Halloween is a popular festival that falls on October 31 every year. Different countries follow different ways and have a gala time. In the United States, people pursue odd traditions such as pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating, a customary celebration for the kids on occasion.
The Halloween costumes are more or less modeled after monsters, ghosts, vampires, witches, skeletons, and devils. These make things quite spooky. There are a bunch of Halloween practices that have their origins in the past. There is also a fun factor that’s associated with the celebrations. All these make the iconic festival a unique one. Below are some fun facts about the festival that you were unaware of. Stay hooked.
Candy Corn Was Previously Popular As Chicken Feed
Although many think that corn tastes almost identical to chicken feed, this is not how it’s got its name. George Renninger’s creation dates back to the late 19th century. By the turn of the 19th century, the Goelitz Confectionary Company, now popular as Jelly Belly Co., supplies it to the masses. Since people used corn to feed chickens, Chicken Feed was the name given to the product. The box had a colorful rooster mark on it. That’s interesting, isn’t it?
Trick-or-Treat Originates from Souling
Trick-or-treating is one traditional custom that is followed during Halloween. Kids dress up in different costumes and visit almost every door to beg for food or coins. It might sound a bit weird to some, but the custom has been continuing since the Middle Ages. Have you heard about the rituals of Samhain? According to a popular belief, phantoms roamed around the earth on Samhain night.
After some time, the Catholic Church started replacing pagan festivals and incorporating their holidays instead. All Souls’ Day is one such festival. Thereby, the act of selling turned out to be quite a popular tradition. Therefore, people would dress in costumes to fight off the spirits. Poor adults and children would dress up as a spirit and visit every door, receiving food instead of prayers.
The Highest Number of Jack o’lanterns Display
As per the iconic Guinness World of Records, the maximum number of Jack o’lanterns lit and displayed to date is 30,581 in the City of Keene in the year 2013. Records state that Keene has been able to break the record eight more times since the first attempt. That’s indeed a feat that has never been replicated. Great stuff!
Magic and Fortune-Telling is at the Core
If you follow the old English folklore, you will find that the festival of Halloween is full of superstitions. Magic and fortune-telling have been at the core, and it continues to be so in the present times.
As per one of the popular folklores, if a young and unmarried individual happens to come down the stairs at midnight, holding a mirror and walking backward, the fact that the mirror would show will be the person’s next lover. That’s one of the superstitions that linger on.
Day of the Dead Should Be Days of the Dead
If you visit Mexico or other Hispanic nations, you will see the people celebrating Dia de Los Muertos or the Day of the Dead from October 31 to May 2. Dia de Los Inocentes falls on November 1 and honors the kids that died. The graves are decorated with the kid’s breath and white orchids by the members of their families.
On the 2nd, families celebrate Dia de Los Muertos to honor the deceased adults. They decorate the graves with orange marigolds. According to the people of the Aztec civilization, the original tradition was a month-long celebration. After the Spanish arrived in Mexico during the 16th century, the festival was merged with All Saints’ Day, a Catholic tradition. The celebration is an amalgamation of Aztec rituals and Catholic traditions in today’s times.
Another fun fact that many of you probably never knew is that the White House, the official address of the U.S. President, is haunted. Reports of eerie sounds and a host of ghostly appearances have poured in.
And people believe they saw the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. However, that’s not the only those people saw. A few other prominent names include Sir Winston Churchill, Queen Wilhelmina, and Eleanor Roosevelt. If that isn’t spooky, then what is? Share your thoughts in the comments section!