1.
Harry Houdini was one of the most famous and mysterious magicians who ever lived. Strangely enough he died on October 31, 1926 on Halloween night.
2.
The word “witch” actually comes from an old English word that means “wise woman”; and the witches held one of their two yearly meetings on Halloween.
3.
Owls are a popular Halloween symbol. In medieval times, owls were believed to be witches, and if you heard the call of an owl it meant that someone was about to die.
4.
Halloween is traditionally associated with the colors orange and black; orange because of its link to the fall harvest, and black because of its connection to darkness and death.
5.
Halloween is old, like really, really old. It is believed that the Halloween tradition began in the year 4,000 B.C., which means that humans have been celebrating this fun holiday for over 6,000 years.
6.
Old English folklore about Halloween is full of superstition and fortune-telling. One piece of folklore says that if an unmarried person walks down the stairs backwards at midnight while holding a mirror, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover.
7.
If you’re not tired of waking backwards and want to see a witch on Halloween, then according to an old folk tradition, wear your clothes inside out, and walk backwards. You will see a witch at midnight. Careful of not looking in the mirror though or you will be cursed to be a witch all year.
8.
Candy corn was originally called chicken feed. No, not because of how it tastes but because corn was used to feed chickens. Before high rises we had farms. “Chicken Feed” was created in 1880 and sold by Goelitz Confectionery Company in Illinois -- now known as Jelly Bean Co.
9.
Boston knows how to light their jack-o-lanterns holding the unique record of having over 30,000 all lit at once.
10.
Legend has it that Jack O’Lanterns get their name from an old Irish story about a man named Jack who tried to trick the devil and because of his tricky ways was barred from entering either heaven or hell. Instead he was forced to wander the earth where he used lanterns to wave people away from their intended paths. In Ireland and Scotland people began to carve scary faces and that’s why we have carved pumpkins today.
11.
In the 1940’s trick or treating was halted because war-time rationing had curtailed the use of sugar.
12.
Legend has it that if you see a spider on Halloween night (not day) it means a loved one is watching over you.
13.
Major bucks are spent on Halloween. Americans spend close to $10 billion per year on the festivities.
14.
Halloween is one of the more popular holidays and ranks higher than either Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Eve. It is said that if you met someone new on Halloween it will be your true love.
15.
The biggest Halloween parade is in New York City. At least 5,000 people wear costumes and march in the Village Halloween Parade. Even more people gather around to watch the celebration.
