Do you look forward to Halloween every year as an excuse to dress up in fun costumes and eat candy without guilt? This holiday has been celebrated for hundreds of years and remains the second most popular celebration in the United States. Here are a few fun facts that I bet you didn’t know about this exciting day!
- Candy Corn Was Originally Called Chicken Feed
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This candy began to be manufactured in the 1880s. Because farmers made up nearly half the American workforce, many companies heavily marketed agriculture-themed candies to children in the country. Thus, they advertised the candy as “Chicken Feed” and its packaging displayed a rooster with the motto: “King of the Candy Corn Fields”.
- The Jack O’Lantern Originated From An Irish Legend
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The tradition of carving and decorating Jack O’Lanterns was brought over to America by Irish immigrants and has become a popular part of Halloween. The name “Jack O’Lantern” originated from a folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. According to the tale, Jack invited the Devil to have a drink and repeatedly tricked him. When Jack died a couple of years later, God denied Jack entry into heaven, and likewise, the Devil did not allow him into hell. Instead, he was sent off into the night with a burning coal, which Jack put into a carved-out turnip. Supposedly, he has been roaming the earth ever since in the form of a “Jack O’Lantern”.
- Trick-or-Treating Also Originates From ‘Souling’
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The practice of marching door-to-door originated in Medieval England. In 1000 A.D. the Catholic Church created All Souls’ Day on November 2nd. Every year, the villagers would go to the houses of wealthy families to receive pastries — known as soul cakes — in exchange for promising to pray for the homeowners and their dead family members. This became known as “souling” and would later be carried out by children. This tradition gradually became the trick-or-treating we have today as English immigrants colonized the United States.
- The Colors of Halloween (Orange and Black) Are Not A Coincidence
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Black is known to be the color of death, while orange is the typical color of autumn leaves and symbolizes strength and endurance. It was the Celtics who were the first to utilize this color duo during the fall to both prepare for the upcoming winter season and to commemorate the dead during their Samhain holiday.
- Halloween is Big Business
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Halloween is the second-largest commercial American holiday of the year, with Christmas being the first. According to the National Retail Federation, about 148 million people participate in this holiday each year. The candy industry makes about $2 billion this time of year and a total of $6 billion is said to be spent on Halloween yearly, including all the decorations and costumes.
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