A History of Halloween

In modern-day America, we know it as the day of dress-up, tricks and treats. Halloween is the day when adults and kids alike get to play pretend, donning the silliest or scariest get-up they dare. And then, of course, there’s the candy.

But the origins of the holiday have nothing to do with going door-to-door in search of something good to eat.

According to history.com, Halloween dates back 2,000 year to ancient Ireland, the United Kingdom and France, where the Celts celebrated their new year on Nov. 1.

The day marked the end of summer, which meant the harvest and the beginning of the cold, dark winter — the day when the Celts believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest.

On Oct. 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed the spirits of the dead could return and walk among the living. Celtic priests, or Druids, celebrated with huge bonfires, and the people wore costumes, often made from animal heads and skins.

Centuries later, Pope Gregory III designated Nov. 1 a day to honor all saints and martyrs and the holiday became All Saints Day, combining Catholic tradition with Samhain celebrations. The night before All Saints Day became known as All Hallow’s Eve, and later, as we know it today, Halloween.

The holiday was not widely celebrated in American until the late 19th Century, when new immigrants, particularly those from Ireland, helped bring the celebration to the new world. By the 1930s, the celebration had taken hold in America, transforming more into a secular, community-centered holiday than a religious celebration.

Halloween by the numbers

Courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau, here are some facts and figures about the spooky celebration.

Trick or treat!

36 million

The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2009 — children 5 to 13 — across the United States. This number is up about 190,000 from a year earlier. Of course, many other children — older than 13, and younger than 5 — also go trick-or-treating.
Source: 2009 population estimates 

111.3 million

Number of occupied housing units across the nation in 2009 — all potential stops for trick-or-treaters. 
Source: Housing Vacancies and Homeownership 

92 percent

Percentage of households with residents who consider their neighborhood safe. In addition, 78 percent said there was no place within a mile of their homes where they would be afraid to walk alone at night. 
Source: Extended Measures of Well-Being: Living Conditions in the United States, 2005

Jack-o'-lanterns and pumpkin pies

931 million pounds

Total production of pumpkins by major pumpkin-producing states in 2009. Illinois led the country by producing 429 million pounds of the vined orange gourd. California and Ohio were also major pumpkin-producing states: each produced at least 100 million pounds. 
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Where to spend Halloween?

Some places around the country that may put you in the Halloween mood are:

• Transylvania County, N.C. (30,203 residents) 
  Source: 2009 population estimates 
• Tombstone, Ariz. (population 1,562)
  Source: 2009 population estimates 
• Pumpkin Center, N.C. (population 2,228); and Pumpkin Bend, Ark. (population 307) 
  Source: 2000 Census 
• Cape Fear in New Hanover County, N.C. (population 15,711); and Cape Fear in Chatham County, N.C. (population 1,170). 
  Source: 2000 Census 
• Skull Creek, Neb. (population 274)
  Source: 2009 population estimates 

Candy and costumes

1,317

Number of U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2008, employing 38,369 people. California led the nation in the number of chocolate and cocoa manufacturing establishments, with 146, followed by Pennsylvania, with 115. 
Source: County Business Patterns: 2008 

422

Number of U.S. establishments that manufactured nonchocolate confectionary products in 2008. These establishments employed 16,860 people. California led the nation in this category, with 47 establishments. 
Source: County Business Patterns: 2008 

24.3 pounds

Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2009. 
Source: Current Industrial Reports, Confectionery: 2009

1,814

Number of costume rental and formal wear establishments across the nation in 2008. 
Source: 2008 County Business Patterns