13 facts about Halloween that You Didn't Know
Halloween is one of the most interesting holidays. This small celebration of immigrant origin is a popular holiday in the United States today, but where did it come from? You'll find out now!
1. Every year Americans spend about $7 billion on Halloween.
2. Halloween is both an ancient and a modern holiday. Its roots can be traced back to the Celtic-Irish holiday of Samhain.
3. "Samhain" means "the end of summer", it was celebrated from the evening of October 31.
4. It was believed that evil spirits and fairies arrived that night, and to drive them away, people built giant bonfires.
5. Halloween is an abbreviation of "All Saints' Eve", it is a Catholic holiday dedicated to the memory of saints. In the photo: lighting candles in honor of all saints in Stockholm.
6. Many Halloween traditions are actually Catholic in origin. For example, a pumpkin with slits symbolizes the soul in purgatory.
7. Going to the neighbors for sweets and gifts has its roots in the Middle Ages and was performed during most Christian holidays.
8. In Scotland, mummers went to Christmas, sang and asked for gifts. In New York, children dressed up in Thanksgiving costumes and gypsied gifts from merchants until the 30s.
9. The first printed mention of "trick-o-treat" dates back only to 1939 — in American Home Magazine.
10. The tradition of dressing in costumes originates from medieval masquerades and Guy Fawkes masks (on November 5).
11. The poem Halloween (1785) by the Scottish poet Robert Burns does not mention costumes, but it popularized the holiday outside of Scotland.
12. Halloween was once celebrated in the USA as a day of Scottish pride — similar to how the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
13. Halloween witches used to be depicted in different colors. Black became the most popular after the success of The Wizard of Oz.