Halloween History
Halloween Monsters
Halloween Treats
Superstitions & Myths
Pumpkins
100
In colonial New England, people sometimes hid this everyday item in walls, near chimneys or windows, believing it could help keep witches and evil spirits out of the home.
What is a shoe?
Archaeologists and historic-house restorers have found hundreds of deliberately concealed shoes in old buildings. The practice came from medieval European traditions and continued in New England into the 19th century.
100
Transylvania, which is famously associated with Count Dracula, is located in the central part of this European country.
What is Romania?
Transylvania is a real historical region, not a fictional place. Its name is often translated as “land beyond the forest.”
100
This tri-coloured Halloween candy is traditionally made in white, orange and yellow, and is shaped to resemble a kernel of corn.
What is candy corn?
Candy corn has been around since the 1880s and was originally made by hand.
100
According to a common superstition, breaking one of these is said to bring seven years of bad luck.
What is a mirror?
The belief that mirrors could affect a person’s fortune dates back centuries, when mirrors were sometimes thought to reflect or contain part of a person’s spirit.
100
Botanically speaking, pumpkins are classified as this.
What is a fruit?
Despite this botanical classification, pumpkins are commonly treated as vegetables in cooking.
200
Long before pumpkins became the familiar jack-o’-lantern, people in Ireland traditionally hollowed out and carved faces into this root vegetable for Halloween.
What are turnips?
Irish turnip lanterns were often called “ghost turnips,” and candles were placed inside them to create eerie glowing faces.
200
First appearing in the 1945 animated short The Friendly Ghost, this famous ghost is known for being friendly rather than frightening.
Who is Casper the Friendly Ghost?
He later became a popular comic-book character, and his first feature film was the 1995 live-action movie Casper.
200
First introduced in 1928, this popular candy combines a creamy peanut butter filling with a milk chocolate coating.
What are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups?
The candy was created by H. B. Reese, a former dairy farmer and employee of Milton Hershey. Reese’s later became part of The Hershey Company and is now one of its best-known brands.
200
The black version of this animal has long been considered a symbol of bad luck in some cultures, particularly when it crosses your path.
What is a cat?
Black cats weren't considered unlucky everywhere. In some cultures, including parts of Britain and Japan, they have traditionally been viewed as symbols of good fortune.
200
This popular dessert, often served at Thanksgiving in Canada is traditionally made with pumpkin puree, spices and a pastry crust.
What is pumpkin pie?
Pumpkin pie has been associated with North American Thanksgiving celebrations for centuries, although early recipes differed considerably from today's version.
300
This English playwright gave the three witches the famous chant about “toil and trouble,” fire and a bubbling cauldron.
Who is William Shakespeare (Macbeth)?
The chant was first performed around 1606. The witches repeat it while preparing their cauldron, making it one of Shakespeare’s most recognizable passages.
300
These people are traditionally depicted with warts, broomsticks and black cats.
Who are witches?
The familiar Halloween image of a witch developed over centuries of European folklore and later popular culture.
300
At fall fairs and Halloween celebrations, these apples are coated in a chewy, sweet layer made by heating sugar, butter and cream.
What are caramel apples?
They are often associated with autumn because apple harvest season and Halloween occur at about the same time.
300
According to an old superstition, walking underneath this household object can bring bad luck.
What is a ladder?
One explanation links the belief to ancient Egypt, where a leaning ladder formed a triangle, a shape considered sacred.
300
This Canadian province is one of the country's major pumpkin-growing regions, particularly in its southwestern agricultural areas.
What is Ontario?
Ontario's climate and fertile farmland make it an important producer of pumpkins and other squash for the Canadian market.
400
This traditional name for October 31, meaning the evening before All Saints’ Day, eventually became shortened to the word “Halloween.”
What is All Hallows’ Eve?
“Halloween” developed from All Hallows’ Eve, with “hallow” meaning a saint or holy person. All Saints’ Day is November 1.
400
According to popular folklore and horror stories, this shape-shifting creature can be harmed or killed with a silver bullet.
What is a werewolf?
The silver-bullet idea became especially famous through 20th-century horror films, although earlier European stories also associated silver objects with defeating werewolf-like creatures
400
“Taste the Rainbow” is the famous slogan of this colourful candy, which comes in a variety of fruit flavours.
What are Skittles?
Skittles were first made in Britain in the 1970s and were introduced to North America later that decade. The original package contained five flavours: orange, lemon, lime, strawberry and grape.
400
In folklore, throwing a small amount of this seasoning over your left shoulder is supposed to ward off bad luck.
What is salt?
Salt was historically valuable and important for preserving food, which may help explain why spilling it came to be viewed as bad luck
400
This European country is generally credited with beginning the tradition of carving Halloween lanterns from turnips and other vegetables.
What is Ireland?
Irish immigrants brought the jack-o’-lantern tradition to North America, where pumpkins proved much easier to carve than turnips.
500
On Halloween in Ireland, this leafy vegetable was used in fortune-telling games, with its size, shape and roots said to reveal clues about a person’s future spouse.
What is cabbage?
In one traditional game, young people would blindly select a cabbage from a field, and the condition of the roots was believed to indicate the wealth or character of their future husband or wife.
500
Published anonymously in 1818, this Gothic novel by Mary Shelley tells the story of a young scientist who creates a living being from human body parts.
What is Frankenstein?
The creature itself is never given a name in Shelley’s novel. “Frankenstein” is actually the surname of its creator, Victor Frankenstein.
500
This chocolate-covered wafer bar is known for its slogan inviting you to “Have a Break.”
What is KitKat?
KitKat was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1935. The familiar four-finger version was created so the bar could easily be broken into pieces to share.
500
According to a familiar superstition, finding one of these four-leaf plants is supposed to bring good luck.
What is a four-leaf clover?
Four-leaf clovers are rare mutations of the common three-leaf clover. The chance of finding one is often estimated at roughly 1 in 5,000.
500
This famous Halloween character is often depicted riding through the night with a pumpkin for a head.
Who is the Headless Horseman?
The character comes from Washington Irving's 1820 story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The story helped establish the pumpkin-headed image in popular culture.
