5 things you didn’t know about Halloween

Here are some interesting facts about the year's spookiest night.

October 31, 2023

Ayanda Zulu 1 minute read

Halloween Night on the road. — The night of the orange moon is finally upon us.

HALLOWEEN is a celebration of all things spooky. It’s comprised of odd traditions like trick-or-treating and pumpkin carving. While we all grew up watching American movies where Halloween is hugely popular, it’s interesting to see it catching on in South Africa.

Here are a few interesting facts about Halloween practices:

1. Halloween dates back 2 000 years when the Celtic people celebrated the end of the harvest and the start of a new year in a festival called Samhain.

2. Princesses and superheroes rank as the most popular kids’ costumes. The top children’s costumes for 2023 are:
a. Spiderman
b. Princess
c. Ghost
d. Superhero
e. Witch

Also read: A haunted house and trick-or-treating makes Halloween spooky in Montclair [Video]

Nia Louw headed to The Firm Westville for a Halloween nail and makeup transformation. Photo: Thuli Dlamini

3. The night before Halloween is called Mischief Night, with celebrants apparently hoping to separate the wholesome ritual of dressing up and collecting candy from the custom of causing mayhem.

4. Halloween falls on a full moon every 19 years. Since the moon is full about once every 29.5 days, and October is 31 days long, all Halloween full moons are blue moons.

5. Orange and black are colours synonymous with Halloween because Halloween was always thought of as a night holiday (black) while orange is the colour of fire since the hue is reminiscent of harvest.

Bonus fact: The act of trick-or-treating has been around since medieval times. Known then as ‘guising’, young people wore masks and full costumes and asked for food or money in exchange for poems, songs and other tricks.

Also read: Halloween costumes ideas for kids