Costumes set? Candy purchased? Pumpkins out? Then you’re ready for Halloween! But how much do you really know about the holiday? Check out this Halloween trivia and see if you learn a few new facts about how some of the seasonal traditions started and how we celebrated today.
How much do Americans spend on Halloween candy?
Americans will spend approximately $2.2 billion on Halloween candy, according to the National Retail Federation. More than 71% of those surveyed said they plan to hand out candy. (And those in the other 29% are hoping that they don’t get tricked as a result.) 35% of consumers plan to send a Halloween greeting card.
There was always that one most favorite house that gave away full-size candy bars, and that was always the pinnacle of trick or treating. What is the most popular candy bar?
For a lot of kids, Halloween is all about the candy. Snickers is the most popular candy bar. Hope you gets lots of your favorite candy this year!
Who first thought “Hey, lets carve a pumpkin” for Halloween?
An Irishman, though we don’t have an exact name. The practice of carving Jack-O’-Lanterns first originated in Ireland centuries ago, but they used turnips and beets. They hollowed them out, put candles inside and used them as lanterns. Irish immigrants brought the tradition with them to America, but they soon realized that pumpkins were more plentiful than turnips, and cheaper, too, so they started carving those instead.
Halloween is said by some experts to have originated from a Celtic harvest festival. What was it called?
The festival was Samhain (which is pronounced like “sowen”) and “samhain” means “end of summer.” It was celebrated on Oct. 31, which is halfway between autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. Like a lot of our modern holidays, a pagan festival was merged with a Christian religious observance. In this case, Samhain and All Saints Day and AllSouls’ Day and Halloween emerged.
It’s not Halloween without costumes. Guess which ones Google says are the most popular this year?
Unsurprisingly, Frozen leads the way, with Elsa and Olaf having the top two spots, according to Google. Maleficent, Ninja Turtles and Anna from Frozen round out the top five. The Avengers are also popular this year.
Speaking of costumes, did you know that some laws regulate costumes? In what state is it illegal to dress up as a priest?
Alabama. In the state law, Section 13A-14-4 says that, “Fraudulently pretending to be clergyman” will get you arrested and fined. Hope that wasn’t your plan. If so, you either need to shelve the collar or consider heading somewhere else to celebrate.
What famous magician died on Halloween?
The legendary Harry Houdini, magician and escape artist, passed away on October 31, 1926 at Detroit’s Grace Hospital as the result of a burst appendix.
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