Weird Halloween Trivia
Halloween can be a weird night for a lot of reasons, but there are a few fun facts about the holiday that you might not know about. Check them out and drop your new knowledge on your friends this Halloween!
- 1
You Used To Have To Dance For Your "Treat"
Yup, it was sweet dance moves that got you treats years ago. Most experts trace "trick-or-treating" back to a European custom called "mumming" or "guysing" where participants would go door-to-door performing choreographed dances, songs and plays in exchange for treats.
- 2
Halloween Is More Irish That St Patrick's Day
Halloween has it's origins in the Celtic festival for the dead called "Samhain." Celts believed the ghosts of the dead roamed Earth on this holiday, so people would dress in costumes and leave "treats" out on their front doors to appease the roaming spirits. Irish Celts were also the ones the ones who invented the "jack-o-lantern" and it was Irish-Americans who brought the Halloween concept stateside.
- 3
Jack-O-Lanterns Weren't Always Made From Pumpkins
Originally it was turnips, beets and even potatoes that were carved and lit up for Halloween. The origin of the jack-o-lantern comes from Irish folklore about Stingy Jack.
The tale says Stingy Jack was out getting sloshed with the Devil when Jack convinced his drinking partner to turn himself into a coin to pay for the drinks without spending money. Jack then put the Devil, shaped like a coin, into his pocket, which also contained a silver cross that kept the Devil from transforming back. Jack promised to free the Devil as long as the Devil wouldn't bother him for a year, and if he died, the Devil could never claim his soul. When Jack finally died, God decided he wasn't fit for heaven, but the Devil had promised never to claim his soul for hell. So Jack was sent off to roam Earth with only a burning coal for light. He put the coal into a turnip as a lantern, and Stingy Jack became "Jack of the Lanterns."
- 4
Halloween Is A Good Day To Find Your Soulmate
Another Irish tradition is to practice romantic fortune-telling games on Halloween. These games allegedly predicted who they'd marry, and when. And since Halloween is a big party night, it's definitely become a great night to scope out members of the opposite sex.
- 5
In Some Massachusetts' Towns Halloween Was Called "Cabbage Night"
Yup in Framingham, Massachusetts and other early American towns, Halloween was "Cabbage Night." The name came from a girls fortune telling game using cabbage stumps to predict future husbands. Apparently some teens skipped the fortune telling and instead threw their cabbages at their neighbors' houses.
- 6
Some Animal Shelters Won't Let You Adopt A Black Cat Before Halloween
Sad, but true there are animal shelters out there that still won't allow people to adopt black cat's leading up to Halloween. The thought is that they might be used as sacrifices. So just in case the cat could get into the wrong hands, some places just avoid having them adopted around Halloween all together.