Here are some facts about Halloween.
- Halloween is celebrated on October 31st and is a shortening of All Hallows’ Eve. It has its origins in Celtic culture when the day celebrated the end of the harvest.
- In the US, it is the most commercially successful holiday after Christmas. European immigrants introduced many Halloween traditions to America.
- Children are 50 percent more likely to be killed or injured by traffic on October 31st, than on any other night.
- The fear of Halloween is known as samhainophobia.
- Halloween is also celebrated around the world. It is popular in the UK, China, Japan, Brazil, Greece and Romania.
- Halloween is especially popular in Ireland, when children dress as creatures from the underworld. Trick or treating is also popular and October 31st is the busiest night of the year for the police.
- The colours orange and black are often associated with Halloween. Orange originally signified the autumn harvest, while black was associated with darkness and the line between life and death.
- Trick or treating began in Ireland, when children would visit homes and tell rhymes for rewards.
- In 8th century Britain, poor people went begging from door to door on Halloween.
- The 1978 film Halloween is considered to be a horror classic. It was made on a tight budget, with the actors wearing their own clothes and helping with odd jobs.
- The ancient Celts first wore masks and costumes on October 31st, so they would not be recognized by wandering ghosts. Bonfires were lit to ensure the sun would return next year.
- Jack O’Lanterns were originally made from turnips, but are now made out of pumpkins. They are supposedly named after a mean man named Jack who was condemned to wander the earth waving his lantern to mislead people.
- Nearly 19,000 tons of pumpkins are sold in the US and UK every Halloween season.
