Names
Samhain.
What was the ancient Celtic fall festival that was a precursor to Halloween?
Marking the change of seasons, Samhain occurred on November 1 but kicked off the evening before. On this night, the veil between this world and the next was thought to be especially thin.
Turnips
What was carved for Halloween before pumpkins?
In the 19th century Irish immigrants would carve potatoes and turnips into lanterns and put them in windows to welcome loved ones who had passed away, but the pumpkin, larger and native to the U.S., later was used for that purpose, making way for what we know as the jack-o-lantern.
The story of a child who had lived through the Cambodian genocide and was afraid to sleep for fear that he would be attacked in his dreams and die.
What is the story of The Nightmare on Elm Street based on?
Hallowed Evening or Holy Night—because Halloween is a Catholic holiday too.
What does the word "Halloween" mean?
Short for All Hallows' Eve, Halloween is the day of the vigil held the evening before All Saints' Day on November 1. Pope Gregory IV added All Saints' Day to the official Church calendar in 837 C.E., expanding the holiday, which was previously celebrated only in Rome, to all churches.
2,749 pounds
What is the record for the heaviest pumpkin?
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest pumpkin weighed 2,749 pounds) at the 50th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, in 2023. It was named "Michael Jordan.”
Another name for a werewolf or any kind of mythical human-wolf creature.
What is a lycanthrope?
Bobby Prickett
Who is the singer/songwriter of "Monster Mash"?
First released in 1962 on a LP with other monster-themed tunes, "Monster Mash" was No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 that year October 20-27.
Keene, New Hampshire
Where holds the record for having the most jack-o'-lanterns lit up?
Keene set the record in 2023 with 30,581 lit jack-o'-lanterns on display. The city has broken its own record eight times since first setting it.
The Conjuring
What movie features the doll Annabelle?
Chicken Feed
What was the original name for candy corn?
Goelitz Candy Company (now Jelly Belly Candy Company) popularized the classic tricolor Halloween treat when it began marketing the kernels under that name in 1898.
Fortune-telling, specifically predicting whom a woman would marry.
What was the original purpose of bobbing for apples on Halloween?
Each apple represented a different suitor, and whichever apple the woman ended up biting into was said to represent her future husband
Ed Gein
Who inspired the serial killer in Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Psycho?
The Wisconsin man made headlines around the world after his crimes were discovered in 1957. The novel Psycho came out only two years later in 1959, and the film came out in 1960.
Count Wampyr.
What was Bram Stoker's original name for Dracula?
Wampyr is the German word for vampire. Stoker changed the name to Dracula after seeing the name in a book he borrowed from the library while on summer vacation in 1890.
Brambeck, which comes from a Gaelic word that means “speckled loaf”
What do the Irish bake on Halloween?
A sweet bread made with raisins and strong black tea. Tradition also holds that a coin, ring, piece of cloth, pea, and stick should be added to the dough before baking, with each item signifying an outcome for the person who finds it.
206
How many bones are in the average human skeleton?
Most humans have 206 bones, although the body has 270 at birth that subsequently fuse to become 206.