Halloween – RANDOM Times •

Some creepy real events that actually happened on Halloween

31 Oct 202031 Oct 2020 Danilo G.

For some of us, October 31st is the most fun day of the year. And, for others, it’s the spookiest. Bad things always happen on Halloween, in a variety of horror movies, but that’s just movie magic, you think, because Halloween is actually just like any other day. And, most of the time, that’s true, but not in these cases. Famed magician Harry Houdini claimed he could take a blow to the abdomen without being taken down. It was October 22, 1926, when a student at McGill University asked if…

12 Ways Halloween is celebrated around the globe

30 Oct 202028 Oct 2020 Ivan

In America, people associate Halloween with pumpkins, costumes, candy, and spooky stories or ghosts but, around the world, it could be a little different. The holiday might look slightly different this year since we are still in the midst of a global pandemic, but we can reminisce on years past. If most places in the U.S. celebrate Halloween in much the same way, one city that stands apart is New Orleans. This town loves both to party and voodoo, so one can find things here they couldn’t anywhere else, from…

Why the Halloween colors are black and orange?

29 Oct 202028 Oct 2020 Leo S

Probably, we tend to take holiday colors for granted, not giving them too much thought since they’re simply ingrained in our culture. And It’s usually pretty obvious what colors go with which holidays: all you need to do is step into most general or grocery stores to see full aisles filled with the hues of the season. But what might be less obvious is why certain colors are associated with certain holidays. Why are Christmas colors red and green, for instance? Well, in due time, I will also explain this…

The curious history behind some popular Halloween traditions

28 Oct 202026 Oct 2020 Leo S

Now a night of frolic especially for children in America but now also all over the world, this autumn holiday is actually a mix of old rituals remembering the dead and celebrating the spirit world. You may have found yourself wondering what is the history of Halloween, and why we celebrate it. Well, although it’s a secular holiday today, the history of Halloween has roots in ancient religious and spiritual traditions that have evolved over time. The original Halloween, dating back to ancient times, was a pagan celebration called Samhain.…

Vintage photographs from a 1930s Halloween

27 Oct 202026 Oct 2020 Pavel

By now we know that Halloween is a festival with ancient origins that is celebrated on October 31st. Traditionally linked to the Anglo-Saxon world, westernization and globalization have now led it to become the cultural heritage of all. The genesis of the festival is controversial, but it is probably common to Celtic and Roman festivals, in that mix of celebrations that coincided with Samhain, the Celtic New Year, and the Latin festivals dedicated to Pomona and the celebration of the departed, the Parentalia. Here are some 1930s photographs, with costumes,…

Some Halloween urban legends that refuse to die

26 Oct 202026 Oct 2020 Leo S

We’ve all heard the scary stories. And Halloween would be nothing without the tricks and, above all, wouldn’t be fun without a scare or two. That’s the allure of the terrifying tales that circulate around this beloved holiday and have taken on legendary status. In any case, some of the 175 million Americans who celebrate this spooky holiday do take the Halloween pranks too far. Here’s the truth behind some popular Halloween-based urban legends…. Really a lunatic has hidden razor blades in apples? 🍎😱 Probably you heard this story when…

Vintage Photographs and customs from a 1920s/30s Halloween

31 Oct 201929 Oct 2019 Pavel

Today, we associate October 31 with candy, costumes, and creepy decor. But, have you ever thought about the origin of Halloween and how the ghoulish holiday has evolved over the years? Halloween has very ancient origins. Traditionally linked to the Anglo-Saxon world, Westernization and globalization have now led it to become everyone’s cultural heritage, even in other parts of Europe. The genesis of the holiday is controversial, but it is probably common to Celtic and Roman festivals, in a mix of celebrations that coincided with the Samhain, the Celtic New…

Jane Greengold and the Impaled Pumpkins of Kane Street – Brooklyn

24 Oct 201923 Oct 2019 Nathan

Halloween is a tradition in Cobble Hill, and Jane’s 274 spike fence is a tradition at the neighborhood. It was October 1998 when artist and public interest lawyer Jane Greengold though of a special use for the spiky fence guarding her home in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. As she looked out over the enclosure where Kane Street and Strong Place intersect, it dawned on her: why not adorn the fence with grinning, howling, shrieking pumpkins in the spirit of Halloween? “I’m not a violent person,” said Jane, “but when I saw…

Jack O’Lantern: the Halloween Legend!

31 Oct 201826 Jan 2020 Pavel

The Irish brought the tradition of carving pumpkins into Jack O’Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O’Lantern was not a pumpkin, because they did not exist in Ireland. Ancient Celtic cultures in Ireland carved turnips on All Hallow’s Eve, and placed an ember in them, to ward off evil spirits. The origin of Halloween has its roots in the Roman or Celtic festivals, and in the beginning was the Celtic New Year, the “Samhain”, which is celebrated between October 31st and November 1st, or the Parentalia festival, in which…

Kenova’s Pumpkin House

31 Oct 2018 Leo S

Every year the former mayor of Kenova, West Virginia takes his historic home along the Ohio River and turns it into an incredible Halloween-theme attraction. All it takes is three weeks, hundreds of volunteers, and about 3,000 pumpkins! Kenova is located in far west West Virginia, at the split of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. The population, at the last count, was just over 3,000, so probably it’s no coincidence that Ric Griffith, owner of the house on Beech Street, on the National Register of Historic Places, decided that…

Turnip Jack-o’-Lanterns Are the Root of Halloween traditions~

6 Oct 201826 Jan 2020 Leo S

Of course, many people herald Halloween as an American festival of ghosts and ghouls, but most of the activities associated with this time of year are rooted in European folklore and tradition. For example, the pumpkin carved into a jack-o-lantern, is of course an American introduction, but it quite literally has its roots on Europe, where people have been carving turnips and other root vegetables for centuries, to ward off evil spirits. In 2015, the United Kingdom was in pumpkins shortage due of a wet weather. As a result, some…