On October 31 people around the world will be celebrating Halloween. Many of us have heard some version of its history, like the legends of f Hallows Eve, a Catholic Holiday commemorating Christian saints and martyrs that was celebrated in the Middle Ages. Or the tales of a Celtic harvest festival of the dead rooted in pagan traditions and symbolism. So rather than rehashing what we already know, we wanted to introduce…

10 Spooky Things you probably DON’T know about Halloween

  • At least 30 U.S. States legally require a ‘haunted house’ (aka “stigmatized property”) disclosure before selling a home.
  • Many animal shelters ban black cat adoption around Halloween for fear that they may be tortured or sacrificed.
  • The next Full Moon to occur on Halloween is predicted to be in the year 2020.
  • Americans purchase roughly 600 million pounds of candy every Halloween. That’s about two pounds for every man, woman and child in the U.S. Or, the weight of nearly more than 30 Eiffel Towers!
  • In the UK, white cats are thought to bring bad luck, not black cats like in the U.S.
  • Sensational escape artist and magician Harry Houdini died on Halloween – October 31, 1926.
  • Ireland is believed to be the birthplace of Halloween. It marked the Celtic New Year and was originally called Samhain. In the U.S. the holiday popular in the U.S. in early 1900s.
  • Traditionally orange, pumpkins come in other colors like green, white, red and even gray.
  • In Hong Kong, Halloween celebrations are known as Yu Lan – “Hungry Ghosts Festival”. It is observed on the 15th night of the 7th Chinese Month, also known as Ghost Month.
  • Halloween is the second highest grossing holiday of the year, after Christmas. This year, Americans are expected to spend a total of $6.9 billion (that’s billion with a ‘B’) on costumes, candy and decorations.