Happy Halloween! We love this time of year SO much and can’t wait for costumes, treats, and maybe a few tricks. Have you ever wondered how Halloween became the holiday we celebrate today? We’ve got a couple of fun facts that you might not know about the year’s spookiest holiday!
Dancing for Treats
The tradition of “trick-or-treating” has been traced back to old European practices called “mumming” or “guysing”. This involved people in costumes going door-to-door and performing dances, songs, and plays in exchange for treats. It wasn’t until the 1930s that our modern version of trick-or-treating began.
Halloween Is An Irish Holiday
Halloween began with a Celtic festival for the dead called Samhain. The Celts believed that ghosts walked the Earth on this day. People dressed in costumes and left treats on their front doors as offerings to the spirits. The Irish also invented the jack-o’-lantern, as the name comes from an Irish folktale about Stingy Jack. In the story, Jack played a trick on the Devil and made him upset. Therefore he was not allowed to enter hell, forcing him to roam the Earth in the dark for eternity with only a burning coal inside a carved-out turnip to guide his way. This was the original inspiration for our modern carved pumpkins with flickering candles inside!
Only Six States Produce Most of Our Holiday Pumpkins
We all know Halloween wouldn’t be the same without those orange pumpkins. Who knew that only six states in the U.S. produce a majority of them? According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the major pumpkin-producers are Illinois, California, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. They produce about 1.31 billion pounds of pumpkins every year!
Are You a Halloween Makeup Master?
One of the most important parts of Halloween is the costume. Whether you want to be sweet, silly, or downright scary, it’s the perfect time of year to show off your skills! Think you know the best Halloween makeup practices, techniques, hacks, and secrets? Take our quiz to find out if you’re right!
Blog Outro: Did you score 10/10? It’s time to get trained in professional makeup and beauty! Contact the Douglas J Institutes to find out how you can get started in one of our esthetics or cosmetology programs
