The traditions that surround Halloween often eclipse the purpose of the holiday in the first place to the extent where anything historical takes a back seat to more newfangled practices. Horror movie marathons, costume parties and candy sales surround us as the holiday approaches, showing us one overriding truth Halloween is big. In fact, it's only second in spending to Christmas. But still, there are many things that despite its yearly traditions we dont think of when it comes to the holiday of haunting and witches. This list contains 15 of the most cringe-worthy and amusing things that you likely did not know about the holiday.
15. Don't Worry About Werewolves, There's Almost Never A Full Moon
The moon often creates a unique ambiance in horror films and books. In has often carried a special meaning with magic and curses working due to a combination of a full moon and the evening of all Hallows eve. However, a full moon on Halloween does not happen very often and is a rare occurrence, not happening for decades often. The last two were in 1974 and 2001 but dont expect the next one until 2020.
14. Jack-O-Lanterns Used To Be Spirit-Repelling Turnips
If I were to make a jack -o lantern out a turnip most people would look at me odd, however that is how they were first made. Today most people would choose to use a pumpkin, as its the one designated fruit that is connected to Halloween. Pumpkins, a thousand year old fruit, are typically connected to the holiday due to their use in pies, as decorations and in the making of jack -o-lanterns. This fruit actually comes in more colors than the standard orange. These include green, red, white and gray. Despite their current cheery use jack-o-lanterns were originally meant to scare evil spirits away from homes. Luckily we switched to pumpkins before we started making pies!
13. Halloween Is An Irish Festival
Halloween's roots can be traced back to Celtic culture in Ireland. The holiday originated in Ireland and Druid religion's holiday, Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year. According to their religion, November 1st was New Years' on their calendar. The celebration would begin on October 31st ,and last into the following day. The spirits of all who died in the prior year, would rise up and roam the earth on this night. The holiday received its name from a Lord Samhain, the lord of darkness ruled over the winter months. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. of Halloween was commonly referred to as 'All Hollows' Eve.