Halloween

Fascinating facts about Halloween

Go big or go home

Halloween is really big business, well in the United States at least, where it is second only to Christmas as the most commercially successful holiday. Did you also know that Americans buy 600 million pounds of candy for Halloween?

Trick-or-treating

Trick-or-treating originates from a Celtic tradition of leaving food and other treats to help appease the spirits who, it is claimed, roamed the streets.

Black and orange

Ever wondered why orange and black are the main Halloween colours? That can be put down to the fact that orange is associated with harvest time in the fall (or autumn), while black is associated with both death and darkness.

Origins

While Halloween has always been thought of as an American tradition, it was introduced to the USA by immigrants from Europe. They celebrated the harvest around a bonfire, told ghost stories and celebrated with singing and dancing.

Jack o’ Lanterns

So often associated with pumpkins, the first Jack o’ Lanterns were actually made from turnips. It was only when Irish immigrants settled in America that they found that pumpkins were much more readily available and were easier to carve too.

Ancient roots

Halloween can actually trace its origins back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced 'sau-win'), which makes it one of the oldest holidays in the world.

Fear of 31st October

Have you ever been terrified by the happenings of All Hallow’s Eve? Well then you’ve got Samhainophobia, which is the fear of Halloween.

What is your favourite thing about Halloween and why? Let us know by commenting below and don’t forget to post travel tips and photos on Steemit

From all of us at Steemit, we would like to wish you a very Happy Halloween!