Halloween History
The people who brought the Halloween tradition to the United States
What are the Irish
Ludi Augustales: October 3-12 - games held in honor of this man starting in 11 BC
Who was Augustus
The origin of “Double, double toil and trouble”
What is William Shakespeare’s Macbeth
This popular cartoon ghost has appeared in dozens of films, TV series and comic books
Who is Casper the Friendly Ghost
Catholic holiday celebrated on Nov. 1
What is All Saint's day
Halloween candy originally referred to as chicken feed
What is candy corn
Oct 6 - A day considered unlucky since it was the anniversary of the defeat to German tribes in 105 BC
What is Black Day/Anniversary of Arausio
A lycanthrope
What is a werewolf
The Nightmare Before Christmas composer Danny Elfman perform in this 1980s band
What is Oingo Boingo
Catholic holiday celebrated on Nov. 2
What is All Soul's Day
The Guinness World Record for the heaviest pumpkin nabbed in 2023 by Travis Gienger
What is 2,749 pounds
Armilustrium: October 19 - The festival that marked the end of the military campaigning season, where soldiers' weapons were ritually purified and stored for the winter on the Aventine Hill and a procession with torches and sacrificial animals, was dedicated to this god/dess
Who is Mars
This fire-breathing mishmash of a monster was a lion with a goat's head in the middle of its back and a dragon's head for a tail
What is the Chimera
The two serial killers at the in Silence of the Lambs
Buffalo Bill and Hannibal Lecter
In the poem Beowulf, the monster Grendel is said to be a descendant of this character in the Bible
Who was Cain
The fear of Halloween
What is Samhainophobia
November 4-17 - The second greatest games, for the people, after the Ludi Romani
What were the Ludi Plebeian
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the monster allegedly need this from his home country to stay healthy
What is dirt
According to the lyrics of “Monster Mash,” these are the guests of the Halloween party
Who are Wolfman, Dracula and his son
Irish cakes made with tea and spiced and speckled with berries, dried fruits, and nuts, collected by people who went from house to house singing and asking these. For each cake received, a prayer was said for the dead.
What is a soul cake
“A soule cake, a soule cake, Have mercy on all Christen soules for a soule-cake.” John Aubrey, 17th century
A old Celtic fortune telling tradition that predicted who women were destined to marry
What is bobbing for apples
Opiconsivia: August 25 - To the goddess of the earth, agricultural resources and wealth, and also wife of Saturn
Who is Ops Consiva (Rhea)
The father of monsters, he sired Cerberus, Hydra, Chimera, and Sphinx among others
Typhon
The original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released this year
What is 1974
In the eighth century, this pope incorporated some of the Celtic traditions of Samhain into celebrations of the Catholic church
Pope Gregory III