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What was the ancient Celtic fall festival that was a precursor to Halloween?

Answer: Samhain. Marking the change of seasons, Samhain occurred on November 1 but kicked off the evening before. On this night, the veil between this world and the next was thought to be especially thin.

Related: What's the Origin of Halloween?

What does the word "Halloween" mean?

Answer: Hallowed Evening or Holy Night—because Halloween is a Catholic holiday too. Short for All Hallows' Eve, Halloween is the day of the vigil held the evening before All Saints' Day on November 1. Pope Gregory IV added All Saints' Day to the official Church calendar in 837 C.E., expanding the holiday, which was previously celebrated only in Rome, to all churches.

What is America's favorite Halloween candy?

Answer: Reese's Cups. So says bulk candy distributor CandyStore.com, which crunched 15 years of sales data from 2007 to 2021 to give us this delicious answer. Is anyone surprised?

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How is Laurie Strode related to killer Michael Myers in the Halloween movie franchise?

Answer: Trick question! The answer depends on the movie. Halloween II, released in 1981, reveals that Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is Michael Myers's sister. Later sequels followed suit until 2018's Halloween—a direct sequel to the 1978 original in which no family relation is mentioned. So, in the 2018 movie, Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022), Laurie and Michael are unrelated. Confusing, we know.

Related: 59 Best Halloween Movies of All Time to Stream at Home

In what state is it the norm for trick-or-treaters to receive full-size candy bars on Halloween?

What was the original purpose of bobbing for apples on Halloween?

Answer: Fortune-telling, specifically predicting whom a woman would marry. Each apple represented a different suitor, and whichever apple the woman ended up biting into was said to represent her future husband.

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Name the haunted San Jose, CA, home that grew from 8 rooms to 160 rooms while owned by an eccentric rifle heiress.

Answer: Winchester Mystery House. From 1886 until her death in 1922, Sarah Winchester, widow of William Wirt Winchester, continuously added on to her California home, which began as a modest farmhouse. Perhaps the spookiest feature of this labyrinth-like mansion: doors and stairwells that lead to… nowhere.

Related: 27 of the Most Haunted Places in America

What was the original name for candy corn?

Answer: Chicken Feed. According to History.com, the Goelitz Candy Company (now Jelly Belly Candy Company) popularized the classic tricolor Halloween treat when it began marketing the kernels under that name in 1898.

Which famous magician actually died (!) on Halloween?

Answer: You might find it hard to believe, but the magician Harry Houdini passed away on Halloween day.

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How did Houdini's wife attempt to communicate with him after his death?

Answer: Seances. Houdini had promised his wife, Bess, that if he died first he would send a message in code, one that only they knew, within 10 years—if communication between the dead and living were possible. On Halloween night 1936, the tenth anniversary of his death, Bess made her final attempt to reach her deceased husband. The result: no message from the other side.

Can you guess how many calories are in the average trick-or-treat Halloween bag?

Answer: Prepare yourself: 3,500 and 7,000! How's that for motivation to take it easy on night one and tuck a few treats away from later in the week?

Who was the first First Lady to decorate the White House to celebrate Halloween?

Answer: Mamie Eisenhower in 1958. (This 17-x-21-foot jack-'o-lantern is from 1993's decor!)

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How many pounds of candy corn are produced every single year?

Answer: You may find it hard to believe, but 35 million pounds of candy corn is made every year! That's 9 billion pieces of the tricolor wonders to munch on every Halloween.

Which candy was handed out to soldiers during the Korean War?

Answer: Launched way back in 1907, Tootsie Rolls were accidentally air-dropped to American troops in battle in the Korean War. The troops went on to praise the candies for keeping them nourished and even plugging bullet holes in vehicles and equipment, which would seal as the candies froze in the frigid temperatures.

Which country holds the record for the largest pumpkin ever?

Answer: Italy! Grown in 2021, the pumpkin weighed in at a whopping 1,226 kilograms (just shy of 2,702 pounds) and measured 11 feet 8 inches in diameter.

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Which of the following is NOT a term for a scarecrow?

Options: Hodmedod, Murmet, Doodle sack, Hay-man, Gallybagger, Tattie Bogal, Mommet, Mawkin, Bwbach.

Answer: Doodle Sack. Which is an English word for a bagpipe. Either way you look at it, while the Scarecrow may not have had a heart, he does go by a lot of names!

What were originally used as the first Jack-o'-Lanterns?

Answer: Turnips. Originating in Ireland, people would hollow out turnips and place a lump of coal in it as a type of lantern and set it at their door as a guide for poor "Jack." Jack, legend has it, tricked the devil and wasn't allowed into heaven or hell, so he was cursed to wander the earth forever in the in-between. The Irish then brought this tradition to America and found that pumpkins were a far better alternative to the turnip, thus instilling an American fall tradition.

In what century did the tradition of trick-or-treating begin?

Answer: The American tradition of trick-or-treating dates back to the 1920s, but in Europe, as early as the 16th century people were known to go from door to door on Halloween night asking for food, reciting verses, wearing costumes, and warning of curses if they didn't get a warm welcome.

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In "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," who does Linus mistake for the Great Pumpkin?

Answer: Snoopy. Linus faints after seeing a shadowy figure rise in the pumpkin patch, thinking it's the Great Pumpkin. Instead, it was only Snoopy, which Sally sees and gets mad at Linus for making her miss out on all the Halloween fun to wait in the pumpkin patch.

What was Bram Stoker's original name for Dracula?

Answer: Count Wampyr. Wampyr is the German word for vampire. Stoker changed the name to Dracula after seeing the name in a book he borrowed from the library while on summer vacation in 1890.

Ashley Leath is the Copy/Research Editor for Country Living and Veranda magazines. She also organizes the Country Living Front Porch Book Club and Veranda Sip & Read Book Club.

Terri Robertson is the Senior Editor, Digital, at Country Living, where she shares her lifelong love of homes, gardens, down-home cooking, and antiques. 

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