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FIFTY FUN HALLOWEEN FACTS

1. Halloween is held on October 31 st which is the last day of the Celtic calender.

2. The Halloween custom has evolved from the ancient Celts belief that the

border between this world and the Otherworld becomes thin on All Hallows!ve. "eo#le wore costumes to dis$uise themselves and avoid harm.

3. The day after Halloween is called All %aints &ay. Christians dedicate this dayto all those saints who don't have a s#ecial day of their own.

(. All hallows is another way to say all saints. All Hallows !ve means the ni$ht before All %aints &ay.

). The first evidence of the use of the word Halloween comes from %cotland inthe early 1* th century. +t was slan$ for All Hallows !ve.

*. The colours oran$e and blac, re#resent Halloween because oran$e is thecolour of #um#,ins -and autumn and blac, is associated with death.

/. The tradition of carvin$ a 0ac, o' lantern started in the nited in$dom. Theywere carved on All Hallows !ve and left on the door ste# to ward off evils#irits.

. The ori$inal 0ac, o' lanterns were carved from a swede or a turni#.

4. 5ac, o' lanterns were named after the #henomenon of stran$e li$ht flic,erin$over #eat bo$s.

16.Carvin$ $ourds into elaborately decorated lanterns dates bac, thousands ofyears to Africa. They were intentionally brou$ht to the 7ew 8orld via

#rehistoric mi$ration throu$h Asia.

11.A record for the most simultaneously lit 5ac, o' 9anterns was set on October21: 266* when 36:12 0ac, o' lanterns were simultaneously lit on ;ostonCommon.

12.The world's lar$est 0ac, o' lantern was carved from the world's then lar$est #um#,in on October 31: 266) in 7orthern Cambria: "ennsylvania: nited%tates by %cott Cully. The #um#,in wei$hed 1:(*4 lb -***.33 ,$ .

13.Today the record for the world's lar$est #um#,in is held by 7ic, and ristyHar# whose #um#,in wei$hed in at 1:/2) lbs -/ 2.() ,$ .

1(.Tric, or treatin$ is the Halloween custom where children dressed in costume

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$o door to door as,in$ for candy with the = The=tric,= is a -usually idle threat to #erform mischief on the home owners ortheir #ro#erty if no treat is $iven.

1).?any #eo#le believe: Tric, or Treatin$ evolved from the ?iddle A$es custom

of $ivin$ freshly ba,ed soul ca,es to children who went door to door on AllHallows !ve offerin$ #rayers.

1*.!ach soul ca,e eaten re#resented a soul bein$ freed from #ur$atory.1/.+n %weden: children dress u# as witches and $o tric, or treatin$ on ?aundy

Thursday -the Thursday before !aster .

1 . +n 7orthern @ermany: 7orway and %outhern &enmar, children dress u# incostumes and $o tric, or treatin$ on 7ew ear's !ve in a tradition

called=Bummel#ott=.14.+n %cotland: the children are only su##osed to receive treats if they #erform

tric,s for the households they $o to. This normally ta,es the form of sin$in$ ason$ or recitin$ a 0o,e or a funny #oem which the child has memorised beforesettin$ out.

26. or a number of years -in the late 1 th century and early 26 th centuryHalloween in the .% became synonymous with vandalism.

21.+n 1412: ;oy %cout clubs and other community or$anisations came to$ether toencoura$e a safe Halloween celebration. %chool #osters at this time called for a%ane Halloween.

22.+n an effort to #revent dama$e to their #ro#erties: householders be$an to offerchildren treats if they #romised not to #lay tric,s.

23.;y the end of the 1436's tric, or treatin$ had become wides#read.

2(.Besearch done by the .% 7ational Confectioners association in 266) revealedthat 6D of adults and 43D of children went tric, or treatin$ on Halloween.

2).The first screen de#iction of Tric, or Treatin$ was in &isney's cartoon: Tric,or Treatin$. +n this cartoon Huey: &uey and 9ouie try to tric, their ncle:&onald &uc, into $ivin$ them candy.

