Many of the following facts have been collected from the internet!

Is Halloween more Irish that St Patricks Day?

Halloween (All Hallow's Eve) is more Irish than St. Patrick's Day. Halloween's origins come from a Celtic festival for the dead called “Samhain.” Celts believed the ghosts of the dead roamed Earth on this holiday, so people would dress in costumes and leave “treats” out on their front doors to appease the roaming spirits. The wearing of costumes was also believed to allow one to hide from the souls wandering around in your home.

Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year and is the festival that became Halloween as we know it. Here's a look at the importance of Samhain in the Celtic calendar and Irish folklore.

The Celts believed the year was divided into two parts, the lighter half in the summer and the darker half in the winter. Samhain, or Halloween as it is now called, was the division between these halves. The Celts believed that the veil between our world and the other world was thinnest at this time. It was believed that spirits of the past could come forth into the current world.

Pumpkin or Turnip?

It was not until mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century that Halloween became a major holiday in North America. The use of pumpkins for Jack-o'-lanterns only started in America, as they are native to the country. Turnips were usually used in Ireland. The first Jack O Lanterns were actually made from turnips.

What are the Halloween Colors?

Black

Black is the color of death and Halloween is a time when the veil between the spirit world and the living is thin. Historically the Celts and Druids celebrated Samhain and welcomed the spirits of their ancestors. At the same time of year in Mexico they celebrate Dia de Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Halloween is celebrated at night so naturally it’s associated with the color black. There are many black creatures and items associated with All Hallow’s Eve as well: black cats, spiders, bats, witches, the Grim Reaper, a vampire’s cape and cauldrons to name a few.

Orange

Orange is the polar opposite of black. It is a lively color that celebrates life and the bounty of the Autumn harvest. Orange is the color of fire cutting through the darkness of night. Orange is warm and positive. Many leaves turn orange during Fall and pumpkins and jack o’lanterns, popular Halloween symbols, are also orange.

Red

Red is another color that is often associated with Halloween, especially now with the current popularity of vampires. Red blood is seen dripping from vampire lips and the victim’s throat. Or it could be a bottle of True Blood. Blood is a key ingredient in witch’s potions and voodoo magic. A Devil’s contract is typically sealed with blood.

White

White a ghastly color and associated with purity and light, on Halloween it takes on a more sinister role. White is the color of bone peeking out from a shallow grave. White is the color of the ghosts that go bump in the night. White is the color of moonlight glinting off a werewolf’s tooth. White is the color of lightening flashing through the sky. It’s also the color of the mad scientist’s lab coat.

Purple

Purple a witches brew has recently become a popular Halloween color representing the supernatural and all things mystical. Purple is the color of the seventh chakra which represents the third eye and clairvoyance. The color purple is often associated with witches. Throughout history witches have been depicted all dressed in black but in modern times you will often find witch costumes with purple and black stripes. Witch hats may be solid purple or have a purple brim and sometimes witches have purple streaks through their hair as well as purple eye shadow and lipstick.

Green

Monsters and Slime. Although not a traditional Halloween color green has certainly earned its place among all things spooky and scary. Goblins and monsters are often green. So is alien blood. Green is the color of slime and sometimes ghostly ectoplasm is green. Green is the color of glow-in-the-dark objects used for Halloween decorations. Green is also the color of demon eyes. An eerie green mist is a frightening phenomenon that lets you know somehow everything is wrong.

Trick or Treat?

Trick-or-treating is a Halloween custom for children in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house-to-house, asking for treats with the phrase "Trick or treat".

The "treat" is usually some form of candy, although, in some cultures, money is used instead. The "trick" is a usually idle threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. Trick-or-treating usually occurs on the evening of October 31. Some homeowners signal that they are willing to hand out treats by putting up Halloween decorations outside their doors; others simply leave treats available on their porches for the children to take freely.

Originally, you had to dance for your "treat" Most experts trace trick-or-treating to the European practice of “mumming,” or “guysing,” in which costume-wearing participants would go door-to-door performing choreographed dances, songs and plays in exchange for treats. According to Elizabeth Pleck’s “Celebrating The Family,” the tradition cropped up in America, where it would often take place on Thanksgiving. In some early versions of trick-or-treating, men paraded door-to-door, and boys often followed, begging for coins. Most of these early trick-or-treaters were poor and actually needed the money, but wealthy children also joined in the fun. Door-to-door “begging” was mostly stopped in the 1930s, but re-emerged later in the century to distract kids from pulling Halloween pranks.

Which holidays sell the most candy?

Trumped by Halloween, Easter is known as the second best-selling candy holiday in the nation. Americans spend an average of $2 billion on Halloween candy, $1.9 billion on Easter candy, $1.4 billion on Christmas candy and $1 billion on Valentine's Day candy.

