halloween facts

The day of Halloween is celebrated around the world in many different ways. One cool Halloween fact is that in France Halloween is just beginning to be celebrated and is a fairly new holiday for them. As with any well known holiday people are always interested in knowing specific facts about how it began or how much candy is sold or why people wear certain costumes or other such interesting facts. Here are twenty five Halloween facts.

1)   Largest Halloween Party

 In 2010 the New Orleans Saints held the world’s largest Halloween party which was ascertained by the Guinness World Records and this fact was published by them.

2)  How Much We Spend On Halloween Candy

 US consumers spend almost $2 billion dollars during the Halloween season on candy.

3)  Best Selling Halloween Candy

 That three colored candy called candy corn makes up 75 percent of all candy sold at Halloween.

4)  Who Created The Best Selling Halloween Candy?

Is that The Wunderle Candy Company of Philadelphia created candy corn and in the 1880s they were the first company to go commercial on a large scale with it. Another company did produce them earlier but they did not have the equipment to go on a large commercial basis with them.

5) What Is That Candy Made Of?

Is the three colors of candy corn are what makes the candy look like a kernel of corn. The mixture is made from basic ingredients of sugar, corn syrup and water which is heated into a slurry type consistency then fondant is added for a smooth texture. Marshmallow is then added in for a softer chew.

6)  Candy Corn Size

Each piece of candy corn is three times larger than a real fresh or dried corn kernel.

7)  This Halloween Fact

Is that carving Jack-O-Lanterns evolved from carving turnips in Ireland and Scotland.

8)  The Halloween Fact About Turnips

They were being used originally and they were carved and lit with a light to remember all of the souls who are not in heaven.

9)  Pumpkins Instead Of Turnips

In North America people started carving pumpkins instead of turnips because pumpkins were more readily available and also larger making it easier to carve. They continued the practice of inserting a candle or some form of light in them though.

10)  Another Halloween Fact

Is that Halloween was not originally about trick and treating but was a celebration about harvesting crops.

11)  The Halloween Fact Is That Halloween Was From All Hallow’s Eve

It is the night before All Saints Day and is the last day of the Celtic calendar. It is most likely from the Celtic word Samhain or samuin which is derived from Old Irish roughly translated ‘summer’s end’ which ties back to the reason of celebrating the harvest time of year.

12)  All Saints Day

This Halloween fact is All Saints Day or All Saints is the day where all saints known or unknown are recognized and celebrated. The Celts thought that on All Hallow Eve all the laws of the universe were suspended and the spirit world could transverse back into the world of the living to find a living being to inhabit.  

13)  Trick Or Treat

The phrase trick or treat makes up this Halloween fact and the trick was really an implied threat to cause some mischief or light form of destruction but not generally carried out. In the past outhouses were tipped over or pulled to another location or yards were TP-ed all over. However in some cases there was real destruction performed if the tricksters were not treated with something. At one time it was equated with vandalism.

14)  Early on in 1910- 1920s

It is a Halloween fact that there was no association of candy and Halloween. However the candy makers were looking for new holidays to equate with candy giving and latched onto the idea of trick or treat. They then began a wide scale campaign of giving out candy as the treat portion of trick or treat.

15)  Candy On Halloween

Fortunately for the candy makers the public felt that candy was a perfect thing to give out on Halloween. The Halloween fact is that they felt it was inexpensive, easy to purchase and just as easy to hand out to the trick or treaters.

16)  Costumes

The first mass produced costume in the US was during the 1930’s when trick and treating became popular.

17)  1895 In Scotland

A Halloween fact is that in Scotland in 1895 the term used for the costume was guising which referred to the disguises that the children wore when they went from door to door carrying their lighted carved turnips so they could get food or coins.

18)  Haunted Location

There are many believed to be haunted US locations where people congregate to celebrate the Halloween eve. A Halloween fact is the famous Lizzie Borden was acquitted for killing her father and stepmother with a hatchet but she is said to still haunt the Lizzie Borden house built in 1845 which is considered one of the most haunted places in the US.

19)  Movies

A television reunion movie, ‘Halloween with the New Addams Family’ was shown on NBC Sunday, October 30, 1977. It featured most of the original cast from the television series ‘The Addams Family’ except for Blossum Rock.

20)  Pumpkin Size

The largest pumpkin grown was in 2010 from New Richmond, WI at 1810.5.

21)  Feeding

The grower of the largest pumpkin in 2010 said his special secret ingredients were the sun, seaweed, rain, cow manure and fish emulsion.

22)  Prior Large Pumpkin

The previous Guinness record largest pumpkin grown was from Ohio and weighed 1725 pounds.

23)  Pumpkins

Pumpkins are a fruit that originated in Central America.

24)  Halloween Spending

US consumers spend most of their money on Halloween candy within a week before Halloween with the last few days they spend over two billion on candy.

25)  Biggest Sale Day

The Halloween fact is the biggest candy spending day is Oct 28.