25 Fun Halloween Facts

In The Spirit Of Halloween Here Are a Few Spooky Facts About This Fun Holiday You May Not Have Ever Heard

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I want to make a cute Halloween post especially since it's the day before Halloween also known as Mischief Night. I figured what would be better than a fun fact post with some super cool facts you may not have known about this Holiday and its history. This holiday has changed a lot over the decades before it took the shape that we see and experience now. I wanted to include a lot of different facts about different aspects of the holiday. Such as the history of costumes, other festivities that took place around the 31st, and how trick-or-treating formed. In fact, did you know that the pranks and mischief that took place on Halloween got so out of hand at one point the whole holiday was almost completely banned in some parts of the U.S! Thankfully it wasn't and we can still enjoy October 31st and all of your favorite traditions. All of the research I did was mostly on Histroy.com. They have a ton of fun article about Halloween and its history I definitely recommend checking them out or any other historical facts you want to learn more about!

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Did You Ever Hear of Souling?

Souling was an activity that poor people took part in by visiting the houses of the wealthy families and would receive pastries called soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for the souls of the homeowners' deceased family members. This is what became known as souling which was later taken up by children who then started to go door to door asking for food, money, and ale.

What About Guising?

Young people in Scotland and Ireland took part in a tradition called Guising which involved dressing in costumes and accepting gifts from various households. They would sing a song, recite a poem, tell a joke or perform another sort of "trick" before collecting their treats which consisted of either fruit, nuts, or coins.

Black Halloween

In 1933 Halloween had gotten so out of hand it managed to obtain its own nickname, Black Halloween. People and parents were so outraged that year when hundreds of teenaged boys went out and flipped cars over, sawed telephone poles and participated in other vandalism across the country.

The Holiday was Almost Banned in the U.S

When people from Ireland and Scotland came over to the U.S due to the potato famine they brought their traditions with them and the pranks increased on Halloween. In 1933 Halloween had became so destructive that cities were considering banning the holiday. A lot of the cities thought that banning the holiday might not work but they might be able to buy the kids off instead.

This is How They Bribed the Kids into Behaving

In the 30's civic and religious authorities, community groups, and families in the neighborhood started to organize parties, carnivals, and costume parades on Halloween to keep the kids busy and out of trouble. This is how community based Halloween activities got started.

During the Depression Houses Had to Pull Together to Make all That Happen

Since people had fallen on hard times and there wasn't a lot of money people pooled their money together to create house-to-house parties and activities for the kids. For example one house might give out costumes for the kids. Then the next house would give them treats and then the next one might have a tiny haunted house for them. This may have been what started kids getting dressed up in costumes and going trick-or-treating.

Dennison Manufacturing Company was One of the Major Halloween Companies

The Dennison Manufacturing Company had sold cheap paper costumes for people to put on over their clothes since 1910! Dennison made Bogie Books which is compared to today's Martha Stewart's Living magazine. They included recipes, games, decorations, and costume suggests for readers planning Halloween parties. This company became one of two major Halloween ephemera companies in the U.S. The other company was Beistle Company in Shippensburg, Pa. Dennison made Halloween party items from 1909-1940.

What We Think of as Trick-or-Treat Started in the 1950's

No one really knows where and when the term "trick-or-treat" came from but some form of the concept of the activity has existed for a long time. The traditions became established in pop culture by 1951 when trick-or-treating was shown in the Peanuts comic strip. This is when the activity took its kids and family friendly form that we know of as today. Later in 1952 Disney put out a cartoon called "Tick or Treat" with Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

Mischief Night

All of the mischief on Halloween hadn't disappear entirely by the 1950's. They ended up moving all of the mischief and pranks to the 30th, the day before Halloween. The kids wanted to play pranks and go trick-or-treating so they decided to move the pranks to the October 30th. This trend seemed to only make it to the Midwest and East Coast it didn't seem to reach to the West Coast. The Northeast started calling October 30th Mischief Night.

Licensed Costumes Started in the 1930's

Ben Cooper was a theatrical costume designer for Broadway and Cotton Club in the 1920's. When the entertainment taste changed to films in the 1930's Cooper found himself looking for a new way to make a living. Cooper found a need in the market for licensed Halloween costumes and completely changed the way we see Halloween in the processes. When Snow White was release by Disney, Cooper saw a huge opportunity for costumes and approached Disney with an idea. He asked for a licensing agreement and Disney agreed. This was the start of a incredible business for Ben Cooper which lasted until 1992!

