Halloween

Spooky season is upon us so in this post, I am sharing some facts about Halloween for anyone who may not know much about it or doesn't celebrate it.

Picture from Halloween Vector Art, Icons, and Graphics for Free Download (vecteezy.com)

Halloween is on October 31st, but people celebrated throughout the month of October. 

Halloween originated in Ireland and dates back to 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts believed that the returned to earth on the night of October 31st, so they wore costumes and lit bonfires to scare off the ghosts. 

A man named Stingy Jack inspired Jack-o-lanterns. He fooled the devil and was forced to walk the earth with only a burning coal in a hollowed turnip lighting up the path. 

Trick-or-treating was inspired by the medieval English tradition of souling where children would knock on doors to offer prayers for residents loved ones who have passed away in exchange for food. 

Before the 1950s, trick-or-treaters would receive pieces of cake, fruits, nuts, coins and little toys instead of candy.

Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween. 

In some places, the night before Halloween is known as mischief night on which children play pranks like toilet papering yards and smashing pumpkins.

The word 'witch' comes from the old English language and means wise woman.

In Ireland, people celebrate Halloween by setting off fireworks. 

In the 19th century, people actually carved turnips instead of pumpkins/ 

The reason why black and orange are associated with Halloween is because orange signals the harvest of autumn while black is a symbol of darkness. 

Scarecrows were created by Greek farmers to protect their crops and symbolize the ancient agricultiral roots of the holiday. 

The record for the world's fastest pumpkin carving time is held by a man named Stephen Clarke who did it in 24.03 seconds. 

The city of Keene, New Hampshire holds the world record for the most lit jack-o-lanterns on display with 30,581. Keene has broken the record eight times. 

In Hollywood, silly string is banned on Halloween and if anyone uses it they will get a $1,000 fine. 

There are many different types of Halloween costumes and people get very creative with their looks. Scary costumes reign supreme, but they can also be silly, funny, cute.