Mind and Body
 
 

Home > Lifestyle > Craft Center > Holidays and Occasions > Halloween Trivia
  Discussion Boards Free Newsletter Shopping Refer this page Readers Craft Ideas

Uncanny Halloween Trivia

Think you know everything about Halloween? Here is some chilling trivia you may not have known:

Halloween comes from the pagan festival of Samhain. It was believed that on this night the spirits of all those who had died the preceding year would come back to haunt the living. To scare away or appease these spirits, the people began dressing up in fiendish costumes and leaving offerings of food at their door. During the 8th century, the Christian church replaced the pagan holiday by naming Nov. 1 "All Saints' Day" and the night before as "All Hallows Eve". Eventually, this name became Halloween.

The carving of Jack-O-Lanterns comes from an 18th century Irish folk tale about a miserly drunkard named Jack who is said to have trapped the Devil in the branches of an apple tree. After Jack's death, he was not allowed into Heaven, but the Devil wouldn't accept him either. So Jack was left to wander the night endlessly, lighting his path with a lit piece of coal inside a hollowed out turnip (later turned into a pumpkin).

Superstitions about vampires have existed from the earliest times and appeared in all cultures. The "Vampir" (vampire) comes from Romanian legends about spirits or demons that left their graves at night to seek and enslave human victims. The vampire could be warded off with a variety of charms, amulets, and herbs and could only be killed by driving a stake through its heart or by cremation. It is from this legend that Bram Stoker wrote his classic "Dracula."



In 16th Century France it was believed that several noble families had become Lycanthropes, or Werewolves. After several wolf attacks had occurred on their land, a servant went to the local Bishop and confessed that he'd seen his employers turn into wild dogs. After being captured and tried, the accused "werewolves" were executed with silver rosary beads fired from a musket. This is where the modern myth of the werewolf comes from.

Unlike other monsters, Frankenstein was not based on any actual person or event. In 1814 Mary Shelley, the author of "Frankenstein," was traveling through Darmstadt, Germany. While there, she noticed the ruins of an ancient castle owned by a knight named Arbogast Von Frankenstein. She was apparently so taken with the castle that she used its name for the title of her novel about a student who creates an artificial man while exploring the secrets of life in his laboratory.

 
The Author
 
Courtesy of ARA Content
ARTICLE POSTED: 2003

More Craft Related Articles

Crafts Discussion Boards

print this article

submit an article

refer this page to a friend

Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony company. Since 1987
Shop For Your Supplies Here

Since 1987 Mountain Rose Herbs has become the Leading Organic Supplier in not only the finest organic botanical products, but the freshest as well. From their bulk organic herbs and spices, to their essential oils and herbal teas, the quality and integrity of what they offer is unparalleled. In fact, we firmly believe nobody can deliver a better product.

Google
Web PT

Follow us on Twitter

Join us on Facebook

Menu

Craft Basics
General Crafts
Childrens Crafts
Soap Making
Candle Making
Floral Crafts
Holidays Crafts
Crafting For Business

Related Articles

Using Recycled Items In Your Crafts

Sewing A Button On By Hand

How to make Scented Candles from your own kitchen!

French Bead Flower Making - A Vintage Craft Is New Again

Wood Frames Can You Make Your Own

How You Can Dry Flowers/ Wax Fresh Flowers

How To Make Gel Candles - 11 Easy Steps

click for more

Craft Forums

Explore the art of soap making, paper making and candle making. Share your techniques and tips or ask questions...
 
click for more

 

OUR NEWSLETTER
Enter your name and email address below to subscribe to our newsletter. It's FREE!
Name:
Email:

  Channel Guide
The Craft Center
Financial Center
Automotive
Food and Entertaining
Home Center
Gardening Center
Pets
Small / Home Business

 

Contact us About Us Advertising Privacy Terms Of Use Article Submissions Beauty Secrets Of The World
© Copyright 1999 - 2009 Pioneer Thinking. All Rights Reserved Worldwide
* tm; the property of Pioneer Thinking Company.
 
No part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means
without the expressed permission of Pioneer Thinking
Pioneerthinking.com Logo
Ingredients for a Simple Life