Where does the name “Halloween” come from?
Halloween is a shortened version of All Hallows Evening. It is the day before All Hallows Day otherwise known as the Christian holiday All Saint’s Day. Hallow meaning blessed.
According to timeanddate.com,
“Halloween is an observance in many countries and not a public holiday. It is observed in countries such as (but not exclusive to) Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.”
What are the origins of Halloween?
“Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which marked the start of winter and the start of the new year. It was believed that the spirits of the dead could return to the Earth around that time.
This date later became known as All Hallows’ Eve during early Christian times and was a time to pray for the dead and honor the saints.
Many people participating in Halloween celebrations in modern times light candles in jack-o-lanterns rather than bonfires. Other elements of the Pagan celebration are retained, as Halloween is still a night to remember the spirits and other supernatural themes.”
American Halloween fun facts.
Here are some fun candy facts, courtesy of mobile-cuisine.com:
- An incredible 90 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold during Halloween week, taking a strong lead compared to other holidays.
- Over 10% of annual candy sales happen the days leading up to Halloween — that is nearly $2 billion dollars in sales. The day of the year with the most candy sales? October 28th.
- Chocolate is clearly the preferred choice of sweets for many. Of the $1.9 billion sold in Halloween candy each year, $1.2 billion was on chocolate candy and only $680 million on sugar candy.
- The top selling candy: Candy Corn. Candy Corn is the most searched-for candy term in Google. Americans purchase over 20 million pounds of it a year, though it is unlikely that every last one of those millions of candies was actually consumed.
- After the beloved Candy Corn, the leading best sellers are as follows: Snickers, Reese’s, Kit Kat, and M&M’S.
- And of all the 365 days in the year, the top five candy selling days are all in October.
So, Happy Halloween!
Enjoy a safe and happy evening greeting young Trick or Treaters or prowling the neighborhood with your family. We’ve been eyeballing our candy jar so this afternoon’s treat will be coffee and a Mallo Cup!
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