Good Friday morning friend...Welcome to weird and true facts...Today we will see what is weird but true about Halloween...
1). Halloween originated in Ireland.
2). Samhainophobia means you have a fear of Halloween.
3). Black cats, spiders, and bats became symbols of Halloween because they were associated with witchcraft during medieval times.
4). The holiday was not called All Hallows Eve until 1556. (Source comes from https://mind-blowingfacts.com/halloween-facts/)
5). The word Hallowe’en in Scottish means saints evening and would have been written as All Hallows’ Eve. The word “eve” or “even,” shortening of the evening in Scottish, would sometimes be written or pronounced as een or e’en. Over time, All Hallows Evening became abbreviated to Hallowe’en.
6). Originally wearing a mask at Halloween was for protection. Masks at Halloween were initially worn to ward off evil spirits. People believed that at Halloween, souls would come back to walk the earth, looking for lives to take with them. So the theory was that wearing a scary mask would scare off the evil spirits.
7). Blue moons on Halloween are rare. Blue moons are rare enough as it is, so to fall on Halloween is a unique occurrence, happening every 18-19 years. A blue moon is the second full moon to occur in the same month. October’s first moon is called a harvester moon, and if there is a second, it’s called the hunter’s moon.
8). There are “no mask” policies for Halloween, In the US, there are many rules about wearing masks in public on Halloween. For example, in Dublin, Georgia, it is illegal to wear a mask if you are under the age of 16. And in Belleville, Illinois, it is also illegal to wear a mask if you are under the age of 12 years old.
9). The loudest single scream at Halloween was record-breaking. English teaching assistant Jill Drake broke a Guinness World Record in October 2000. Whilst attending a Halloween festival in London, England, at the former Millennium Dome, Drake’s scream measured an incredible 129 dBA. That’s the equivalent of a rock concert with a loud symphony.
10). The word “bonfire” comes from the tradition of burning bones on Halloween. A bonfire was a key element of the Samhain festival, which celebrated summer’s end. Halloween traditions have stemmed from Samhain traditions, one being to have a large bonfire. The word bonfire comes from the Samhain tradition of a “bone fire. ”To mark the end of summer, a bonfire would be made, on which bones and cuttings from crops were thrown on top to ensure a good crop for the following year. This ritual led to the creation of the joining words “bone fire” to create a “bonfire.” (Source comes from www.thefactsite.com/100-Halloween-facts/
11). The Legend of 'Stingy Jack'. People have been making jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. One version of the practice may have originated from an Irish legend—which first appeared in print in the 19th century—about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack.” According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years. Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern. ”That story likely drew on a parallel etymology of the term ‘jack-o-the-lantern’ as akin to ‘will-o-the-wisp,’ a mysterious light seen in wooded or swampy areas at night—sometimes with natural causes, other times as a result of mischievous children lighting lanterns. (Source comes from How Jack O’Lanterns Originated in Irish Myth | HISTORY)
Have a blessed day...Take care and GOD bless...
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