Join us for a great Facebook party on October 19 & 20. I have a Halloween radio review too at the witching hour on Halloween.
Attending Authors
Wednesday October 19th
10-11am Ash Krafton
11am-12pm Sam Baltrusis
12-1pm Natalie Nicole Bates
1-2pm Catherine Winters
2-3pm Jill Archer
3-4pm
4-5pm Laura Diamond
5-6pm Jennifer Windrow
6-7pm Kelex
7-8pm BA Tortuga
8-9pm Constance Burris
9-10pm Jamie K. Schmidt
10-11pm
11pm-12am Vanta Black
Thursday October 20th
10-11am Erzabet Bishop
11am-12pm Sam Crescent
12-1pm Roxanne Rhoads
1-2pm Lily Harlem
2-3pm
3-4pm Traci Douglass
4-5pm
5-6pm Rayna Noire
6-7pm ND Jones
7-8pm Kirsten Weiss
8-9pm Marsha A. Moore
9-10pm Julia Talbot
10-11pm Angelique Voisen
11pm-12am JC Andrijeski
Halloween Countdown
2. Dressing up on Halloween comes from the Celts.Celts believed Samhain was a time when the wall between our world and the paranormal world was porous and spirits could get through. Because of this belief, it was common for the Celts to wear costumes and masks during the festival to ward off or befuddle any evil spirits.
3. Halloween symbols aren't random.Black cats, spiders, and bats are all Halloween symbols because of their spooky history and ties to Wiccans. All three were thought to be the familiars of witches in the middle ages, and are often associated with bad luck.
Bats are even further connected to Halloween by the ancient Samhain ritual of building a bonfire, which drove away insects and attracted bats.
4. Fears of poisoned Halloween candy are unfounded.One of parents' biggest fears is that their child's Halloween candy is poisoned or contains razor blades.
In reality, this fear is almost entirely unfounded. There are only two known cases of poisoning, and both involved relatives, according to LiveScience. In 1970, a boy died of a heroin overdose. The investigators found it on his candy, but in a twist they later discovered the boy had accidentally consumed some of his uncle's heroin stash, and the family had sprinkled some on the candy to cover up the incident.
Even more horrifically, in 1974 Timothy O'Bryan died after eating a Pixy Stix his father had laced with cyanide to collect on the insurance money, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
5. A full moon on Halloween is extremely rare.Though a common trope in horror movies and Halloween decorations with witches flying across the full moon, the next full moon on Halloween won't occur until 2020.
The most recent Halloween full moon was back in 2001, and before that it was in 1955.
6. Halloween is still the Wiccan New Year.Halloween originates from a Celtic tradition called Samhain, a festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. They believed it was a time that spirits or fairies could enter our world, and the Celts would put out treats and food to placate the spirits — sometimes, a place at the table was even set for the souls of the dead.
Wiccans still celebrate Samhain as a New Year celebration today.
7. Trick-or-treating has been around for a long time.Versions of trick-or-treating have existed since medieval times. In the past, it was known as "guising" where children and poor adults went around in costumes during Hallowmas begging for food and money in exchange for songs or prayers. It was also called "souling."
8. Halloween is the second-most commercial American holiday of the year.The candy industry in America rakes in an average of $2 billion annually thanks to Halloween (that's 90 million pounds of chocolate).
Americans spend an estimated $6 billion on Halloween annually, including candy, costumes, and decorations, according to History.com. (The most commercial holiday in the U.S. is obviously Christmas.)
(Courtesy of Business Insider)