Halloween Fun Facts

The Origin of Halloween

The origin of Halloween can be traced back to the Celts, a tribe that resided in Ireland and Northern France. The Celts’ lives were dependent upon farming and thus, they worshipped nature. The Celts were superstitious. They believed that the winter season brought death. The last day of October marked the end of summer because November was the beginning of winter. The Celts celebrated the last day of October and believed the dead would visit them, so they left food and drink outside their homes for the spirits of the dead. Halloween is thought to have originated around 4000 B.C., which means Halloween has been around for over 6,000 years!

 

Samhain

Halloween Facts

Halloween, like any other time of celebration that has been around for a while, has many fun facts associated with it. Read through our list to become familiar with all the fun Halloween trivia.

The Origin of the Word “Witch”

The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman.” The plural for wicce is wiccan. 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.

Owls and Halloween

Owls are associated with Halloween because, in Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches. To hear an owl’s call meant someone was about to die.

Jack O’ Lanterns

Jack O’ Lanterns are pumpkins with a lighted candle inside. 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. Therefore, he was condemned to wander the Earth, waving his lantern to lead people away from their paths.

The Origin of Bonfires

During the 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 – “bone fire” became “bonfire.”

The History of Candy Corn

Candy Corn was invented by George Renninger, a candy maker at the Wunderle Candy Company of Philadelphia in the 1880s. Candy Corn was originally called “butter cream candies” and “chicken feed” because corn was commonly used as food for livestock. They even had a rooster on the candy boxes. Candy Corn had no association with Halloween or fall, and was sold seasonally from March to November. After World War II, advertisers began marketing it as a special Halloween treat due to its colors that match those of the fall harvest.

The History of Trick-or-Treating

Trick-or-treating has been around for a long time, with versions existing since medieval times. Originally, it was called “guising” and children and poor adults wore costumes and begged for food or money in exchange for songs or prayers during Hallowmas. This practice was also called “souling.”

Halloween Superstitions

·         Scottish girls believed they could see images of their future husband if they hung wet sheets in front of the fire on Halloween.

·         Some girls believed they would see their boyfriend’s faces if they looked into mirrors while walking downstairs at midnight on Halloween.

·         If a person wears their clothes inside out and then walks backwards on Halloween, they will see a witch at midnight.

·         Girls who place the apple they bobbed for under their pillows are said to dream of their future love.

Apple bobbing

Halloween Fun Facts

• Agatha Christie’s mystery novel Halloween Party is about a girl who is drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.
• In the United States, the first citywide celebration of Halloween was in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921.
• More than 93% of children under the age of 12 go trick-or-treating.
• Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
• Over $1.5 billion is spent on costumes each year and more than $2.5 billion on other Halloween paraphernalia
• Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday; Christmas is the first.
• Tootsie Rolls was the first individually wrapped penny candy in the US.
• Halloween candy sales average about $2 billion annually in the United States and it is the largest candy-purchasing holiday.
• Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers first.
• Pumpkins are not only orange, but also white, blue, and green.
• Black cats were once evil omens thought to be spirits of witches, or a witch’s familiar who protected their powers.
• Apple bobbing is believed to have originated from a Roman harvest festival held in honor of Pomona, the goddess of fruit trees.
• Vampires are mythical creatures who defy death by sucking the blood of humans.
• Vampire bats do exist, but they are not from Transylvania. They live in South and Central America, and thrive on the blood of cattle, horses, and birds.
• The common little brown bat of North America has the longest life span for a mammal its size – an average of 32 years.
• If you see a spider on Halloween, it is considered a good luck, as it means the spirit of a loved one is guarding you.
• The 1978 blockbuster, Halloween, was only made in 21 days on a very limited budget.
• Hundreds of vampire clubs and societies exist and claim to have real vampires as their members.
• In 1962, the Count Dracula Society was founded.
• About 50% of adults dress up for Halloween
• Sixty-seven percent of adults take part in Halloween activities, such as parties, decorating the house, and trick-or-treating with their children.
• 86% of Americans decorate their house for Halloween.
• Over 10% of pet owners dress their pets in Halloween costumes.
• The Ouija Board ended up outselling the game of Monopoly in its first full year at Salem. Over two million copies of the Ouija Board were shipped.
• The first Halloween card was made in the early 1920’s.
• More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be for Halloween. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces – enough to circle the moon nearly 4 times if laid end-to-end.
• The tradition of making Jack O’ Lanterns to ward off evil spirits is thousands of years old. Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
• Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe, who celebrated the harvest around a bonfire, shared ghost stories, sang, danced, and told fortunes.
• The ancient Celts, who thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night, began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
• The fear of Halloween is known as Samhainopobia.

 QUESTIONS

Set 1 

1.                  In which country did Halloween originate?

2.                  Which Catholic Church holiday is Halloween linked to?

3.                  What was the name of Dracula’s sidekick?

4.                  From which words did ‘bonfire’ originate?

5.                  What does the name Dracula mean?

6.                  What was Dracula’s real name?

7.                  Who was the first actor to play Wolf Man?

8.                  Which phobia means you have an intense fear of Halloween?

9.                  Out of which vegetable were Jack O’ Lanterns originally made?

10.               Every Halloween, Charlie Brown helps his friend Linus wait for what character to appear?

Set 2

1.                  According to superstition, if you stare into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, what will you see?

2.                  From which region in the world do pumpkins originate?

3.                  Who wrote the novel Frankenstein?

4.                  Transylvania is a region in which country?

5.                  Halloween has its origins in which ancient Celtic festival?

6.                  Which actor played Dr. Frank-n-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

7.                  Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?

8.                  What is the significance of seeing a spider on Halloween?

9.                  Which country celebrates the Day of the Dead starting at midnight on Oct. 31?

10.               According to superstition, a person born on Halloween has what particular ability?

Set 3

1.                  Who directed The Nightmare before Christmas?

2.                  Which vampire said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to give you the choice I never had.”

3.                  How many people were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials?

4.                  Who is said to haunt the White House Rose Garden?

5.                  Pumpkins can be orange, white, green, or what other color?

6.                  In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, how many people are killed with a chainsaw?

7.                  What’s the body count for the film Halloween?

8.                  Which year was the movie Freaks made?

9.                  In the original Alien film, how many alien eggs were made for the egg chamber inside the downed spacecraft?

10.               How many Oscars was Psycho nominated for?

                                                                                                                                                                 Adapted from http://icebreakerideas.com 
ANSWERS


 set 1

    Ireland
    All Saints (Hallows) Day
    Renfield
    Bone and Fire
    Son of the Devil
    Vlad the Impaler
    Lon Chaney
    Samhainophobia
    Turnips
    The Great Pumpkin
set 2

1.    Your future husband or wife
2.    Central America
3.    Mary Shelley
4.    Romania
5.    Samhain
6.    Tim Curry
7.    Fruit
8.    It is thought to be the spirit of a loved one watching over the person who finds the spider.
9.    Mexico
10.    The ability to see and talk to spirits

Set 3

1.    Henry Selick
2.    Lestat (Interview with the Vampire)
3.    First Lady Dolly Madison
4.    19
5.    Blue
6.    One
7.    Five people and a dog
8.    1932
9.    130
10.    Four