Washington Irving: The Father of Halloween...and Christmas?
Washington Irving is known by most to be the father of Halloween with his iconic ghost story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." What most people don’t know, is that he is also the reason we celebrate Christmas the way we do today.
The annual celebration of Halloween is rich in history and fun facts.
Throughout the month of October, millions of Americans engage in Halloween festivities, such as donning costumes, collecting candy and carving pumpkins, but many not know about Halloween's origins or how much money is put down to get into the spooky spirit.
Experts say the commercialized day generates billions of dollars in the weeks leading up to Halloween.
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Here are 10 number-based Halloween facts – from how many people celebrate to fan-favorite treats.
Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31 each year. (iStock)
1. When did Halloween start?
2. Which 3 countries celebrate Halloween the most?
3. How many Americans celebrate Halloween?
4. Halloween celebrations: How much are Americans spending?
5. How much candy is eaten during Halloween?
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6. What are the top 3 Halloween candies?
7. Halloween costumes: How much are Americans spending?
8. Trick-or-treating solo: When's the right age?
9. How much does the world's heaviest jack-o'-lantern weigh?
10. How many countries celebrate Halloween?
11. Where is the top place to trick-or-treat in America?
1. When did Halloween start?
Halloween's origins are thousands of years old. (iStock)
Modern-day Halloween can be traced back 2,000 years to an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which took place in England and Ireland on Nov. 1 during the eighth century, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
The pagan tradition evolved over time and was later named All Saints' Day, a Christian holiday that celebrates spiritual maturity. The day before All Saints' Day, Oct. 31, was called All Hallows Eve, which eventually became known as Halloween, historians say.
2. Which 3 countries celebrate Halloween the most?
Halloween is a "very popular" celebration in the three countries of U.S., U.K. and Canada, according to World Population Review, an online demographic data company.
Halloween is celebrated in dozens of countries around the world. (iStock)
3. How many Americans celebrate Halloween?
About 73.1 million American children under age 18 celebrated Halloween in 2020, according to an estimate published by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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4. Halloween celebrations: How much are Americans spending?
Halloween spending in the U.S. could reach an all-time high of $12.2 billion in 2023, which exceeds last year’s record of $10.6 billion, according to a projection published by the National Retail Federation.
Billions of dollars go into Halloween celebrations each year. (iStock)
5. How much candy is eaten during Halloween?
Every Halloween season, Americans purchase around 600 million pounds of candy, according to SnackHistory.com, an online candy and snack database.
Americans purchase millions of pounds of Halloween candy each year. (iStock)
6. What are the top 3 Halloween candies?
The top three Halloween treats that are beloved by Americans are chocolate, candy corn and gummy candy, according to the National Confectioners Association.
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7. Halloween costumes: How much are Americans spending?
On average, Halloween-celebrating Americans will spend $108.24 on costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards, according to the National Retail Federation.
This year's costume projection is $5.50 higher than how much Halloween celebrators spent in 2021 on average, according to the NRF's latest Halloween spending report.
Costumes are a longtime Halloween tradition for children and adults. (iStock)
8. Trick-or-treating solo: When's the right age?
Nearly a third of parents (31%) in the U.S. think children who are ages 13 or 14 are old enough to do Halloween trick-or-treating alone, according to a WalletHub survey.
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9. How much does the world's heaviest jack--o'-lantern weigh?
The world’s heaviest jack-o’-lantern weighed 2,560 pounds and was confirmed by Guinness World Records at the 49th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, which was held in Half Moon Bay, California, on Oct. 10, 2022.
Minnesota pumpkin farmer Travis Gienger grew the giant fruit and his friend, Mike Rudolph, carved the jack o’lantern’s eagle design.
The pair broke their own record, which weighed 2,350 pounds and featured a tiger design, during the 47th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, on Oct. 12, 2020, according to Guinness World Records.
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10. How many countries celebrate Halloween?
Halloween is reportedly "celebrated alongside traditional holidays" in 13 countries, including, Colombia, Germany and China, and Halloween is reportedly "gaining in popularity in 23 countries, including Australia, Japan and Sweden, according to World Population Review.
11. Where are the top place to trick-or-treat in America this year?
In a survey conducted this by the online grocery platform Instacart, the top two places to trick-or-treat in America is Lehi, Utah and Dallas, Texas.
Other zip codes in Texas as well as New York and California made the list, as each score was determined by analyzing Halloween-themed Instacart purchases purchases.
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