Weird But True Facts About Halloween

Halloween is that time of the year where kids are given the chance to explore the night with their friends in search of the sweetest candy out there. Many enjoy dressing up as their favorite monster or hero and the holiday has been a time-honored tradition for decades.

Over time, people have forgotten the true meaning of Halloween or the origin of this occasion that happens every October 31st. If you’re pondering over a few things about the festivity that feature, black cats, pumpkins, and ghostly beings, we got you covered.

Halloween Is #2 When It Comes To Success

One thing that you can always expect during Halloween is the all mighty candy bar. The candy industry in the U.S. makes an average of $2 billion--yup, a billion--annually during this season. Americans spend closely to $6 billion during Halloween due to the purchase of costumes, decorations, and sugary delights. This is according to History.com. Don’t worry, Christmas is still #1 when it comes to commercial profits.

Trick-Or-Treating Resurrected

It’s hard to imagine a time when trick-or-treating wasn’t a big event across America. However, there was a time when the joyous activity died during World War II due to sugar being rationed. It wouldn’t be until 1947 when the rationing ended and trick-or-treat would make a comeback. It would take the children’s magazine, ‘Jack and Jill’, the radio program ‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet’, and the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip to help bring the celebration to the glory that it’s known for today.

Turnips, Not Pumpkins

Jack-O-Lanterns is an unavoidable fixture in Halloween. The origin of this trait dates back to a Celtic folktale about a stingy farmer named, Jack. Jack would constantly play tricks on the devil and to punish him, the princess of darkness forced the farmer to wander purgatory with only a lump of coal. Jack took the coal and made a lantern from a turnip to guide him. This myth was brought over by Irish families in the 1800s but turnips were hard to come by in the U.S. Instead, Americans turned to pumpkins as a substitute to guide lost souls and keep evil spirits like "Jack of the Lantern" away.

Animal Skins And Heads

Dressing up on Halloween goes on par with the night like black cats and witches. Many people who REALLY get into the spirit of the event tend to go all out when coming up with scary detailed outfits. Yet, the practice of wearing costumes for the occasion can be traced back to the early days of “Hallows Eve”.Through Ancient Roman records, societies located in today’s Germany and France traditionally wore outfits that consisted of animal heads and skins and danced around a huge bonfire to connect to the spirits of the dead.

Candy Corn and Chicken Feed

Not everyone enjoys Candy Corn but for some, this one's for you. Invented by George Renninger at the Wunderle Candy Company of Philadelphia in 1880, the sugary glee was once known as “buttercream candy” and “chicken feed.” Corn was known to be used for livestock and even some of the old candy boxes featured a chicken. The candy was sold from March to November and originally had no association with Halloween. It wasn’t until after World War II that advertisers started marketing it as a Halloween special treat because of the colors and ties to fall harvest.

Unfounded Halloween Danger

Fears of poison or razors in candy have been around as far back as anyone could remember. It’s a common concern amongst parents and family members. Fortunately, those fears are unfounded. There are only two known cases of poisoning, and both involved relatives, according to LiveScience. The idea of candy becoming a great danger towards our loved ones is something that will more than likely live on but we’re here to tell you that your worries can be put a little at ease.

Cabbage Night

One would think that everyone got the memo on what happens in preparation for Halloween when it’s that time of the year. Surprisingly, some towns in early America would refer the night before Halloween as “Cabbage Night”. The special night came from a Scottish fortune-telling game. Girls used cabbage stumps to predict information on their future husbands. In the early days of Framingham, Massachusetts, some teens would skip the fortune-telling and throw cabbages at their neighbors’ house. 

This tidbit of information is according to ‘Framingham Legends & Lore’ by James L. Parr and Kevin A. Swope. Also, in the book ‘Candy: A Century of Panic and Pleasure’ by Samira Kawash, the cabbage throwing activity was no isolated event. During the late 19th century in Connecticut, country boys rejoiced in throwing cabbage, corn and other types of rotten vegetables around.

These are just a few crazy facts about Halloween that any curious mind should seek out. The special day for freights and treats has been a fixation for anyone looking to have a good time and should be had by all. Giving that some ideas of what Halloween is all about has changed over the years, we would have to guess that this trend will still be active as time rolls on by.