Halloween History
The word “Halloween” is a shortened form of what longer name?
All Hallows Eve
The 1993 film Hocus Pocus was set in which U.S. city?
A) Boston
B) Salem
C) Providence
D) Hartford
Salem
What Mexican festival honours the dead around Halloween?
A) Día de los Muertos
B) Las Posadas
C) Cinco de Mayo
D) Fiesta de la Luna
Día de los Muertos
What does getting the fáinne (ring) in the báirín breac symbolise?
a) You'll be married soon
b) You'll come into good fortune
c) You'll be cursed
You'll be married soon
Which of these creatures is said to be averse to garlic?
A) Zombie
B) Werewolf
C) Vampire
D) Ghoul
Vampire
What Christian holiday follows Halloween?
A) All Saints’ Day
B) Palm Sunday
C) Corpus Christi
All Saints' Day
What movie famously used the tagline: “In space, no one can hear you scream.”
A) The Thing
B) Alien
C) Event Horizon
D) Predator
Alien
Which country celebrates the "Hungry Ghost Festival" their version of Halloween which generally falls during September?
a) Japan
b) China
c) Korea
China. Chinese people during this time burn incense and provide offerings to appease hungry ghosts, to prevent them from causing harm.
What was the Púca said to have spat on during Halloween night to discourage people from eating them?
a) Wild berries
b) Turnips
c) Cows
Wild Berries
What is a group of witches called?
A) A troop
B) A coven
C) A cackle
D) A horde
A coven
What did the Celts believe happened on October 31st?
A) Their dead ancestors rose from their graves
B) Spirits crossed into our world from the otherworld
D) The crops were blessed
Spirits crossed into our world from the otherworld
What was the first ever horror film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar?
A) Psycho
B) The Exorcist
C) Jaws
D) The Silence of the Lambs
The Exorcist in 1973
Which country lights bonfires and eats “parkin cake” for Halloween?
A) Ireland
B) England
C) Wales
D) Scotland
England
a) You were going to have a baby
b) You were destined for spinsterhood
c) You were destined for poverty
You were destined for spinsterhood!
Which Irish author created Dracula?
a) Oscar Wilde
b) Mary Shelley
c) Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
What was the medieval door-to-door tradition called?
A) Trick-or-treating
B) Wassailing
C) Souling
Souling
In The Shining, what phrase is typed repeatedly on Jack’s typewriter?
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".
Which country October 31st will celebrate the turning point between the light half and the dark half of the year by dressing up as "light vs dark" and play battling it out?
a) Iceland
b) Finland
c) Lithuania
Lithuania
Whiskey and which other drink are key components of báirín breac cake that’s traditionally baked during Halloween?
a) Sherry
b) Tea
c) Brandy
Tea
The word “witch” comes from an Old English term meaning what?
A) Wise person
B) Evil spirit
C) Cursed one
D) Night wanderer
Wise Person
In Irish mythology, who was the trickster whose story gave rise to the “Jack-o’-lantern”?
a) Dastardly Jack
b) Wicked Jack
c) Stingy Jack
Stingy Jack a man who was said to have outsmarted the Devil.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) was directed by which Oscar-winning filmmaker?
A) Martin Scorsese
B) Steven Spielberg
C) Francis Ford Coppola
D) Ridley Scott
Francis Ford Coppola
In what country do people make beet lanterns called “Rübengeister”?
A) Austria
B) Germany
C) Switzerland
D) Denmark
Germany
True or False? Bobbing for apples originated in America.
False. It actually originated in ancient Rome!
Which famous magician died on Halloween in 1926?
A) Harry Blackstone
B) Harry Houdini
C) David Copperfield
D) The Great Lafayette
Harry Houdini