Halloween has become more popular every year in Canada. But what do you know about Halloween traditions? Treat yourself to this tricky trivia test.
1. What does the word “Halloween” mean?
2. What is the ancient Celtic fall festival that was a precursor to Halloween?
3. How many bones are in the average human skeleton?
4. What was the original purpose of bobbing for apples on Halloween?
5. Why do we associate orange and black with Halloween?
6. Which famous magician died on Oct. 31?
7. What address did the Munster family live at in the TV show The Munsters?
8. Which country holds the record for the largest pumpkin?
9. Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?
10. What vegetable was originally used as the first jack-o’-lanterns? Answers
1. Halloween is short for “all hallows eve.” Halloween is the evening before All Saints Day on Nov. 1.
2. Samhain is the Celtic festival that marked the change of seasons. On this night the veil between this world and the next was thought to be especially thin allowing the spirits to roam Earth.
3. Most humans have 206 bones, although the body has 270 (or more) at birth that subsequently fuse to become 206.
4. Fortune telling, specifically 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.
5. Halloween decor drew from the natural colours in season in October, such as orange pumpkins, hay bales, and marigolds. Black represents a spooky vibe.
6. Harry Houdini passed away on Halloween Day in 1926.
7. The Munster’s mansion in the 1960s TV show was at 1313 Mockingbird Lane.
8. England. Earlier this month, twin brothers, Ian and Stuart Patton, claimed the world record for pumpkin growing. The giant squash weighed 1,278 kg with a circumference of 6.4 m.
9. A pumpkin is a fruit. Anything that starts as a flower such as a pumpkin becomes a fruit.
10. Turnips. Originally in Ireland, people would hollow out a turnip and place a lump of coal in it as a type of lantern and set it at the door as a guide for “Poor Jack.” Jack, legend has it tricked the devil and couldn’t get into heaven or hell, so he was cursed to wonder Earth forever in the in between. The Irish brought this tradition to North America and carved pumpkins instead of turnips.