How much Trick or Treat candy is sold?

Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy a year for Halloween. An incredible 90 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold during Halloween week, taking a strong lead compared to other holidays.

Favorite Trick or Treat candy?

Fifty percent of kids prefer to receive chocolate candy for Halloween, compared with 24% who prefer non-chocolate candy and 10% who preferred gum.
Americans purchase over 20 million pounds of Candy Corn each year. Candy corn has been made with the same recipe by the Jelly Belly Candy Company since around 1900.

The Halloween candy of choice is subjective and varies from state to state in the US. At one point Snickers was rated a top favorite. But Kit Kat, Hershey Bars, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and M & M's are also rated in at the top.

Are witches smart?

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.

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Which costumes will be most popular in 2021?

Depends on who you listen to. According to an annual survey conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics, 46% of people plan on dressing up in costume this year. Around 25% of parents will take their children to trick-or-treat and 20% say their pets will wear costumes on the day of Halloween.

The highest national ranked costume for 2021 is a witchs according to National Retail Federation. NRF is expecting 10.4 Billion dollars to be spent in 2021 on Halloween related items such as candy, decorations and costumes.

see this link for additional details: https://spectrumnews1.com/ma/worcester/news/2021/10/08/halloween-costume-survey

Plant Stalker

Spiderman for kids

Star Trek?

Halloween Fun Fact: Because the movie Halloween (1978) was on such a tight budget, they had to use the cheapest mask they could find for the character Michael Meyers, which turned out to be a William Shatner Star Trek mask. Shatner initially didnt know the mask was in his likeness, but when he found out years later, he said he was honored.

Headless Horseman?

Washington Irving wrote the short story titled "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Sleepy Hollow State Park north of Lansing Michigan has reported the Headless Horseman has been there.

How big do pumpkins grow?

The pumpkin originated in Mexico about 9,000 years ago. It is one of America's oldest known vegetables. Pumpkins generally weigh from 15-to-30 pounds, although some weigh as much as 200 pounds. The majority of pumpkins are orange, but they also can be white, yellow or striped. They are rich in vitamin A, beta-carotene and potassium, and their seeds provide protein and iron. The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown by Norm Craven, who broke the world record in 1993 with a 836 lb. pumpkin.

How long does it take to carve a pumpkin?

How long does it take to carve a pumpkin? Stephen Clarke holds the record for the worlds fastest pumpkin carving time: 24.03 seconds, smashing his previous record of 54.72 seconds. The rules of the competition state that the pumpkin must weigh less than 24 pounds and be carved in a traditional way, which requires at least eyes, nose, ears, and a mouth. This is a picture of a pumpkin I carved placed inside another carved pumpkin.

Largest Pumpkin Pie

The following fact is still true as of October 15, 2021 according to Guinness World Records

The biggest pumpkin pie on record was 20 feet in diameter and weighed 3,699 pounds. It was baked by the New Breman Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio in 2010, breaking their own previous world's record of 2,020 pounds. The ginormous orange pie contained 1,212 pounds of pumpkin, 2,796 dozen eggs, 109 gallons of evaporated milk, 525 pounds of sugar, 7 pounds of salt, and 14.5 pounds of cinnamon.

Are Black cats spooky?

How did black cats come to represent bad luck and spookiness in the United States? It all started with the Pilgrims in the Plymouth colony. The Puritan Pilgrims distrusted anything associated with witches and sorcery, including black cats. They actively persecuted black cats – it became a practice to burn black cats on Shrove Tuesday to protect the home from fire. After the anti-witch zeal had subsided in the colonies, black cats had been thoroughly cemented in popular legend right alongside witches. Decorators use them as a Halloween symbol, both alongside witches and independently, to add a frightful, unnerving ambience to their front steps, their green eyes spooking trick-or-treaters.
But if you’re really feeling the holiday spirit this Halloween, consider adopting a black cat from an animal shelter or rescue service.

Is Halloween Magical?

Harry Houdini (1874-1926) was one of the most famous and mysterious magicians who ever lived. Strangely enough, he died in 1926 on Halloween night as a result of appendicitis brought on by three stomach punches

Day of the Dead!

Mexico celebrates the Days of the Dead (Das 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.

Bonfires on Halloween

During the pre-Halloween celebration of Samhain, bonfires were lit to ensure the sun would return after the long, hard winter. Often Druid priests would throw the bones of cattle into the flames and, hence, "bone fire" became "bonfire."

Full Moon

It's actually very rare for a full moon to occur on Halloween. Although, it's predicted to occur on 10/31/2020.

