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8                                                Halloween Trivia





                  Halloween Trivia



          Only 6 states produce a majority of the
          holiday's pumpkins.
                 Halloween wouldn't be the same without
          pumpkins, and thankfully, there are plenty of
          gourds to go around. According to the United
          States Department of  Agriculture's National
          Agricultural Statistics Service, in 2014 the top
          pumpkin-producing      states   —    Illinois,
          California, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and
          Michigan — produced 1.31 billion pounds of
          pumpkins.


          An Irish folktale inspired the Jack-O-
          Lantern phrase.
                 The    name    Jack-O-Lantern     first
          originated from an Irish folktale about a man
          named Stingy Jack who tricked the Devil over    wax coke bottles, Necco Waffers, Mary Janes,   estimated $1 billion on children's costumes
          and over again. When Jack died, he was forced   Tootsie Rolls, Smarties, black licorice, and   combined. By 2014, that number nearly tripled.
          to walk the Earth with only a carved-out turnip  Good & Plenty.                                And according to the National Retail Federation,
          and burning coal to help light his way.                                                        Halloween party-goers spent an estimated $2.8
                                                          But Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are             billion on costumes overall.
          People didn't always carve pumpkins.
                                                          another story.
                 Because Stringy Jack walked with a                                                      Candy corn is one of the holiday's
                                                                 It's no surprise that Reese's Peanut
          carved-out turnip, at first people in Ireland and                                              most-produced candies.
                                                          Butter Cups were 2017's most popular
          Scotland grabbed turnips, beets, and potatoes to
                                                          Halloween candy — nobody can get enough of            Since its invention in 1898 by the
          carve his scary "face." When the Irish brought
                                                          that chocolate and peanut butter goodness!     Herman Goelitz Confectionary Company of
          the tradition to America, pumpkins were carved
                                                          Other favorites include Snickers, Twix, Kit Kat,  Fairfield, California (now known as the Jelly
          more often as they were more abundant.
                                                          Nerds, Sour Patch Kids, and Skittles.          Belly Candy Company), candy corn has become
                                                                                                         wildly popular — so much so that today, nearly
          Jack-O-Lantern could also have come
                                                          Trick-or-treating began with "soul             35 million pounds of the stuff is produced each
          from, well, lanterns.                                                                          year.
                                                          cakes."
                 For those who don't believe the Stringy
                                                                 During early All Souls' Day parades in
          Jack folktale, let us present an alternative: Some
                                                          England, the Church encouraged wealthier
          people believe that the term Jack-O-Lantern                                                    The night before Halloween is
                                                          families to give out "soul cakes" to the beggars
          comes from the idea of a night watchman, who                                                   "Cabbage Night" to New Englanders.
                                                          of the lower class in exchange for prayers for
          would light the street lanterns every evening,
                                                          dead relatives. It was a tradition known as           According to Live Science, some
          reports CNN.
                                                          "going a-souling," and later children were the  pranksters in the northeastern U.S. keep up with
                                                          ones who went to houses to ask for food, ale,  the stinky tradition of collecting rotten
          Pilgrims started the black cat                  and money.                                     vegetables and leaving them near their
          superstition.                                                                                  neighbors' doors in honor of "Cabbage Night"
                 It's been said that it's bad luck for a black  People used to dance and sing for        on October 30th.
          cat to cross your path, especially on Halloween  treats.
          night. In the U.S., this superstition stems from                                               Halloween is the second-largest
                                                                 At one time, it was customary to
          the Protestant beliefs of the Puritan Pilgrims of                                              consumer holiday in the U.S.
                                                          perform dances, songs, prayers, and plays, a
          Plymouth Colony.  They disapproved of           practice called "mumming," in order to receive        From its vampy costumes and sweet
          anything associated with witchcraft, and some
                                                          their treats, according to E.J.W. Barber's  The  treats to spooky outdoor decor, Halloween is a
          believed the legend that witches could
                                                          Dancing Goddesses: Folklore,  Archaeology,     big business. So big, in fact, that it's the second-
          transform into black cats and back — hence the
                                                          and the Origins of European Dance.             largest commercial holiday in  America, with
          inspiration for pop culture characters like Salem                                              Christmas being the only one to surpass it in
          on Sabrina the  Teenage  Witch and Binx in
                                                          Hocus Pocus almost had a different             sales.  According to the National Retail
          Hocus Pocus.                                                                                   Federation, consumers spent $5.8 billion on
                                                          title.
                                                                                                         Halloween in 2010, and by 2015, that figure
          Women used to involve matchmaking.                     If you're a fan of this classic Disney  jumped to nearly $7 billion.
                                                          film, you might be surprised to learn that it was
                 While couples costumes are about as
                                                          supposed to be a much darker, scarier movie
          romantic as Halloween gets these days, women                                                   Ohio is home to the world's longest
                                                          with the title Halloween House.
          used to perform "rituals" to help them find their
                                                                                                         haunted house.
          future husbands. One crazy ritual?  Women
                                                          Silly string is banned in Hollywood on                No matter how scary your local haunted
          tossed apple peels over their shoulders in the                                                 house is, it probably can't top the Haunted Cave
          hopes that they'd see the shape of their future  October 31.                                   in Lewisburg, Ohio. Measuring 3,564 feet long,
          hubby's initials on the ground. Another involved       Silly string fans should stay far away  the Guinness World Records has named it the
          women standing in front of a mirror in a dark   from Hollywood on Halloween. A ban on the      world's longest haunted house. Even spookier:
          room and holding up a candle to see their future  toy, created in 2004, is enforced on October 31,  It's located 80 feet below ground in an
          husband's face.                                 according to the The New York Times. If you're  abandoned mine.
                                                          caught with sticky hands, expect to pay a $1,000
          Kids weren't fans of  Tootsie Rolls in          fine.
                                                                                                                                 (Continued on Page 9)
          2017.
                                                          Parents spend a lot on Halloween.                 Join GWILDA WIYAKA as she takes an
                 When buying Halloween candy for
                                                                                                              indepth look into New Age Topics on
          trick-or-treaters, stay away from the most-hated       In 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau              “Mission: Evolution” o The ‘X’ Zone
          candies of 2017: Circus Peanuts, candy corn,    estimated there were 41 million trick-or-treaters
                                                          ages 5 to 14 in  America. Parents spent an        Broadcast Network. Visit www.xzbn.net
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