1.The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.

2. Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.

3. The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman.” In fact, Wiccan were highly respected people at one time. According to popular belief, witches held one of their two main meetings, or sabbats, on Halloween night.

4. The next Halloween with a full moon will occur in 2020.

5. In the U.S, Halloween accounts for 25% of the year’s candy sales.

6. Halloween celebrations in Hong Kong are known as Yue Lan or the “Festival of the Hungry Ghosts” during which fires are lit and food and gifts are offered to placate potentially angry ghosts who might be looking for revenge.

7. Black and orange are typically associated with Halloween. Orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and, along with brown and gold, stands for the harvest and autumn. Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness and acts as a reminder that Halloween once was a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.

8. Growing big pumpkins is apparently a serious hobby. Top prize money for the biggest giant pumpkin is as much as $25,000 dollars at fall festivals. The current world record for giant pumpkins is 1446 pounds.

9. Some so-called vampire bats do drink blood, but they’re not from Transylvania. They live in Central and South America and feed on cattle, horses, and birds. .

10. Different versions of trick-or-treating have been around since medieval times. It used to be called “guising” or “souling,” and it was when children and poor adults went around in costumes on Halloween begging for food and money in exchange for songs and prayers.

11. Halloween costumes are a part of Halloween that comes from Celtic tradition. Because the Celts believed that this was the one time of year when spirits could get into our world, they would wear scary costumes and masks during festivals to ward off and confuse these evil spirits.

12. There’s a reason we associate black cats, spiders and bats with Halloween. That’s because they all have ties to Wiccans (AKA real life witches). In the Middle Ages, people thought these three things were in the families of witches, which made them become associated with bad luck.

13. Although Halloween is hugely popular in the US, you’ll be surprised to learn that the rest of the world just isn’t as into it. In France and Australia for example, they barely celebrate the holiday, and see it as “overly commercial American influence.” Their loss.