Decorating

86% of Americans decorate their homes in celebration of Halloween.

Biggest Holiday

Halloween is the third biggest party day of the year behind New Year's Eve and Super Bowl Sunday.

Is Halloween safe?

Due to safety concerns, trunk-or-treating was introduced in 2000 as an alternative to hitting the pavement for candy on Halloween night. Cars are parked in a circle at a school or church parking lot, with event-goers decorating their open trunks and dressing in costume in order to hand out treats.

But even though candy doesn't pose much of a threat, trick-or-treating does carry safety hazards. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, common Halloween injuries include eye wounds from sharp objects and burns from flammable costumes. ... But the biggest Halloween danger of all is car accidents.

Children are more than twice as likely to be killed by a car while walking on Halloween night than at any other time of the year, according to one safety group.

While tales of poisonous candy and razor blades hidden in apples are about as true as the spookiest of ghost stories, there are still plenty of dangers lurking around Halloween that can send kids to the emergency room.

1st Trick or Treating

The first known mention of trick-or-treating in print in North America occurred in 1927 in Blackie, Alberta, Canada.

 

Do Scarecrows Scare?

Scarecrows, a popular Halloween fixture, symbolize the ancient agricultural roots of the holiday.

 

Dressing up as ghouls and other spooks originated from the ancient Celtic tradition of townspeople disguising themselves as demons and spirits. The Celts believed that disguising themselves this way would allow them to escape the notice of the real spirits wandering the streets during Samhain.

 

Anoka, MN - Halloween Capital

Anoka, Minnesota, is the self-proclaimed Halloween capital of the world.

 

NYC Halloween Parade is largest

The Village Halloween parade in New York City is the largest Halloween parade in the United States. The parade includes 50,000 participants and draws over 2 million spectators.

Silly string use prohibited!

In Hollywood there's a $1000 fine for using silly string on Halloween.

 

Old leftover Halloween Candy?

Have leftover candy? Save it! Hard candy lasts for a year, while chocolate can last up to two.

 

Old leftover Halloween Candy?

Eating too much Halloween candy can make give you sick and give you diarrhea. Seriously. Consuming too much candy with fructose and sorbitol can give you diarrhea.

 

Largest Pumpkin Festival?

About 99% of all pumpkinds sold are used as Jack O' Lanterns for Halloween. Make-a-Wish Foundation was the benefactor of money raised at the 2017 Highwood, Illinois pumpkin carving festival. Their plan was to break the world record of lit Jack O' Lanterns with a goal of 30,851 at their October 6-8 event. The original and current world record holder is held by Keene, New Hampshire. Where the Guiness book of world records shows 30,581 lit Jack O Lanterns were displayed in 2013.

 

3 Biggest Parties

Halloween is the third biggest party day of the year behind New Year's Eve and Super Bowl Sunday.

 

Halloween Cards

Although the cards may be ghoulish, the sentiment is sweet according to Hallmark, Halloween ranks as the sixth most popular card-giving holiday, with 19 million cards sent each year. Christmas comes in first place, with a whopping 1.6 billion cards sent each year.

Spirits and Ghosts

The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.

 

Vampire Bats

There really are so-called vampire bats, but they're not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on the blood of cattle, horses and birds.

 

Gargoyles

Many people still believe that gargoyles were created by medieval architects and stone carvers to ward off evil spirits.

The Witches' Spell

The Witches' Spell by William Shakespeare

Setting: A dark Cave. In the middle, a Caldron boiling. Thunder.
Enter the three Witches.

1st Witch.

Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.

2nd Witch.

Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whined.

3rd Witch.

Harpier cries: 'Tis time, 'tis time!

Witch.

Round about the caldron go; In the poison'd entrails throw. Toad, that under cold stone, Days and nights has thirty-one; Swelter'd venom sleeping got, Boil thou first in the charmed pot!

ALL.

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

2nd Witch.
Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

ALL.
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

3rd Witch.
Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf; Witches' mummy; maw and gulf Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark; Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark; Liver of blaspheming Jew; Gall of goat, and slips of yew Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse; Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips; Finger of birth-strangled babe Ditch-deliver'd by a drab, Make the gruel thick and slab: Add thereto a tiger's chaudron, For the ingrediants of our caldron.

ALL.
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

2 Witch.
Cool it with a baboon's blood, Then the charm is firm and good.

[Enter Hecate (Greek Goddess of Witches, to the other three Witches]
Hecate
O well done! I commend your pains; And every one shall share i' the gains; And now about the cauldron sing, Live elves and fairies in a ring, Enchanting all that you put in.

[Music and a song: 'Black spirits,' etc, Hecate retires]
2nd Witch
By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes. Open, locks, Whoever knocks!