Interesting Facts

Farmers are warning that there will be a shortage of pumpkins in the run up to Halloween. (Following the ideal growing conditions in August and September, the heavy rain of October has put a damper on everything by making the pumpkin skins soft, which means they get soggy and collapse before they can be harvested. In Germany there are lots of pumpkins, but they are smaller than usual, due to a shortage of rain.  Who'd want to be a farmer?)

There is a problem in the UK, we have a pumpkin shortage. (A cold snap and wet weather has meant hundreds of thousands of pumpkins have been left rotting in fields. Some areas have already sold out, but Sainsbury's are expecting to sell almost 1.5million pumpkins over the Halloween period.)

Pumpkins are related to cucumbers. (Pumpkins are a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers. OK, so maybe they're like a second cousin, but they are still related.)

According to research from VoucherCodes.co.uk., nearly half (48 per cent) of people in the UK get annoyed by trick or treaters, and 42 per cent refuse to take part in the festivities because they don’t believe in the holiday. (Not so much halloween as hallowmean.)

According to research from VoucherCodes.co.uk. households in the UK are set to spend over £127 million on Halloween treats this year. (Averaged out that’s £5.27 each.  I will have a bag of little bags of gummy bears on hand, but to be honest there's not much trick or treating in Germany - so I may be stuck with those gummy sweets.  What a shame!)

According to research commissioned by Santander Insurance, one in four adults has suffered damage to their home over the Halloween period. (Yes, many people experience being a victim during the period from Halloween to Bonfire Night (we don't call it “mischief week” for nothing). Most pranks are harmless, but of course some people don't know when enough is enough, as a result households in the UK face an average of over £232 in repair fees, or a collective £2.65billion. One in eight adults has suffered damage from eggs being thrown at or in their home and six per cent have had garden plants, ornaments or fences damaged. More than 1.6 million have been victims of theft inside or outside the home during this period, and two per cent have had windows broken. Over 1.4 million have had their property damaged by sparklers or stray fireworks and 1.1 million suffered damage from firecrackers or silly string through the letterbox.)

People traditionally dressed up as ghosts, ghouls etc on Halloween to avoid being recognized by ghosts, and spirits. (The idea is that any ghosts would will mistake you for a fellow spirit and therefore leave you alone. Of course you don't want to look too good, or they may decide to form an attachment.)

According to research commissioned by Santander Insurance. 20% of people in the UK want Trick or Treating to be banned at Halloween. (50% want it to be mandatory for parents to accompany children and 43% would support a ban on people wearing masks obscuring the face over Halloween. 31% would like to see a curb on people wearing hooded tops. And 38 % would back the introduction of curfews for groups of youths at this time of year. I'd back a curfew for groups of kids at any time of year! They should be at home, doing their homework.)

Orange and black are Halloween colours because orange is associated with autumn and black is associated with darkness and death. (It must make Halloween very easy to celebrate in the Netherlands, they're always wearing orange.) You can learn more about Halloween here.

About 90% of pumpkins grown worldwide are not eaten - instead they are carved for Halloween and the innards discarded. (Here's a simple, tasty recipe for pumpkin soup to redress the balance.) You can learn more about Halloween here.

Trick or treating was first noted as arriving in England by the Times in 1986. (It isn't really an American import though.)

In the UK, spending on Halloween rose ten-fold over five years. (The money forked out for Halloween rose from £12m in 2001 to £120m in 2006.)

In the UK, Britons buy about one million pumpkins for Halloween, 99% of which are used for lanterns rather than for eating. (I'm certain they make soup too.)