9 Spooky Halloween Fun Facts

Halloween is the time of the year when it is fun to be spooked. It’s the season for people to carve frightful jack-o’-lanterns, watch scary movies, and dress up as all things ghost, zombie, or vampire.

But Halloween is about more than just a modern holiday designed to hand-out candy to neighborhood children and to decorate your home in black and orange, according to Country Living. There’s a long history of Halloween traditions that come from all around the world. So check out these nine Halloween fun facts that are sure to make you smile.

Halloween is Over 2,000 Years Old

The first Halloween celebrations can be traced all the way back 2,000 years to the ancient Celts who lived in Ireland, UK and Northern France. According to the History Channel, Halloween’s roots came from the Samhain festival where people would light bonfires and disguise themselves in costumes to ward off ghosts that roamed the earth.

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Dracula was a Real Person

While most people are used to Dracula being a fictional character, there actually is a real person who inspired Bram Stoker’s vampire. Vlad III of Romania – also known as Vlad the Impaler was a historical figure who is considered a national hero.

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A Full Moon Infrequently Falls on Halloween

While most Halloween illustrations and decorations feature a full moon, it is actually an infrequent occurrence according to The Farmer’s Almanac. There is only a full moon on Halloween about once every 19 years. The last fully illuminated full moon was in 2020.

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The Michael Myers’ Mask in Halloween was Used First on Star Trek

This terrifying costume came about almost by accident. The mask that was originally made for actor William Shatner to use for Star Trek was painted white and used in the first two movies of this scary film series. The recycled mask was used to cut down on production costs according to Movie Web.

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Candy Corn Was Originally Called Chicken Feed

Candy corn was created in the 1880s, according to 10 Best and was named Chicken Feed because corn was used to feed chicken. In fact, the box wasn’t decorated for Halloween at all, it actually featured a colorful rooster. Despite the fact that 35 million pounds of it are produced every year, candy corn usually ranks as one of the worst candies for trick-or-treaters to receive.

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Jack-o’-Lanterns Were Inspired by an Irish Folktale

Carving vegetables into jack-o-lanterns originated by an Irish folktale about a man named stingy Jack who tricked the devil on more than one occasion, according to the History Channel. When he died, he was forced to walk the earth with a lantern made of a carved-out turnip. That’s why the earliest jack-o-lanterns were made of turnips. Pumpkins are more plentiful in the US, and the tradition there is to carve them from the large orange squash.

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Fear of Halloween is Called Samhainophobia

Samhain is actually the name of the Wiccan festival but Samhainophobia is a persistent and abnormal phobia of Halloween according to Verywell Mind. It could be caused by the scary traditions of the holiday, by a fear of being startled or surprised, or by specific fears of ghosts, witches, or zombies.

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Finding a Spider on Halloween is Considered Good Luck

Despite many people’s fear of spiders, seeing one of these creepy insects is considered good luck according to  Facts.net. It is a common belief that if you spot a spider on Halloween, it means that a loved one is watching over you.

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There’s Actually a Halloween Song

The hit song “Monster Mash” premiered in 1962 and became an iconic Halloween song much like “Frosty the Snowman” is for Christmas, according to Best Life. So if you are having a Halloween bash don’t forget to dance to the “Monster Mash”.

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