Last Halloween was on a Saturday. We remember that because we were working on a major project that we can’t tell you about, or we’d have to kill you.
Halloween just happens to fall on a Sunday this year, and guess what? We’re working again.
In other words, we’ll be stuffing our faces with Snickers bars and Starbursts all day and not answering the door because no one trick or treats at the office.
So, instead of sugar-laden candy bars and gummy eyeballs we give you something better to throw in your pumpkin–knowledge! Hey, it’s all we got so take it or leave it.
In honor of Halloween 2010 we give you our list of Halloween facts and trivia, so you’ll be the smartest person with a Snooki poof this Halloween:
- The name Halloween originates from All Hallows Evening. See, back in the day, the Christians were trying to convert the pagans, who celebrated Samhain, a day where the veil between the worlds of the living and dead was thinnest, so they moved All Saints Day from May to November 1, the day after Samhain, in an attempt to drain some of the hoopla out of the pagan holiday. That, of course, made October 31, All Hallows Evening aka All Hallows Evening. aka modern-day Halloween.
- Before trick-or-treating there was guising. In Scotland and Ireland kids would go door to door in costumes collecting coins and food. But they’d only get a handout if they did a trick aka sang a song or did a dance.
- Why are the colors orange and black associated with Halloween? Well, black is usually associated with death and evil. No surprise there. But, orange represents the fall harvest which consists of lots of giant orange pumpkins.
- More than 35 million pounds of candy corn is produced each year according to the National Confectioner’s Association.
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- The most popular Halloween costume for 2010 is…Lady Gaga.
- Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in the United States.
- Jack-o-Lanterns weren’t always made out of pumpkins. The original Jack-o-Lanterns that were made in Ireland were made out of turnips.
- Pumpkins don’t just come in orange, folks. They also come in blue. How badass is that?
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- Snickers is still the number one candy bar given out on Halloween.
- Halloween was originally a Celtic holiday called Samhain. The ancients would dress up in masks and costumes so the ghosts believed to be roaming the countryside on this day wouldn’t recognize them.
- In Mexico, Halloween isn’t celebrated. The Day of the Dead is celebrated in it’s place and oftentimes celebrations take place in cemeteries.
- Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.
- The three colors of candy corn are supposed to represent the various colors of natural corn.
- Pumpkins are considered fruits.
- More than 10 percent of pet owners dress their cats and dogs in Halloween costumes.
- People spend a lot of money on Halloween. Christmas is the most commercially successful holiday in the U.S., but Halloween follows close behind in second place.
- The world record for the largest pumpkin is held by a gourd weighing in at 1,285 lbs.