Halloween is undoubtedly the scariest and most ghostly date of all. Children dress up as Batman, the Joker, Wonder Woman, or some other favorite character; they go to parties or walk around neighborhoods with pumpkins asking for candy. Scary decorations fill windows and porches, and screams can be heard in living rooms across the country as we collectively watch our favorite horror movies.
The Halloween is the second largest commercial celebration in the United States, with $6 billion being spent on this day each year. Various traditions, such as trick-or-treating, costume parties, and horror movies, contribute to boosting the economy.
Some interesting numbers about Halloween:
• 172 million – Americans celebrating Halloween each year
• 69% – of people planning to hand out candy
• $8.8 billion – total Halloween spending in 2019
• $86.27 – amount spent on decorations, candy, and costumes by the average consumer
• 48% – of people wear a costume on Halloween
• 46% – of people carve a pumpkin
• 16% – of people dress up their pets
• 36 million – people trick-or-treating each year
Some curiosities about Halloween:
“Soul Cakes”
The practice of giving “soul cakes” dates back to England in the Middle Ages when the poor would go door to door receiving small round cakes or “souls” on the eve of All Saints’ Day, on October 31, as a way to remember the dead. Giving and receiving soul cakes remains a tradition today in other countries, including Portugal and Ireland.
Illinois, the pumpkin capital — who would have thought?
15,000 acres yield over 500 million pounds of pumpkin, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Pay close attention to Michael Myers’ mask in “Halloween”.
Have you noticed that in the classic film, “Halloween”, Michael Myers’ mask looks remarkably similar to that of William Shatner? Before widening the eyes and painting it white, the iconic look came from a “Captain Kirk” mask that the producers of the film “Halloween” found in a magic shop in Hollywood in 1978.
During World War II, no sugar — no “trick or treat”
With sugar rationing as part of the war effort, Halloween was put on “pause” until after World War II. Then, candy companies ramped up their advertising after the war, turning Halloween into the most important celebration after Christmas.
Source: National Today