Sunday, 4 October 2009

Things you might not know about Halloween

This month's AW Blog Chain theme is anything to do with autumn (including Halloween), so I am posting some unusual/weird things about Halloween that you may not be aware of. Hope it inspires you with something. Personally, I am off to create a spooky art piece after this.
  • Orange and black are Halloween colours because orange is associated with the autumn harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
  • The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
  • To meet a witch, put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night. (If you are successful, do let me know)
  • Ringing a bell scares evil spirits away.
  • Bobbing for apples is believed to be originated from a roman harvest festival that honours Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
  • The next full moon on Halloween night will be October 31, 2020.
  • The first "Jack-O-Lanterns" were not pumpkins - they were hollowed-out turnips and originated in Ireland.
  • Next to Christmas, Halloween is the most celebrated and commercially successful holiday.
  • If you stare in a mirror on Halloween night, you will see the person you are going to marry.
  • The first recorded ghost story dates back to 100 AD by Pliny the Younger. In the story, a ghost haunts a house in Athens until the owner follows him to a spot in courtyard. The next day, a man's body is dug up in that same spot. Once he is given a proper burial, the ghost no longer returns.

And here is my favourite:

  • In New York City, it is illegal to sell a house that is known to be haunted without telling the potential buyer. (Stuff like this can only happen in NYC. Love it)

Hope you enjoyed these little tid-bids. Next person in the blog chain is Claire Crossdale.

All participants:

1. Lost Wanderer - http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com/ 2. Claire Crossdale - http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com/ 3. Angela 785 - http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/ 4. Ravencorinncarluk - http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com/ 5. Angyl78 - http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ 6. shethinkstoomuch - http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com/ 7. trulyana - http://expressiveworld.com/ 8. Bsolah - http://benjaminsolah.com/blog 9. freshhell - http://freshhell.wordpress.com/ 10. Ralph Pines - http://ralfast.wordpress.com/ 11. aimeelaine - http://www.aimeelaine.com/ 12. HigherEdUnderground - http://higheredunderground.com/ 13. Cath - http://blog.cathsmith.net/ 14. DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/
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12 comments:

  1. Anonymous4 October 2009 at 14:28

    Yes, the blog chain has begun! Excellent posts. I knew some of those things, but the others are still fascinating.

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  2. The romantic query letter and the happy-ever-after4 October 2009 at 15:41

    I'll be telling that mirror thing to all my single friends :) Good post.
    Claire

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  3. Cath4 October 2009 at 16:30

    Still water, such as a lake, or dark glass will work too. Halloween (or Sahmain in the Pagan calendar) is when the veil between worlds is at it's thinnest - a good time for divination!

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  4. Adam4 October 2009 at 17:22

    Hehe, nice list! :-)

    Adam

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  5. Dolly4 October 2009 at 18:15

    Glad you all enjoyed it

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  6. Anonymous4 October 2009 at 19:41

    Such an interesting list! I never knew why orange and black were Halloween colors. :)

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  7. Trulyana4 October 2009 at 20:22

    Dearest Lost Wanderer,

    Well done on being first in line, with a very informative read. I hadn't known any of this before. It is quite interesting what Cath says, as I feel that very much is true. (About the veil between worlds being at it's thinnest, and a good time for divination) I always feel a strong enery force around late October.

    I wonder, what potential buyers in NY are like after they have been told that the house they are planning to buy is haunted.

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  8. MC Howe5 October 2009 at 01:07

    Ha! My school colors were orange and black. Everyone called us Halloween High. Still my favorite holiday.

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  9. Zahir Blue6 October 2009 at 18:49

    I like the list, a lot. And now I'm just imagining a ghost story set in NYC with that law as a plot element! Heh heh.

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  10. Angela Ackerman6 October 2009 at 21:05

    There were a few on there I didn't know! Great idea for a fall blog post. :-)

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  11. Aimee Laine8 October 2009 at 01:54

    Those are great!

    The one about the mirror is true! My current husband walked right up behind me while I put on my costume one year. ;)

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  12. Raven Corinn Carluk10 October 2009 at 15:24

    Now that I'm finally catching up on the chain, I got to read your list. I didn't know the Pliny ghost story, nor the mirror. Interesting. I've learned something new today.

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