Find out the creepy facts on Halloween!

Halloween is an annual holiday on 31st October. It commonly includes activities such as trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving  Jack O’Lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories and watching scary films.

Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world. 

Halloween is not celebrated in all countries and regions of the world. Among those that do celebrate, the traditions and importance of the celebration varies significantly. In Scotland and Ireland, traditional Halloween customs include children dressing-up in costume going ‘guising’ or ‘trick or treating’, holding parties, while other practices in Ireland include lighting bonfires and having firework displays. Mass transatlantic immigration in the 19th century popularized Halloween in North America, and celebrations in the United States and Canada have had a significant impact on how the event is observed in other nations.

Other names that Halloween is known by, include All Hallows Eve, Samhain, All Hallowtide, The Feast of the Dead and the Day of the Dead.

 When Christianity came to England and the rest of Europe, November 1st became ‘All Saints Day’ – a day dedicated to all the saints who did not have a celebration day of their own. They performed a mass called ‘All hallows mass’ and the night before became known as ‘All Hallows E’en’ and eventually Halloween! 

The colours orange and black became Halloween colours as orange is associated with harvests (Halloween marks the end of harvest) and black is associated with death!

 About 99% of all pumpkins sold are sold for carving into Jack O’Lanterns at Halloween. 

The biggest pumpkin ever recorded, weighed a huge 1,446 pounds!

The carving of Jack O’Lanterns comes from the custom of carving pumpkins into lanterns as a way of remembering the souls held in purgatory. Purgatory is a place where souls are temporarily punished for sins. After they have been punished enough, they are permitted to move on to heaven.

If you see a spider on Halloween, it is said to be the spirit of a loved one watching over you. 

Halloween candy sales average over 2 billion dollars each year in The United States! 

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