In keeping up the holiday spirit, here are some interesting facts you most likely did not know about Halloween.
Facts
1. Jack-o'-lanterns originated in Ireland during the Samhain holiday where people would place candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep bad spirits and ghosts away, according to Halloween Web.
2. According to Random Facts website, Scottish girls believed they could see images of their future husband if they hung wet sheets in front of the fire on Halloween, and others believed they would see their boyfriend’s faces if they looked into mirrors while walking downstairs at midnight on Halloween.
3. There are laws prohibiting certain activities or costumes such as in Hollywood where using Silly String on Halloween generates a fine of $1000, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. In Alabama it is illegal to dress up as a priest or other religious clergy member, according to Section 13A-14-4 of the Alabama Code.
4. According to the National Retail Federation’s Halloween Consumer Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, the total spending on Halloween in the U.S. is estimated to be $6.9 billion. Three hundred thirty million dollars will be spent on greeting cards and 44.8 percent of the celebrants will decorate their home or yard, according to the federation.
5. On Oct. 19, 2013, Keene, New Hampshire, became the current world record for most lit jack-o-lanterns on display with 30,581, according to the Guinness World Records website.
6. It is rare for a full moon to occur on Halloween. It happened in 1925, 1944, 1955 and 1974. It could happen again in 2020, according to Daily News Dig.
7. According to Influenster.com, Americans will spend between $2.1 billion and $2.6 billion on candy this Halloween.
8. From an online survey of more than 40,000 people across the nation, it was determined Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is America’s favorite Halloween candy. Other favorites include Kit Kat and Butterfinger.
9. More candy is sold on Oct. 28 than any other day and kids consume up to 7,000 calories on Halloween, according to Daily News Dig.
10. Many shelters don’t allow black cats to be adopted around Halloween for fear that they may be tortured or sacrificed, according to Steven Hansen, vice president of ASPCA Animal Health Services, and Gail Buchwald, senior vice president of the ASPCA Pet Adoption Center, who told Santa Barbara Independent.
11. Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas, according to Daily New Dig.
12. More than 157 million Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation.
13. The popular movie, Halloween (1978), was made in only 21 days on a $325,000 budget, according to Halloween Web. William Shatner’s Star Trek mask, which was spray-painted and had reshaped eyeholes and teased hair, was used as Michael Meyers’s mask because it was cheapest they could find. The movie was shot in the spring and included fake autumn leaves. The main character Laurie Strode, who is played by Jamie Lee Curtis, was named after director John Carpenter’s first girlfriend.
Josie Smith, freshman in nursing, said she found many of the facts suprising.
“I also thought it was surprising about the laws like the one in Hollywood, and the myth about hanging the sheets,” Smith said. “I thought that was kind of weird.”
Eric Port, freshman in business, said he thinks Halloween’s history is interesting.
“I thought it was interesting that jack-o’-lanterns originated in Ireland,” Port said.
Courtney Willett, freshman in microbial biology, cell/molecular, said she thinks it is interesting jack-o’-lanterns were made of hollowed out potatoes and turnips.
“It was different,” Willett said. “I never really thought about using potatoes as jack-o'-lanterns.”
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