Interesting Facts About the History Of Halloween
Halloween is a traditional event that millions of people around the world enjoy on an annual basis. They do so in a variety of ways, including dressing up and going out trick or treating; but, as with many occasions, the history is often forgotten.
There are many interesting facts about the history of Halloween, and we have listed some of the best below.
Halloween has ties to religion
While many believe that Halloween has a connection to the supernatural world due to witches and ghosts playing a key role in the occasion, it has religious roots rather than ancient pagan ones.
Hallowtide is said to have been introduced on All Saint’s Day way back in the 7th century, a day set aside for the commemoration of saints and martyrs.
Pumpkins are relatively new to the scene
Pumpkins are now traditionally carved on Halloween, with some of us managing to create fantastic designs. However, originally, people used to carve Jack-O-lanterns from turnips.
This all stems from a Celtic story where the Devil made a man named Jack roam the night with only a burning piece of coal. So, Jack carved out a turnip and placed the piece of coal inside it to create a lantern that lit his way in the dark.
Trick or treating is also relatively new
Trick or treating is something that millions of children around the world take part in on October 31st, but this only began in the 19th century.
Mischief Night, as it was as known in North America, was brought to the country by Scottish and Irish settlers, where it has since become ‘trick or treat.’
It wasn’t until the 1970s where interest in Halloween was revived and this saw trick or treating begin to become popular in England a few years later, with American TV shows and films paving the way.
Games are an important part of Halloween
Games have become important for many occasions, none more so than Halloween. There is an array of great video games that are ideal for the October 31st event, with many often playing them to get into the spirit of things.
This fact has been underlined by the emergence of Halloween themed slot games which have also become very popular at online and mobile casinos; mFortune’s exclusive Which Witch slot game is a perfect example of this phenomena.
Carving pumpkins is a popular world record activity
Some Halloween devotees take carving pumpkins a lot more seriously than others, with many world record attempts for the most simultaneously lit Jack-O-Lanterns taking place over the years.
The current Guinness World Record is held by a group of people hailing from Keene, New Hampshire. They managed to get 30,851 Jack-O-Lanterns simultaneously lit in 2013, scooping themselves an entry into the record books. However, you can bet that there will be many out there eager to break their current record, especially over the Halloween period.
