Kids asking a lot of questions about the upcoming holiday? Here’s some random trivia to keep their curiosity satiated:
- The tradition of carving jack-o’-lanterns originated in Ireland, but they used turnips and beets instead of pumpkins!
- It takes an average of 252 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.
- Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween
- Nearly 90% of you sneak a Snickers from your kid’s Halloween haul.
- Dressing up as ghouls and other spooks originated from the ancient Celtic tradition of townspeople disguising themselves as demons and spirits. The Celts believed that disguising themselves this way would allow them to escape the notice of the real spirits wandering the streets during Samhain.
- Last year, shoppers bought a whopping 90 million pounds of candy during Halloween week.
- The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown by Norm Craven, who broke the world record in 1993 with a 836 lb. pumpkin.
- If you see a spider on Halloween night, it is thought to be the spirit of a loved one watching over you.
- San Francisco is the number 1 U.S. city for trick-or-treating.
- More than 93 percent of children go trick-or-treating each year.
- According to Irish legend, Jack O’Lanterns are named after a stingy man named Jack who, because he tricked the devil several times, was forbidden entrance into both heaven and hell. He was condemned to wander the Earth, waving his lantern to lead people away from their paths.
- Illinois grows more pumpkins than any other state in the country. It harvests nearly 12,300 acres of pumpkins.
- There were estimated 36.8 million potential “trick-or-treaters” ages 5-13.
Tags: Fun Facts Friday
