people to refer to it as “Black Halloween.”