Irish Jack-o-Lantern Myth

There are a lot of theories of why people started craving scary faces into gourds and pumpkins and this Irish folklore is one of them. According to the story there was a man known by "Stingy Jack" who tricks the Devil into paying for his drink and then traps him in the form of a coin. The Devil ends up taking his revenge and Stingy Jack ends up roaming Earth for eternity without a place in heaven or hell. Jack had a lighted coal that he places inside of a carved turnip which created the original Jack-o-Lantern. Doesn't that make for a fun story to share with kids!

The First Ghost Story Dates Back to 1820

The timeless story of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving about the headless horseman attacking the real-life village of Sleepy Hollow, New York is considered one of America's first ghost stories. The story mixes real locations, family names, and revolutionary war history with fantasy.

Ireland Has There Own Fun Traditions

In Ireland they have a Halloween game they play ever year called "snap-apple". An apple is tied on a string and placed on to a doorframe or tree and people try to take a bite out of the apple. They also have a card game where cards are laid face down on a table with candy or coins underneath them. When someone picks a card they receives whatever prize is underneath the card.

Halloween Fruitcake

Ireland also has their own special traditional holiday treat that is made every year. Barnbrack which is a type of fruitcake is a traditional pastry served on Halloween. A treat wrapped in muslin is backed inside the cake that can tell the future. Being very similar to kings cake at Mardi Gras with the baby hidden inside. If a person finds a ring that means that they will get married soon. If a piece of strew is found that means they will have a prosperous year.

Candy Became Popular For Trick-or-Treating in the1950's

Though kids had been going around house to house since the 1930's but, it wasn't until 1950's when the candy companies decided to pounce on the holiday. They started to promote their candy for Halloween and being that it was easy and affordable it caught on quickly. By the 1970's story bought candy was the only acceptable treat to give out at Halloween since parents only felt safe with their kids receiving prewrapped candies.

How Much Did Families Spend on Halloween Candy Last Year?

According to the National Retail Federation Americans spend around $2.6 billion on candy for Halloween in 2019. The average house spends about $20-$30 on Halloween candy. Halloween has become the second-largest commercial holiday in the U.S.

It's Not Halloween Without Candy Corn

Candy Corn was invented in the 1880's by George Renninger from Wunderle Candy Company of Philadelphia! Tons of other companies tried there hand at their version of candy corn but, only one company lives to tell their tale. Goelitz Confectionery Company who is now known as Jelly Belly Candy Co. has been making the yummy treat since 1898.

Halloween Activities Were Centered Just For Adults

In the early 1900's while young and teenage boys were out play pranks and causing mischief the adults were partying it up. They would dress up in costumes and held private parties or celebrated through the streets.

There Were Bans Put in Place on Halloween Night in 1918

2020 is not the first time in history that Americans faced a nation wide pandemic during Halloween. Due to the influenza pandemic in 1918 Halloween celebrations were banned in several different cities across the country including Maryland. If cities didn't officially ban Halloween activities it was very encourage to stay home for the holiday and not go out parting or for the young boys to go out pranking. Some cities listened but not all of them did.

Top 3 Halloween Songs

According to BillBoard Thriller by Michael Jackson is the number 1 Halloween song. Demons by Imagine Dragons at number 2 and Monster Mash by Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers at number 3! Click the link for the full list of the top 25 Halloween songs.

Celebrating Halloween Around the World

Including the U.S 25 countries celebrate Halloween or some form of the holiday where they celebrate their deceased loved ones. Halloween has increased in popularity over the last 30 years in some European countries. In Greece and Poland young kids have started carving pumpkins and throwing costume parties.

The Popular Costumes of 2019

Last year the most popular costume was IT. Followed by Witch at number 2 and Spiderman at number 3.

Halloween is Going to the Dogs

Americans spent about $490 million on pet costumes in 2019 for Halloween.

Popular Halloween Activities

The most popular Halloween activity is throwing or participating in a costume party. Second most popular activity is going trick-or-treating.

Black Cats and Halloween

Stories of black cats being evil spirts can be found all the way back 2,000 years in Druid circles. In the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats as one of their disguises. This is how black cats found themselves associated with witchcraft. In Asia and in the U.K black cats are a sign of good luck in their cultures.

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I had an absolute blast doing this post! I found a lot of cool facts and history about one of my favorite holidays. Most of the facts I found and used in this article I got from History.com. Some of the facts I got from Google or other fun websites. I am ready for next Halloween so I can make more of these fun themed post but, until then I have other holidays for other fun themed post! Next month for November there will be a new recipe each week for Thanksgiving dinner inspiration! Comment which fact was your favorite or any fact you know that wasn't mentioned above! Happy Hauntings and have a wonderful Halloween this weekend!!!