I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LET’S GET SOME HALLOWEEN FUN FACTS UP IN HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Halloween (or All Hallow’s Eve) was originally meant to honor the dead and pray for their souls’ passing into heaven. That’s cool and all, but now it’s SPOOKY DAY!!!
- Some Christians believed that on Halloween, the dead came out of their coffins for “one wild, hideous carnival” in which they danced the night away, together. This was called the danse macabre.
- The first Jack-o-lanterns were made from turnips! They were called “Hoberdy’s lanterns” and were made by mischievous teens to frighten passersby.
- Speaking of Jack-o-lanterns, the story of the lighthearted Halloween decoration comes from a young boy named Jack who tricked Satan. He asked Satan to turn into a coin so he could use it to pay for something at the market. Later, Satan (as the coin) was to disappear from the market, starting a fight among the merchants as they found out it was “stolen” from them. Satan agreed, and Jack stuck him in his wallet next to a cross, stripping him of his powers. Jack would only let him out if he promised to never take his soul, and Satan agreed.
Many years later, when Jack died, he couldn’t go to hell (due to his deal) but was too sinful to go to heaven. He now roams Earth, trapped there forever, with only the lantern he carved out of a turnip to keep him company. He was dubbed “Jack of the lantern” by the people who saw him, or “Jack o’ lantern”. - THAT’S PRETTY METAL
- Trick-or-treating started as a deal between candy-givers and candy-receivers. For candy, people would pray for their soul’s passing to heaven. The first “trick-or-treaters” (though they weren’t called that at the time) went from parish to parish asking for treats using the particularly horrifying verse, “Soul, souls, for a soul-cake; Pray you good mistress, a soul-cake!” This practice was called “souling”.
- There are actually no recorded cases of children being hurt or drugged by a stranger giving out Halloween candy. In (VERY RARE.) cases, this story is spread to hide the murder or accidental death of a child.
- One of the origins of the myth is the case of a disgruntled New York woman who gave out inedible items to children that she deemed “too old” to be trick-or-treating. I’m going trick-or-treating today specifically to spite her.
- The first “haunted house” attraction was opened in England in 1915. It was called the Orton and Spooner Ghost House, probably the most delightful name they could have used. It still exists today!
- The world’s biggest pumpkin was grown in Germany by Mathia Willemijn. It weighed 2,624.6 pounds!
- For our final bullet point, here’s a more personal fact! For a good portion of my childhood, Halloweens were postponed or outright cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy and several snow/rainstorms that made it too dangerous for kids to go out. We’d have to go trick-or-treating in the middle of November.
Happy Halloween, Avocados! Enjoy today, my favorite day of the year!
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