Here is how we got from then to now:
About 2,000 years ago, the Celts celebrated their new year, Samhain, on Nov. 1.
On the night before the new year, they believed ghosts caused trouble and damaged crops.
The Celtic priests built bonfires and burned crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes.
The Celts lived in the area that is now Ireland, so when Irish immigrants came to the United States after the potato famine, they brought the evolving traditions with them.
Irish children used to carve turnips and light them for Halloween gatherings. When they got here, there were not so many turnips, but a lot of pumpkins.
They have grown in North America for 5,000 years. They have been called "gros melons," then translated to "pompions" and then, you guessed it, "pumpkins."
Halloween jack-o'-lanterns recall Jack, an Irish villain so horrible that neither God nor the Devil would take him. He wandered earth, carrying a rotten turnip.
In 2008, the United States produced 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins. Illinois grows the most with 496 million pounds.
Last year, as many as 36 million trick-or-treaters knocked on 111.4 million doors across the United States.
Each year, Americans eat 23.8 pounds of candy. Wonder how much of that is consumed on Oct. 31?
Each year, $2 billion is spent on Halloween candy.
More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. Quick! Name one person who eats candy corn.
Snickers is the most popular Halloween candy.
Chocolate is less harmful to teeth because it rinses away from the mouth quickly, not staying in contact with teeth for as long as hard candy. Chocolate also contains tannins, which inhibit bacteria. (So does red wine, but don't give that out to the kids.)
Black cats are a symbol of Halloween because they were once believed to be witches' assistants. Even now, they are considered bad luck and animal shelters have more trouble adopting out black cats than others.
Orange and black are Halloween's colors because orange represents fall harvest and black is associated with death and darkness.
Some people are afraid of Halloween. They suffer from Samhainophobia.
Salem, Mass., celebrates Halloween for the whole month of October. It's the Halloween capital of America, as more than 250,000 visit. Salem is a spooky place as it was the site of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
Also scary are Transylvania County, N.C.; Tombstone, Ariz.; Pumpkin Center, N.C.; Cape Fear in New Hanover County, N.C; and Skull Creek, Neb.
Sources: U.S. Census, HalloweenIsHere.com, Parents.com and History.com
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