Things You Probably DIDN'T Know About Halloween

Halloween is definitely something I, along with others, look forward to each year. But with everything that comes with Halloween, including costumes and sweets, there are a few things you may not have known about the horrid occasion, and here are just a few!

Halloween earns the big bucks

Second to Christmas, Halloween is the highest grossing occasion of the year. In the USA, around $8 billion dollars will be spent on the holiday every single year. $2.6 billion of that is spent on costumes alone, with millions more being forked out on trick-or-treating sweets. 

Halloween was born in Ireland

Despite many thinking it's an American holiday, it actually didn't originate there! Ireland gave birth to the Halloween tradition. It evolved from the Celtic celebration of Samhain - a ritualistic festival that honoured pagan gods. It's actually a very ancient practice which has developed into what it is today.

Costumes weren't always worn for fun

During the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain, people believed that those who had died would come back as spirits to one day roam the Earth once again. It was believed that this only happened once a year on All Hallows Eve. Convinced that there'd be evil spirits among the good ones, the local people would dress up in scary attire in order to keep malevolent spirits away.

Popular materials that were used for Halloween costumes include:

• Cow hides 
• Animal skins
• Handcrafted face masks

A witch is the most popular Halloween costume

Come Halloween night, there will be copious amounts of little witches roaming the streets. From family favourites such as the Wizard of Oz, Hocus Pocus, and The Witches of Eastwick, it's no wonder where young children get the idea to dress up as the classic, pointy-nosed ghouls.

Jack-O-Lanterns weren't always made from pumpkins

Thousands of years ago, lanterns were carved out of turnips, often adorned with spooky, frightful faces. They were thought to scare away unwanted, evil spirits on All Hallows Eve.

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I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Is there something I have missed off the list? If so, let me know in the comments below! I will see you soon with a brand new blog post. Oh, and...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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