Today, I will be telling about the top 5 creepy facts about Halloween.
1. What is Halloween?
The second-largest grossing commercial holiday behind only Christmas, Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, is celebrated on October 31st every year in countries all around the world.
Halloween is believed to have originated some 6,000 years ago around 4000 BC in Ireland. The day comes immediately before November first, which is called All Hallows Day, or Hallowmas.
However, there are actually some people out there who have developed a phobia of Halloween, called Samhainophobia. However, there are actually some people out there who have developed a phobia of Halloween, called Samhainophobia.
2. Who exactly celebrates Halloween?
It’s celebrated in many countries, but some people have taken it much farther. Many people have set world records in relation to Halloween.
Norm Craven has grown the largest pumpkin ever at 379 kilograms in 1993.
In 2006, the people of Boston, Massachusetts, set a record for lighting 30,128 jack-o’-lanterns at once.
American Stephen Clarke holds the record for carving a literal ton of pumpkins in only three hours, 33 minutes and 49 seconds in 2011.
And in 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota, supported the largest gathering of zombies with 15,458 participants.
When it comes to celebrating Halloween, the best way is to dress up in a costume and party, trick-or-treat, or, if you want to get crazy, join one of two million spectators who annually attend New York’s Village Halloween Parade, the biggest in the United States, with 50,000 participants.
3. Where did Halloween symbols originate?
The traditional Halloween colors are orange and black, as many of you know.
However, what you might not know is that orange is a symbol of endurance and strength, and represents the harvest and autumn, while black is a symbol of darkness and represents the boundaries between life and death.
Jack-o’-lanterns, which we all have fun carving every year, are named after a man named Jack, who tricked the devil so many times that he was banned from Heaven and Hell and was forced to spend eternity waving a lantern as he wanders the Earth. And shockingly, it was originally turnips that were used to make jack-o’-lanterns, but eventually became pumpkins as they were much more plentiful.
Cats became a symbol due to their association with witches and Druidic rituals. And slightly less known is the owl, who is also tied to witches, as many believed that they were witches in disguise. In fact, legend says that if you hear an owl’s call on Halloween, it means that someone’s about to die.
4. When is Halloween dangerous?
While there are many myths about poison being in candy, there has never been a documented case of a neighbor or stranger actually doing it.
In the few cases of candy poisoning that do exist, the culprit is actually one of the child’s loved ones. On Halloween night in 1974, Timothy O’Bryan died after consuming potassium cyanide that had been added to his Pixy Stix. Shockingly, it was his father, Ronald Clark O’Bryan, who poisoned him, trying to collect life insurance money.
So, if you are going to trick-or-treat this Halloween, be careful out there and make sure that you’re wearing something bright so the drivers can see you.
Research shows that Halloween night is the worst night for accidents involving kids getting hit by cars. In fact, children are twice as likely to be hit on October 31st than any other night of the year. So dress up like Iron Man all you want, just make sure you’re a little bit flashy because, otherwise, you might turn into a road pancake.
5. Why do we love Halloween so much?
For some of us, Halloween is a chance to be someone else for a night, while for others, it’s an opportunity to test their bravery and place themselves in scary situations.
There’s a legend that says if you wear your clothes inside out and walk backward on All Hallows Eve, you’ll encounter a witch at midnight. Or, if that’s not your style and you’re too young to trick-or-treat, you could always throw a killer party and hand out candy. In any case, you’re spending money, usually a lot of money. In fact, the National Retail Federation estimated that Americans spent over $7.4 billion dollars on costumes, cards, and candy in 2014. Quite the expensive holiday. Whatever it is you, your friends or your family are up to this year, I hope that you have a safe and fun All Hallows Eve.
