How much do you really know about the scariest night of the year??

Trick-or-treating, Halloween parties, visits to the graveyard (???...ummm...yeah- not me!)...however you plan on spending All Hallows Eve, it's a time to celebrate. But besides haunted houses and scary costumes, how much to you really know about a holiday that's been around for thousands of years?

Here's a few fun facts from factretriever.com to get you in the spooky spirit!

  • The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman”.
  • The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.
  • Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas.
  • The owl is a popular Halloween image. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant someone was about to die.
  • According to Irish legend, Jack O’Lanterns are named after a stingy man named Jack who, because he tricked the devil several times, was forbidden entrance into both heaven and hell. He was condemned to wander the Earth, waving his lantern to lead people away from their paths.
  • Trick-or-treating evolved from the ancient Celtic tradition of putting out treats and food to placate spirits who roamed the streets at Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year.
  • Black and orange are typically associated with Halloween. Orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and, along with brown and gold, stands for the harvest and autumn. Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness and acts as a reminder that Halloween once was a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.
  • Children are more than twice as likely to be killed in a pedestrian/car accident on Halloween than on any other night.
  • Because the movie Halloween (1978) was on such a tight budget, they had to use the cheapest mask they could find for the character Michael Meyers, which turned out to be a William Shatner Star Trek mask. Shatner initially didn’t know the mask was in his likeness, but when he found out years later, he said he was honored.
  • Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.

For more Halloween fun facts, click HERE.

 

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