Halloween

[audtatious]

Some "facts"

- Halloween, referred to as All Hallows Eve, was originally a pagan holiday in which they honored the dead. It was celebrated on October 31 since this was the last day of the Celtic calendar. The celebration dates back some 2,000 years.

- The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts wondered the streets on all Hallows Eve so they began wearing masks and costumes in order to not be recognized as human.

- The jack-o-lantern tradition comes from an old Irish folk tale about a man named Stingy Jack. It was said that he was unable to get into heaven and was turned away from the devil because of his tricky ways. So he set off to wander the world looking for a resting place. For light, Stingy Jack used a burning coal ember in a hollowed out turnip. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S. during the Great Potato Famine of 1845-1850, they found that turnips were not as readily available like they were in the homeland. So they started carving pumpkins as a replacement for their tradition.

- On Halloween, Irish peasants would beg the rich for food. For those that refused, they would play a practical joke. So, in an effort to avoid being tricked, the rich would hand out cookies, candy, and fruit – a practice that morphed into trick-or-treating today.

- Of all the candy sold annually, one quarter of it is sold during Halloween time (September – November 10) making it the sweetest holiday of the year.

- Candy sales in the U.S. for Halloween average $2 billion annually

- The U.S. consumer spends upwards of $1.5 billion on Halloween costumes annually and more than $2.5 billion on other Halloween paraphernalia, such as decorations, crafts, etc. More than $100,000 of that is said to be spent online

- The number one candy of choice for Halloween is Snickers

- There are an estimated 106 million potential treat-or-treat stops (i.e., housing units occupied year-round, per the U.S. Census)

- Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday, beat out only by Christmas

- Halloween is the third biggest party day of the year behind New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday, respectively

- 86% of Americans decorate their homes at Halloween

- Halloween is the 8th largest card sending holiday. The first Halloween greeting is dated back to early 1900 and today consumers spend around $50 million dollars on Halloween cards each year.

- Of the pumpkins marketed domestically, 99% of them are used as Jack-o-lanterns at Halloween

- Approximately 82% of children and 67% of adults take part in Halloween festivities every year

- The official Orange and Black colors of Halloween came from orange being associated with fall harvest and black symbolizing darkness and death.

- In the movie “Halloween” the mask worn by Michael Meyers is actually the mask of William Shatner painted white

- Magician, Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 1926 in Detroit, MI.

[AppleBonker]

Just noticed the top banner. Badass.

[audtatious]

Trying to continue the tradition.

[AppleBonker]

I dunno that I've ever really paid attention to the top of the site before. For some reason it seems more prominent after the changeover...

[audtatious]

Nope, pretty much the same images I used the last few years

[AppleBonker]

Not the first time I've said this, and it certainly wont be the last, but I must be slow...

Also, interesting facts. And for 67% of adults partaking in festivities, do those include going to a party and getting drunk even if you're not wearing a costume?

[RCA]

When did the theme take affect?

Or is it effect?

Great work to all those NICOnauts that keep this place all pimp and sh*t...

[audtatious]

Not the first time I've said this, and it certainly wont be the last, but I must be slow...

Also, interesting facts. And for 67% of adults partaking in festivities, do those include going to a party and getting drunk even if you're not wearing a costume?

Did you know that 99% of facts posted on internet forums are taken from other internet sites so the poster has no clue if they are real or Memorex?

[audtatious]

When did the theme take affect?

Or is it effect?

Great work to all those NICOnauts that keep this place all pimp and sh*t...

It's not a theme, I just replaced the top images. It was much easier with the old forum tho.

[AppleBonker]

I just noticed it today, but see above as that doesn't mean anything it would seem.

And "take effect"

[AppleBonker]

Not the first time I've said this, and it certainly wont be the last, but I must be slow...

Also, interesting facts. And for 67% of adults partaking in festivities, do those include going to a party and getting drunk even if you're not wearing a costume?

Did you know that 99% of facts posted on internet forums are taken from other internet sites so the poster has no clue if they are real or Memorex?

Actually, I believe it is 75% of facts, but nearly 99% of statistics (where statistics are a subset of facts).

[Encryptshun]

Did you know that 99% of facts posted on internet forums are taken from other internet sites so the poster has no clue if they are real or Memorex?

Yet another thing that Fox News and internet forums have in common.

[audtatious]

Actually, I believe it is 75% of facts, but nearly 99% of statistics (where statistics are a subset of facts).

I'm just making up things as I go

[audtatious]

Yet another thing that Media Outlets and internet forums have in common.

Fixed

[tigersharkdude]

William Shatner=Michael Myers......totally.........awesome

[TOMMY VERCETTI]

Halloween will never die. It will go on and on it’s the best Holiday of the year.

[breadbox]

Its the most wonderful time of the year. Which reminds me I forgot to take a picture for the 240 game last night.