2*.+n 14*( a 7ew or, housewife annoyed by Halloween started $ivin$ out #ac,a$es of inedible ob0ects to children whom she believed were too old to be

tric, or treatin$. The #ac,a$es contained items such as steel wool: do$ biscuitsand ant buttons -which were clearly labelled with the word #oison . Thou$hnobody was in0ured: she was #rosecuted and #leaded $uilty to endan$erin$

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children.

2/.+n 14/6: the 7ew or, Times #ublished an article that claimed that =ThoseHalloween $oodies that children collect this wee,end on their rounds of Etric,or treatin$F may brin$ them more horror than ha##iness=. +t #rovided s#ecific

eGam#les of #otential tam#erin$s. The eGam#les were s#eculative but led to a$round swell of fear.

2 .;y the 14 6s: % and Canadian #arents fear that tric, or treatin$ childrencould be in dan$er of eatin$ candy that had been tam#ered with reached a

#ea,. +n 14 ): an A;C 7ews 8ashin$ton "ost #oll that found *6D of #arentsfeared that their children would be in0ured or ,illed because of Halloweencandy sabota$e.

24.A#art from one incidentIactually an act of #remeditated murder by a tric, ortreater's fatherIthere have been no recorded incidents of malicious anddeliberate tam#erin$ of candy durin$ Halloween.

36. +n 14/6: a ) year old boy from the &etroit area found and ate heroin his unclehad stashed. The boy died followin$ a four day coma. The family attem#ted to

#rotect the uncle by claimin$ the dru$ had been s#rin,led in the child'sHalloween candy.

31.+n 266 : candy was found with metal shavin$s and metal blades embedded init. The candy was "o,emon Jalentine's &ay lolli#o#s #urchased from a &ollar@eneral store in "ol, County: lorida. The candy was determined to have beenmanufactured in China and not tam#ered with within the nited %tates.

32.+n the .%: Halloween accounts for 2)D of the year's candy sales.

33.+n the .%: nearly K2 billion is s#ent each year on Halloween candy.

3(.Candy corn is the most #o#ular Halloween candy in the .%.

3).Candy corn was created by the .% 8underle Candy com#any in the 1 6's.

3*.%nic,ers bars are the most #o#ular candy bar sold on Halloween in the .%.

3/.%nic,ers bars were created in 1436 by the ?ars family. +t was named aftertheir family horse.

3 .Besearch conducted by the .% 7ational Betail ederation found that in 266) L

)3D of Americans bou$ht a Halloween costume: s#endin$ an avera$e of K3 .

34.The first mass #roduced Halloween costumes a##eared in the 1436's in the

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.%.

(6.Ori$inally Halloween costumes were scary characters li,e vam#ires: $hosts:s,eletons : witches and devils.

(1.Today: Halloween costumes are often ins#ired by science fiction: television:cinema: cartoons and #o# culture.

(2.Accordin$ to the .% 7ational Betail ederation the most #o#ular Halloweencostume themes for adults are: in orderM witch: #irate: vam#ire: cat: and clown.

(3.+n 2664: the most #o#ular Halloween character for Adults and Children was?ichael 5ac,son. ?ichael 5ac,son died on 5une 2): 2664.

((.+n 14**: The TJ series ;atman was so #o#ular: a fabric com#any issued #atterns for children's costumes in 14**.

().A##le bobbin$ is a traditional Halloween $ame. The $ame is #layed by fillin$a tub or a lar$e basin with water and #uttin$ a##les in the water. ;ecausea##les are less dense than water: they will float. "layers then try to catch onewith their teeth.

(*.A##le bobbin$ is becomin$ less #o#ular: #ossibly because some #eo#le re$ardit as unsanitary.

(/.@irls who #lace the a##le they bobbed under their #illows are said to dream oftheir future lover.

( .On 14 ebruary: 266 : 7ew or,er: Ashrita urman: bobbed 33 a##les in oneminute to establish a world record.

(4.A$atha Christie's mystery novel: Hallowe'en "arty is about a $irl who isdrowned in an a##le bobbin$ tub.

)6.7ew or, City hosts the nited %tates' lar$est Halloween celebration: ,nownas The Jilla$e Halloween "arade. The evenin$ #arade attracts over two millions#ectators and #artici#ants.