- Jack O'Lanterns - According to Irish legend, the name comes from a stingy man named jack. Jack is said to have tricked the devil several times resulting in him being forbidden entrance into both heaven and hell. Once condemned to an eternity on earth, Jack would roam about with his lantern attempting to sway people from their path.
- Trick-or-Treating - This tradition derived from the Christian precursor of Hallowmas (November 1st) where poor people would travel door to door offering to pray for dead in exchange for a soul cake (a small cake were filled with allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices while adding raisins or currants in before the baking).
- Why Orange & Black? - Orange symbolizes strength and endurance (along with brown and gold that also stand for harvest and autumn). Black is [typically] the symbol of death and darkness, which is a reminder that the holiday was once a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.
- Birth - It is typically believed that Halloween was born in Ireland. It s also believed that Halloween began around 4000 BC
- Why costumes? - This is a tradition stems form an ancient Celtic tradition of dressing up like demons and spirits. Celtic townspeople believed that disguising themselves in this manner would allow them to escape the notice of real spirits that would be roaming about on Halloween.
- Your Mate May Be Revealed to You on Halloween? - Scottish girls believed that the image of their future husbands would be shown to them on sheets that were hung in front of a fire on Halloween night. Others believed that the image of your boyfriend would be revealed if you looked into a mirror while walking downstairs at midnight on Halloween.
- Fear Halloween? - If you have a morbid fear of Halloween, you suffer from samhainophobia (pronounced sow-wen-o-phobia).
- Witches - Witch comes from the Old English word 'wicce' which means "wise woman". There was a time when wiccan were held in high regard and were highly respected. According to legend, witches would hold one of their 2 sabbats (main meetings) on Halloween night.
- How other countries view the holiday - Many other countries, including France and Australia see the holiday as unwanted with overly commercial American influence.
- Child deaths - Children are twice more likely to die due to being hit by a car on Halloween night. That is why AAA recommends that children under 12 NOT be permitted to trick-or-treat alone. Children tend to be more focused on gathering as much candy as possible while socializing with friends than they are with using crosswalks and looking both ways when crossing streets. Often times, children avoid sidewalks altogether and are found walking in the street throughout the night.
- Halloween capitals - There are two self-proclaimed Halloween capitals of the world. One being (obviously) Salem, Massachusetts and the other is Anoka, Minnesota. Salem boast that it hosts "America's biggest Halloween party" that everyone is invited to. In the infamous witch town one can attend the Annual Witches Ball, visit with psychics, take several ghostly tours, visit historic sites with [perceived] paranormal activity, costume parties and many haunted houses. Anoka proclaims its capital standing because it is one of the first US cities to remove the "tricks" and trouble making that often surrounds Halloween. Beginning in 1920, a week long celebration began being held in Anoka. The week includes the Grand Day Parade with the Mass band (made up of several high school bands), The Gray Ghost 5k run (inspiring by the ghost of 70 something marathon runner Bill Andberg who has been spotted running through a local cemetery). Also during the week, there are pumpkin bake-offs, Halloween house decorating contests and more.
For a few more facts, be sure to visit - http://cincitaz.outloudlaughs.net/halloween-fun-facts
