by Shelby Strang and Brooke Maxson
So, you’re driving along the road and all of a sudden a black cat crosses your path. You feel worried now, but do you know why? Have you ever wondered why that’s supposed to be bad luck? Have you ever made sure that you were extra careful with a mirror, so it wouldn’t break? You wouldn’t want seven years of bad luck! Many of these common superstitions are just accepted by people with no questions asked. Your days of wondering are over because we’re here to tell you what these superstitions are and where they come from.
So, you’re driving along the road and all of a sudden a black cat crosses your path. You feel worried now, but do you know why? Have you ever wondered why that’s supposed to be bad luck? Have you ever made sure that you were extra careful with a mirror, so it wouldn’t break? You wouldn’t want seven years of bad luck! Many of these common superstitions are just accepted by people with no questions asked. Your days of wondering are over because we’re here to tell you what these superstitions are and where they come from.
MYTHS
Black cats are considered bad luck.
Actually cats aren’t just bad luck. Cats have been around for many millennia. The cat used to be worshipped in Egypt and when a family’s cat died, it was mummified and the family went into mourning. By the 17th century, however, cats were starting to be associated with witchcraft. Sometimes they were bad luck and sometimes they were good luck, depending on the situation. Whether they are bad or good luck, it actually depends on where you live in the world. Some believe that black cats are “evil” and some also believe that black cats eventually turn into witches. So, depending on the situation and where you live, black cats may be good luck…or you may not be so lucky that day.
Placing an apple under your pillow on Halloween night will make you dream of your true love.
Light a candle and place it before a mirror. Comb your hair as you stare in the mirror and the face of your true love will appear over your left shoulder. Of course this will only work on Halloween night.
FUN HALLOWEEN FACTS
-More than 93% of children, under the age of 12, will go trick-or-treating.
-About 50% of adults dress up for Halloween, while 67% take part in the activities, such as parties, decorating the house, and trick-or-treating with their children.
-Halloween candy sales average around 2 billion dollars every year in the United States! It is the largest candy-purchasing holiday out there.
-About 99% of pumpkins that are marketed domestically are turned into jack-o-lanterns.
-90% of parents admit to sneaking candy from their children’s trick-or-treat bags.
-The biggest pumpkin in the world is 1,446 pounds!
-More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That adds up to nearly 9 billion pieces and is enough to circle the moon 4 times if laid out end-to-end.
-Halloween, referred to as All Hallows Eve, was originally a pagan holiday in which they honored the dead. It was celebrated on October 31 since this was the last day of the
Celtic calendar. The celebration dates back some 2,000 years.
-On Halloween, Irish peasants would beg the rich for food. For those that refused, they would play a practical joke. So, in an effort to avoid being tricked, the rich would hand out cookies, candy, and fruit – a practice that morphed into trick-or-treating today
-The number one candy choice for Halloween is Snickers.
-The official Orange and Black colors of Halloween came from orange being associated with fall harvest and black symbolizing darkness and death.-There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with “orange”.
Black cats are considered bad luck.
Actually cats aren’t just bad luck. Cats have been around for many millennia. The cat used to be worshipped in Egypt and when a family’s cat died, it was mummified and the family went into mourning. By the 17th century, however, cats were starting to be associated with witchcraft. Sometimes they were bad luck and sometimes they were good luck, depending on the situation. Whether they are bad or good luck, it actually depends on where you live in the world. Some believe that black cats are “evil” and some also believe that black cats eventually turn into witches. So, depending on the situation and where you live, black cats may be good luck…or you may not be so lucky that day.
Placing an apple under your pillow on Halloween night will make you dream of your true love.
Light a candle and place it before a mirror. Comb your hair as you stare in the mirror and the face of your true love will appear over your left shoulder. Of course this will only work on Halloween night.
FUN HALLOWEEN FACTS
-More than 93% of children, under the age of 12, will go trick-or-treating.
-About 50% of adults dress up for Halloween, while 67% take part in the activities, such as parties, decorating the house, and trick-or-treating with their children.
-Halloween candy sales average around 2 billion dollars every year in the United States! It is the largest candy-purchasing holiday out there.
-About 99% of pumpkins that are marketed domestically are turned into jack-o-lanterns.
-90% of parents admit to sneaking candy from their children’s trick-or-treat bags.
-The biggest pumpkin in the world is 1,446 pounds!
-More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That adds up to nearly 9 billion pieces and is enough to circle the moon 4 times if laid out end-to-end.
-Halloween, referred to as All Hallows Eve, was originally a pagan holiday in which they honored the dead. It was celebrated on October 31 since this was the last day of the
Celtic calendar. The celebration dates back some 2,000 years.-On Halloween, Irish peasants would beg the rich for food. For those that refused, they would play a practical joke. So, in an effort to avoid being tricked, the rich would hand out cookies, candy, and fruit – a practice that morphed into trick-or-treating today
-The number one candy choice for Halloween is Snickers.
-The official Orange and Black colors of Halloween came from orange being associated with fall harvest and black symbolizing darkness and death.-There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with “orange”.
