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It’s time to bust out that trivia crown! Pumpkin spice is in the air, Halloween is on its way, and it’s time to get funky with facts. Maybe you’re all ready for the scary season- costume hidden away, pumpkin carved, and a good horror movie just waiting for the popcorn to be cooked- but how much do you really know about trick or treating?

While detractors call Halloween one of the ‘most commercialized’ holidays there is, the truth is that it has a fascinating history that just adds to the fun and lightheartedness. Strap in, grab the candy, and get ready to fill your brain with fascinating Halloween facts you never knew- and won’t be able to resist sharing, either!

1- Older than the oldest ghost

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Halloween dates back over 2 millennia. Known as Samhain , or ‘summer’s end’, it was a Celtic festival celebrating the final days of harvest. It was also seen as the day where the veil was thinnest, allowing ghosts to cross into the world. Bonfires were lit to scare them away, and people would dress in costume to make sure no evil spirit could identify them.

Even trick-or-treating is older than you think. Since medieval times, young folks would dress up and ask for food and money in return for poems, songs, and other ‘tricks’. The tradition used to be called ‘guising.’

2- The ultimate sugarless trick

When World War 2 called for luxuries to be rationed, it meant trick-or-treating came to an abrupt halt too. Sugar, you see, was a rationed item, and there simply wasn’t enough sugar available to make little luxuries like candy. When rationing was lifted at the end of the war, it saw a surge of advertising from candy companies to return the tradition to us.

3- The origin of the ‘jack-o-lantern’

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Carving a pumpkin also has more of a history than you may think. Irish legends spoke of ‘Stingy Jack’, a man so mean and miserly he tried to trick the Devil himself. This saw him banned from both heaven and hell, and doomed to roam the earth as ‘Jack of the Lanterns’, given he had to carry one to seek redemption. Originally, people would carve them from easily-available beets, potatoes, and turnips. It was once the trend came to America that bigger gourds became available to use.

4- Kids love to be princesses and superheroes

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Yup. It’s not just in the movies! The most popular costumes for young kids are Disney Princesses and various superheroes. Oddly enough, despite the innovative costume blogs we see every year, a plain old witches’ outfit is still the most used adult costume (though

probably in infinite ‘sexy’ combinations). Apparently, we also like to dress Fido up as a pumpkin, too! Unsurprisingly, given the remake’s theatrical release, Stephen King’s IT was the most googled costume last year.

5- A dark legacy

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This fact’s kinda sad, even though it’s true. Black animals are notoriously hard to adopt out of shelters. Not necessarily just because of superstitions around them, although that plays a part too. They’re also harder to photograph or ‘model’ in an endearing way to catch prospective adopter’s eyes, as their all-black coat drinks up the light and makes them look flat and less ‘cute’. In years gone by, shelters would refuse to adopt out black animals in the days around Halloween, fearing for their safety and the genuineness of the homes they would be going to. Nowadays, you’ll often find this is less adhered to, given stronger home checks are in place. Some shelters even try to use Halloween hype to get their darker doggies and kitties a good home that doesn’t mind them being a bit unphotogenic.

6- From ‘chicken feed’ to ‘candy corn’

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Just like pineapple on pizza, you either love or loathe the iconic Halloween treat, candy corn. Even fans of this candy would probably be more than a little put off to know it was originally named ‘chicken feed’, and sold with a roster on the box to evoke wholesome farm memories and America’s farming roots. While the name may have undergone a rebrand, and while it’s more synonymous now with the spooky season, the recipe is more-or-less unchanged since the 1880s.

7- Americans (on average) spend very little on Halloween

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While we all know a neighbor who goes a little hog wild at the holidays, the average spend per person in America comes in at only $87. That’s compared to over $1,000 at Christmas, and still manages to cover costumes, candy, and cards. Despite this low average, remember that many people don’t celebrate at all, and others do enjoy splurging, so take the average with a pinch of salt.

Well, the more you know, as they say! Were there any of these fascinating facts you already knew, or were they all new to you? We’d love to hear which was your favorite snippet of Halloween trivia below!