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We’re still counting down the days until Halloween, as are many others in the Phoenix metro area. All of this hubbub over costumes, plans and the like got us thinking, what is it that we’re really celebrating? We decided to do a little homework to learn a little bit more about Halloween, and came away with the following tidbits. Here, from your friends at Avondale Nissan, are four fun Halloween facts that you might not have known.

Four Fun Halloween Facts

Once again, the Irish really know how to party. We obviously know that St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday, but Halloween has its roots in Celtic history as well. It was an offshoot of the Irish Celtic festival of Samhain, which was the annual celebration of the end of harvest. Jack-o-lanterns also take their tradition from this festival, although they were originally hollowed-out turnips rather than pumpkins. Later, when the Irish potato famine hit, the ensuing dispersal of many Irish citizens brought Halloween onto the international stage.
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Trick or Treating wasn’t always so innocent. These days, “trick or treat” is just a phrase to mean, “Give me candy.” In the 1800s, however, it meant, “Give me money or food, or risk having your property vandalized.” “Trick or Treat” wasn’t so much a catchphrase as a thinly veiled threat. It wasn’t until the baby boom generation that it became the family-friendly event we know it to be today.

Don’t ask Harry Houdini about Halloween. The famed escape artist and illusionist was performing in Canada at McGill University in 1926 when some students asked if he could withstand a blow to the stomach from a famously strong puncher. Before Houdini could brace himself, the student punched him four times, and in doing so, ruptured Houdini’s appendix. He died a few days later — you guessed it, on October 31st.
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Why do witches ride broomsticks? Indirectly, it was a slight aimed at the poor. During the heyday of witchcraft accusations, the supposed witches were often elderly, poor and homeless. They also often walked with a stick, which was often a broom, since they were more readily available than traditional walking sticks. Over time, the image shifted from a broom as a walking stick to a broom as a flying apparatus.
So, now that you’ve got all this information, we can finally unleash you on the Phoenix area for this year’s Halloween celebration. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday, and that you’ll come see us soon at Avondale Nissan!