Halloween is probably the most captivating holiday of the year. This is the one time when everyone can dress up as their favorite characters and get free candy for the effort. But Halloween isn’t all just about putting on scary costumes and trick-or-treating. We’ve found some fun facts about this tradition that you may not have known.
Although Halloween is seen as an American tradition, it originated in Ireland almost 2,000 years ago as a ritual to keep evil spirits away! Of course, now we know that evil spirits don’t actually exist … or do they?
We all know the colors linked to Halloween are orange and black, but do you know why? Orange is a symbol for the autumn harvest while predictably black symbolizes darkness and death.
Though Halloween is associated with all things dark, it should really be called the sweetest holiday. Why? Because a quarter of all candy sales during the year occur during the Halloween period. When you’re out trick-or-treating, expect some Snickers, because they are the number one candy of choice for this holiday.
Another thing you should expect to see are jack-o-lanterns, made from carved pumpkins. In the United States, the Halloween capital of the world, 99 percent of all pumpkins sold throughout the year are carved into jack-o-lanterns. The people of Boston, Massachusetts, seem the most enthusiastic: They hold the record for setting out 30,128 jack-o-lanterns lit at once.
We all know it is bad luck to see black cats or vampire’s bats, but what does it mean to see a spider on Halloween? You’ll be happy to know that seeing spiders is actually something to be happy about; it simply means the spirit of a loved one is watching over you.
Although Halloween is not quite as big in Indonesia as it is in the USA, it sure gives you an excuse to dress up!
Tim O Lantern, master of dark artwork
As October kicks in, Halloween looms and my thoughts turn to all things Goth. If there’s one person I associate with this fun holiday, it’s the creative master of dark and quirky movies and art: Tim Burton.
Does the name sound familiar? You’ve heard of or seen some of his movies, like the blockbuster Alice in Wonderland and the Batman series. This talented director/producer/writer is also famous for his ghostly fantasies including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
(c) Tim Burton
Many of his movies have Gothic elements, perfect for the Halloween season. If you look closely enough, you’ll probably notice recurring images in his films: dead dogs, clowns, twisted trees, scarecrows and jack-o-lanterns. This is probably influenced by his childhood love for horror movies. When he was young, he preferred to spend time alone, just like most of his protagonists. His films are full of outcasts who resemble Tim Burton.
Quite fitting with his obsession with mysterious things, it seems that this man also believes in superstition. He wears a pair of pinstripe socks as a lucky charm at every premiere and special occasion. Obviously these socks have worked! With his favorite season of the year coming up, it seems proper to have a Tim Burton movie marathon right about now. And who knows, it might give you some ideas on eccentric Halloween costumes!
Santhi Weiss
