Halloween is second only to Christmas when it comes to celebrations.
From decorations to costumes to candy, Halloween brings out the best and scariest in all of us.
This year, a record $10.14 billion (that’s right, billion) is expected to be spent on Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation. That’s up more than $2 billion from what was spent last year when many people avoided trick-or-treating.
Here’s six things you might not know about this spooktacular day:
1. It’s all about the candy
Lots of those billions are spent on candy. Candystore.com reports Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (followed by Skittles and M&M’s) are Halloween’s best-loved candies.
The worst: candy corn.
The candy we all love to hate became popular in the late 1880s when it was called Chicken Feed. And its waxy recipe has barely changed since. Maybe that explains it.
2. Before candy …
Candy as the treat of choice was popularized by candy makers in the 1950s. Before that, trick-or-treaters would get pieces of cake, fruit, nuts, coins and little toys, according to the History Channel. Today, about 25% of all candy sold in the U.S. each year is purchased for Halloween.
3. Jack-o’-lanterns
Those carved Halloween pumpkins are rooted in an Irish folk tale. After fooling the devil, Stingy Jack wandered the Earth, lighting his way with a burning coal in a hollowed turnip. He became known as Jack of the Lantern, which evolved into Jack-o’-lantern.
4. Ancient history
The holiday is traced back about 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This Oct. 31 celebration marked when the dead returned to earth. To ward off the ghosts, those who lived in the Celtic regions (now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France) lit bonfires and donned costumes. Irish immigrants brought Halloween to the U.S. in the mid-1880s.
5. Costume fun
Superheroes are always popular, and with the new “Spider-Man” film coming out soon, it’s no wonder Spidey is one of the most-chosen Halloween costumes by both kids and adults. Batman is also up there, as are princesses, witches, vampires and ghosts.
You’re also going to see lots of people (adults and youngsters) paying tribute to “Squid Game,” the Netflix hit where cash-strapped contestants compete in children’s games to win a tempting prize or suffer the deadly consequences. The costumes are pretty simple — long-sleeve tracksuits emblazoned with contestants’ numbers 456, 067 or 001.
6. Be very afraid
For some people, Halloween is much more fright than fun. There’s even a name for the fear of the holiday: Samhainophobia.
