Boost your Halloween knowledge - All Hallows Eve facts & legends

All Hallows Evening facts and legends of Halloween

Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.

Halloween goes by multiple names: All Hallows’ Eve, Samhain, Lamswool Snap-Apple Night, Guy Fawkes Night and more.  Ireland is typically believed to be the birthplace of Halloween. Halloween has been estimated to have started approx 2,000 years ago, Halloween was partially influenced by the ancient Roman festival Pomona, which celebrated the harvest goddess. Many Halloween customs and games such as bobbing for apples come from this influence. 

It was believed that the boundary between the living and dead was thinly veiled on Halloween. So, humans would wear ghoulish masks and dress up so the spirits would not recognize them.  Trick-or-treating itself might have started from a superstition that ghosts would also disguise themselves as humans and knock on doors of houses that did not leave out wine or other spirits. If they were denied, the spirit would haunt the person who refused it. The earliest known reference to “trick or treat” was printed in the November 4, 1927 edition Alberta Canada Herald.

In 1950, trick-or-treaters in Philadelphia went door to door and collected change for children overseas and sent it to UNICEF in lieu of candy. Subsequently, the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program was born.

In many countries, such as France and Australia, Halloween is an unwanted and overly commercial American cultural influence. Per the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend an estimated $6.9 billion on Halloween with its vampire costumes, treats and spooky household decorations, it's the second-largest commercial holiday in America. Only Christmas surpasses it in sales. 

Children are more than twice as likely to be killed in a pedestrian/car accident on Halloween than on any other night. Due to this safety concern, trunk-or-treating was introduced in 2000 as an alternative to hitting the streets for candy on Halloween night. Cars are parked in a circle at a school or church parking lot, decorating their open trunks and dressing in costume to hand out treats.

Other dangers are touted each year about poison or razor blades because of stories like a five-year-old boy who allegedly ate Halloween candy laced with heroin in 1970. Investigators later discovered that the heroin belonged to the boy’s uncle and was not in his Halloween candy. Another story in 1974, where an eight-year-old died of cyanide poisoning after eating Halloween candy. Investigators later learned that his father had taken out a $20,000 life insurance policy on the child and that he had poisoned his own son and failed to poison his daughter. And this year, where a recent drug bust went viral with Some pictures of Ecstasy that are brightly colored and look like certain candies. These forms of Ecstasy are not "new" nor intended to appeal to children (teens at raves, more so), and are not likely to end up in kids' Halloween trick-or-treat bags. 

Now the above is not to say there are not creeps that do cruel things with little common reasoning, but that your kid is far more likely to be hit by a car before they get home to have you check their candy, YES you should check their candy.

Some cities across the USA have adopted age limits (usually around 12) for those who can Trick or Treat. Such laws may rarely be strictly enforced, but if your kid is 13 or older and chooses to trick, teen violators could face jail or fines.

Some Other Facts worth noting.

• Irish legend says that one day the devil came to take the soul of a not so law abiding man named Jack. But Jack managed to trick the devil, making him promise to never take his soul to hell. After living a long life, eventually Jack tried to enter Heaven, but could not, for he had lived a life of ill repute. He then attempted to enter Hell, but the devil kept his word. When Jack complained, the devil laughed at him and threw him a glowing ember, which Jack used to light a lantern he made using a turnip that was in his pocket. He became Jack of The Lantern and doomed to aimlessly walk the Earth.
• The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown by Norm Craven, who broke the world record in 1993 with an 836-lb. pumpkin.
• Stephen Clarke holds the record for the world’s fastest pumpkin carving time: 24.03 seconds, smashing his previous record of 54.72 seconds. The rules of the competition state that the pumpkin must weigh less than 24 pounds and be carved in a traditional way, which requires at least eyes, nose, ears, and a mouth.
• Harry Houdini (1874-1926) is one of the most famous and mysterious magicians. He died on Halloween night in 1926 from appendicitis after he suffered stomach punches. Harry spent most his life proving psychics were scammers. But he made a promise to contact his wife from beyond the grave if anyone possibly could.
• Because the movie Halloween (1978) had such a tight budget, they chose to use the cheapest mask they could find for the Michael Meyers character, which turned out to be a William Shatner Star Trek mask.