The year is 2020. It's a Friday night, Halloween Eve. And tomorrow, October 31st is Halloween, on a Saturday. FINALLY. The week's weather has been defined with grey clouds, strong gusts of wind, and a combination of rain that hits the face and arms like pellets from the sky. It is the perfect Halloween to learn about the 2nd most famous American celebration, that is right before Christmas.
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1. A Full Moon On Halloween Is A Rare Occasion.
The most enduring and popular image of a Halloween Trrick or Treat Night is a large, golden harvest moon providing its beautiful glow aiding night time travels. However, this is not true. The next Halloween with a full moon to occur will be tomorrow, October 31st, 2020! The previous full moons date back to Halloween 1955 and 2001, with the next one after 2020, being 2036! Not only will 2020 Halloween see a full moon, however, astronomers have also predicted a blue moon - a phenomenon whereby the moon appears bluish owing to smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere.
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2. You Used To Have To Dance For Your Treats.
If you thought the old granny who would only give candy if you said "Trick Or Treat" and wore an extraordinary costume was bad, this is worse. An early form of trick-or-treating was the European tradition of "mumming" or "guising" in which groups of costumed children would go door to door and perform coordinated dances, songs, and skits in return for candy.
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3. Some Animal Shelters Don't Adopt Out Black Cats In October.
Black cats have long served as objects of superstition. In Medieval France and Spain, black cats were considered bringers of bad luck and curses to any human they came near, and were associated with witchcraft, in which witches would turn into black cats to disguise themselves. Many Medieval Germans believed themselves to be cursed if a black cat crossed their path from left to right. Till today, some animal shelters refrain from adopting black cats on Halloween, or even the entire month of October!
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4. Halloween Originally Began As The Celebration Of The Death.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, the ancient Celts adopted Samhain and turned it into All Saints' Day and All Hallows' Eve, where the modern term, Halloween was derived. The Celts were pagans who lived in what is now Ireland, and they celebrated the new year on November 1. Their festival, Samhain marked the end of fall's harvest and welcomed the season of winter, a season that signified death and darkness.
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5. Wearing Scary Costumes.
With all the "ghosts" wandering around the Earth during Samhain, the Celts had to get creative to avoid being terrorized by evil spirits. To blend in with the ghosts, the Celts would don disguises so they would be mistaken for the spirits themselves. Today, costume wearing is a form of celebrating Halloween to get some treats!
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6. Witches - Evil Or Wise?
The word "witch" comes from the Old English "wicce" which means "wise woman." According to popular belief, wiccans were highly respected people at one time in which witches held an important meeting on Halloween night.
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7. A Fear Of Halloween.
7. Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween. This fear can also present in other fears and phobias such as "phasmophobia" which is the fear of ghosts, "wiccaphobia", the fear of witchcraft, and the fear of darkness, "hyctophobia".
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8. The Famous Jack O Lanterns.
An Irish legend tells of a man named Jack who tricked the devil. As punishment for what he did, the devil forbade, Jack to enter neither heaven nor hell. Cursed to wander the Earth for eternity, he waves his lantern to lead people away from their paths, hence the Jack-O-Lanterns.
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9. The Iconic Yet Scary Pale Faced Mask
The classic 1978 horror film "Halloween" can be easily recognized in just one image: the psychotic Michael Myers in his iconic pale-faced mask. Without a doubt, it's one chilling look that has struck terror into the hearts of partying teens in slasher flicks. The movie was filmed on a tight budget in which the crew had no choice but to use the cheapest mask they could find; a $2 Star Trek Captain James Kirk mask. They spray painted it white and reshaped the eye holes, making William Shatner look incredibly creepy.
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10. Halloween Folklore Is Fulling Of Story Telling And Magic - Perfect For Halloween 2020 Edition.
Old English folklore about Halloween is full of superstition and fortune-telling that still lingers today, such as bobbing for apples or avoiding black cats. One piece of folklore says that if a young unmarried person walks down the stairs backwards at midnight while holding a mirror, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover, others say that if you wear your clothes inside out and walk backwards, you will meet a witch at midnight. Extremely superstitious, this can guarantee one creepy night!
