Halloween Trivia Facts
How many of the following Halloween trivia facts did you know?
Pumpkins are an integral part of Halloween. However, when people in Europe first began carving jack-o-lanterns they used turnips.
Halloween is one of the most the most popular holidays in North America. According to poll done in 2010, 70% of North Americans plan to take part in this holiday and they will spend close to 7 billion dollars.
The most popular adult costumes in 2011 were vampires, witches and pirates.
The pumpkin is a fruit that is native to South America.
The tale of the Jack-o-lantern stems back to an old tale about a man named Jack. According to the story, Jack is able to trick death and avoid dying. Sadly for Jack his conduct has severe repercussions. Due to his actions, he is not permitted to go to heaven nor does the devil allow him in hell. Instead the devil condemns Jack to walk the earth forever with only a tiny light to guide his way. Jack placed his tiny flame in a turnip to keep it lit as he travelled.
The word pumpkin translates to mean "large melon".
Many families leave a vacant seat at the dinner table on Halloween to welcome back relatives who have passed away.
Famous people who were born on Halloween include Peter Jackson - the producer of the Lord of the Rings films, John Candy - Comedian and actor, Michael Landon - actor, writer and director, John Keats - poet and Michael Collins - Astronaut.
The world record for the largest pumpkin was broken in 2011 by Kelsey and Jim Bryson. They grew an impressive fruit which weighted an astonishing 1, 818.5 pounds.
The act of celebrating Halloween can be traced back to an ancient festival known as Samhain. This was a Celtic Holiday.
Orange and black are the recognized colors for Halloween.
Trick-or-treat is a phrase which children recite when they knock on doors. Traditionally the "trick" was an action preformed by the child which would then earn him/her a candy. This action might have been telling a joke, singing a song or reciting a short poem. The trick was never something nasty.
A pumpkin is 90% water.
Seeing a spider on Halloween is considered to be lucky.
Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.
Sprinkling salt at all of the entrances to your house will help to prevent evil spirits from entering your home.
The day after Halloween is All Saints Day.
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