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  • Shayla Brown

Halloween Trivia

It’s spooky season! There are many classic foods, traditions, and superstitions around this time of year, but do we know how they came to be? Test your Halloween knowledge and learn about the origins of black cats, candy corn, witches, and more!


1) What percentage of the candy sold per year in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween?


A) 80%

B) 50%

C) 25%

D) 15%



2) Why was trick-or-treating revived between the 1920s and 1950s?


A) The candy industry skyrocketed and people wanted an excuse to enjoy their favorite candy. Children would complain all year and their parents were able to tell them to wait for Halloween.

B) It was an inexpensive way for the entire community to share the Halloween experience. In theory, families could prevent tricks being played on them by giving the children treats.

C) Parents wanted to get rid of the candy their children made, so they put signs on the door welcoming the neighbors to take their treats.

D) Certain neighborhoods used to partake in community gatherings and would hand out candy on the weekends. This became unhealthy and unrealistic so they began to make it a Halloween tradition.



3) Which of the following statements about black cats is false?


A) The Puritan Pilgrims did not trust the black cat because it’s associated with witches.

B) Black cats symbolize good luck in Japan.

C) Black cats in the British Isles are believed to bring affluence wherever they live.

D) It has been shown that cats of other fur colors are intimidated by the black cat.


4) The common image of an old, ugly Halloween witch in a hat came from:


A) A comic book creator in the early 1900s who tried to make his comics more appealing to adults and too scary to attract little children.

B) A pagan goddess called “The Crone” who represented wisdom and change.

C) A painting of a beloved grandmother who over the years people depicted in increasingly frightening iterations adding the wart, the hat, the broomstick, etc.

D) A doll created by Hasbro in the early 1900s.



5) Why are Halloween witches shown with broomsticks?


A) Although they were scary, witches were known to keep a tidy house.

B) Broomsticks date back to the Samhain Festival from which Halloween originated.

C) Poor elderly women were often accused of being witches, and they would use walking sticks to make their way through the woods; sometimes instead of sticks they’d use a broom.

D) A simple addition to the witch outfit so that she would not be empty-handed.



6) The Halloween tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain dating back to 2000 years ago. What statement about the celebration is false?


A) The belief that on October 31st ghosts of the dead returned to earth.

B) In Ireland, anyone who committed a crime or used weapons during the celebration faced a death sentence.

C) The purpose of the festival was to honor ancestors.

D) The festival marks the start of the darker half of the year.


7) What is the origin of the Halloween colors orange and black?


A) Orange symbolizes the pumpkin and black symbolizes the night

B) Orange symbolizes the color of the crops and turning leaves, and black is a symbol for the “death” of the summer season.

C) It’s a well-coordinated color choice chosen by a Halloween party planner.

D) Orange represents the autumn sky and black represents death of loved ones.


8) Choose the one False statement about candy corn:


A) Candy Corn became associated with Halloween soon after its creation in 1898.

B) Candy corn was originally called “Chicken Feed.”

C) An estimated 35 million pounds of candy corn are sold each year.

D) National Candy Corn Day is October 30th.


9) Why is there a tradition of dressing up in costumes for Halloween?


A) Costumes served as a disguise from the evil spirits.

B) When the children play tricks, the homeowners would not know who did it.

C) Historically when the poor people went around asking for food, they wouldn’t be able to identify the community member asking for the food.

D) Costumes were a creation of Party City so they could stay in business.


10) In 1000 AD, the Christian church named November 2nd “All Souls’ Day,” a time to honor the dead. Today, these customs continue with “trick or treating.” Which statement is false about the early days of this tradition?


A) Poor people knocked on the doors of wealthier people’s homes to receive pastries called soul cakes after promising to pray for the souls of the homeowner’s dead relatives - this was called “souling.”

B) In Scotland and Ireland, younger people began guising, or dressing up in costumes and accepting treats from people's homes.

C) The wealthy families would often give the poor people a pastry that their dead relative loved - hoping the people “souling” could connect with them in their prayers.

D) Children soon began “souling” and asking for money, food, and ale.


How did you do!?

  1. C

  2. B

  3. D

  4. B

  5. C

  6. C

  7. B

  8. A

  9. A

  10. C





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