Halloween is approaching, one of the most fun days of the year. In honor of it, I thought I would compile 10 Halloween facts/information for amusement. I had a good time digging these up and hope you enjoy reading them.
1. The carving of jack-o’-lanterns originated from the tradition of carving the faces of lost souls into hollowed out pumpkins and turnips. A candle was placed inside the carvings making the faces glow. The Halloween lanterns were placed on doorsteps to ward off evil spirits.
2. Trick-or-treating is thought to have its origins in a European custom called souling where people would beg for “soul cakes.”
3. Legendary magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit from a ruptured appendix on Halloween in 1926.
4. A pumpkin is really a squash, and comes from the same family as the cucumber.
5. More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces – enough to circle the moon nearly 4 times if laid end-to-end.
6. In Ireland, kids enjoy fireworks and bonfires. They also have salt sprinkled in their hair to scare off Halloween spirits.
7. Instead of saying “Trick or Treat!” kids in Scotland say, “The sky is blue, the grass is green, may we have our Halloween?”
8. On Halloween, Irish peasants would beg the rich for food. For those that refused, they would play a practical joke. So, in an effort to avoid being tricked, the rich would hand out cookies, candy, and fruit – a practice that morphed into trick-or-treating today.
9. It is a Halloween Superstition if a candle suddenly goes out by itself on Halloween, as though by breath or wind, it is believed that a ghost has come to call.
10. A majority of us, 48 percent, believe in ghosts.
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you have a beautiful website. May I have permission to post the picture of the Halloween witch on my website?
thanks, I’m glad I found your website. I especially love the picture you chose to frame your opening page.
I plan on bookmarking it.
Cindy,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I also like the opening picture. Hopefully soon I can post something new, it has been quite a while.
M
Yes you have my permission to post the picture, however I believe I got it from google images.