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Saturday, Apr 04, 2026

Ten things you may not know about Halloween

Ten things you may not know about Halloween

It's almost Halloween guys, and we're very excited! In case you've been living under a rock, Halloween is celebrated on October 31. It's probably most known now for traditions such as dressing up and trick-or-treating.

But with ghosts and ghouls and spirits, there's much more to Halloween than broomsticks and candy.

So Loop Lifestyle is sharing 10 things you may not know about Halloween.

1. Did you know that the origins of Halloween are rooted in Celtic traditions? According to tradition, it was a day used to ward off spirits by lighting fires and wearing costumes. Why were they warding off spirits you may ask? Read on.... 

2.It's believed that October 31 marked the end of summer and the harvest, and the beginning winter. Winter was associated with doom and gloom and human death. It's believed that on Halloween the boundary between the world of the living and the dead became blurred, and that spirits came to roam the earth on Halloween. Hence the need to ward them off.

3.Halloween is good time for candy companies. Yes they are in extra-high demand at this time of year, with US statistics revealing that a quarter of all the candy sold annually Stateside is purchased for Halloween.

4.Without going too deep into the religious reformation, it was on Halloween day in 1517 that Martin Luther released a popular document known as ‘The 95 theses', which started the reformation. Coincidence?

5.Ireland is credited with being the birthplace of Halloween. Not surprising then, it was Irish immigrants to America who are thought to have popularized the tradition.

6.Trick-or-treating is first documented in 1927 in Blackie, Canada.

7.It's believed that witches held one of their two annual meetings, called sabbats, on Halloween.

8.In the 1940s, trick-or-treating was halted because war-time rationing had curtailed the use of sugar.

9.Turnips were originally used to make Jack-o-lanterns, not pumpkins.

10.While full moons are also associated with Halloween, a full moon on October 31 is quite rare. A full moon is expected on October 31, 2020.

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