by MATT NAPIER
Halloween is one of the most popular days of the year here in Canada, as well as the neighboring United States. Over the past several years, the tradition of pumpkin carving and dressing up in costume on October 31st has spread to other countries as well. But here are a few fun facts related to Halloween that you probably didn’t know!
1. Ireland is typically believed to be the birthplace of Halloween. And the traditions were brought to North America with the Irish immigrants.
2. The heaviest pumpkin weighs 1,054 kg (2,323 lb), was grown by Beni Meier (Switzerland) and authenticated by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) in Ludwigsburg, Germany, on 12 October 2014.
3. The tradition of dressing up in costume originated from an ancient Celtic tradition. They used to disguise themselves as ghosts or demons in order to avoid being recognized as humans by the real spirits wandering the streets on Halloween night.
4. The most lit Jack-o’-Lanterns on display is 30,581 and was achieved by the City of Keene, New Hampshire, on 19 October 2013. Keene was the original record holder in this category and has now broken it 8 times since the original attempt.
5. Some of the Halloween traditions have been around for a VERY long time! It is believed it originated around 4000 B.C.
6. One of the most famous traditions on Halloween, known as trick-or-treating is going from door to door while dressed up in costume and asking for candy. This custom evolved from an ancient Celtic tradition or putting treats or food outside one’s home in order to appease the spirits who roam the streets.
7. The most traditional kind of candy on Halloween is a small, cone-shaped, sugary treat called candy corn. So much of it is sold in the month of October that if you put all the candies sold in a year end to end, they would wrap around the Earth 4.25 times! Now that is a lot of sugar!
8. One of the most famous Halloween movies is the movie named after the holiday…Halloween, from 1978. They were on such a tight budget that they used the cheapest mask they could find for the character Michael Meyers. The mask turned out to be a William Shatner Star Trek mask! But Mr. Shatner didn’t even recognize himself in the movie!
9. The original Jack O’Lantern was not a pumpkin. Pumpkins did not exist in Ireland. Ancient Celtic cultures in Ireland carved turnips on All Hallow’s Eve, and placed an ember in them, to ward off evil spirits.
10. Though full moons are often pictured in Halloween related scenes (like witches flying in front of a full moon, or people turning into werewolves on a night with a full moon), it is actually quite rare to have a full moon on Halloween. It has only happened once in the last 50 years!