1The origins of Halloween began 2,000 years ago.
CaroleGomez//Getty Images According to History.com, the first Halloween celebrations can be traced back to the ancient Celts. They lived in the area now occupied by Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, and celebrated a festival called Samhain on October 31st, just a day beforeAztec, Toltec, and Mayan cultures were celebrating Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. It marked the day before their new year, the start of winter, and a time when the dead were believed to return to Earth.
2Trick or treating evolved from a tradition called "souling."
Crystal Sing / EyeEm//Getty Images 319th-century immigrants popularized Halloween in the U.S.
twstipp//Getty Images Despite colonial New Englanders' awareness of Halloween, History.com explains that celebrations were very limited due to their strict Protestant beliefs. It wasn't until the second half of the 19th century, when a wave of Irish and other European immigrants arrived, that the holiday became widespread across America.
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4Jack-o'-lanterns come from Irish folk tales about "Stingy Jack."
Catherine Delahaye//Getty Images Irish Central details the myth of Stingy Jack, who was eternally doomed to roam the earth at night after making a deal with the devil. To guide his way, he lit a coal in a carved out turnip, inspiring Irish and Scottish people to do the same. When they later immigrated to America however, they realized the native pumpkins there had a more ideal surface for carving.
5Candy corn was originally called "chicken feed."
Henry Horenstein//Getty Images According to History.com, candy corns first appeared on the market around the 1880s, a time when about half of the American workforce was made up of farmers. Because of this, candies were often made into agricultural shapes, such as chicken feed, which we now think of as corn shaped. The change occurred after World War I, when corn became viewed as people food.
6Keene, NH, holds the record for most lit jack-o-lanterns.
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7Women used to play Halloween games to learn about their future husbands.
mammuth//Getty Images While Valentine's Day is now widely accepted as the holiday for romance, there was once a time when Halloween was associated with courtship. The New York Times explains that in early 20th century, Halloween activities often played upon women's pursuit of love. One game involved cutting an apple skin off and tossing it over her shoulder, with the landed peel said to indicate the first initial of her future suitor.
8It wasn't until the 1970s that candy was exclusively doled out to trick or treaters.
Westend61//Getty Images 9Americans spend around $3 billion on candy annually.
Scott Olson//Getty Images Halloween spending in the US reached its all-time high in 2022 with $10.6 billion planned to be spent on the holiday in total, up from $10.1 billion in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation. On average, Americans are spending an average of $100.45 on Halloween, with $29.51 on that on candy, making for $3.1 billion spent on candy nation-wide.
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10The Michael Myers mask in Halloween is the face of a well-known celebrity.
Kevin Winter//Getty Images The iconic costume from this 1978 film is nothing short of terrifying, but its backstory is actually pretty amusing. The New York Times revealed that the film's production designer Tommy Lee Wallace found a mask of William Shatner as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, and was completely inspired. The crew spray-painted it white to achieve the look we're all familiar with today.
11Des Moines has a unique tradition called Beggars' Night.
Kinzie+Riehm//Getty Images In most places trick or treaters simply have to arrive in costume in order to get their Halloween candy, but that's not the case in Des Moines. The Des Moines Register explains that, as part of their Beggars' Night ritual, kids also have to do a trick or tell a joke of some sort to earn their share of candy.
12The record for fastest pumpkin carving is 16.47 seconds.
SolStock//Getty Images Pumpkin carving is a leisurely activity for most, but competitive carver Stephen Clarke set the Guinness World Record in 2013 by completing his masterpiece in under 17 seconds. In order to qualify, the pumpkin had to have a nose, eyes, mouth, and ears.
Sam Lawyer is a lifestyle writer and television producer based in New York City. She’s been contributing to Woman’s Day for nearly five years, and covers a variety of topics from gifting, to health, and entertainment. Her work has additionally been featured in Cosmopolitan, Country Living, and Good Housekeeping. When she’s not writing or producing, you can find her binging her favorite Bravo shows or getting walked by her French Bulldog.
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