Random Halloween Trivia to Dazzle the Neighbors

Halloween decorations already confront shoppers. Given that more candy is sold at Halloween than any other holiday, it's no wonder we see those familiar, industrial-sized bags of goodies on the shelves so early. It is sometimes just fun to know random facts about something common. For instance, did you know that Halloween is one of the reasons that Daylight Savings Time ends as late in the year as it does? Now to fill your heads with all kinds of random facts, here is a smattering of trivia (ref: cnbc.com, novareinna.com, holidays.net) to answer all sorts of questions about this sweet and spooky day.

Where is Halloween still celebrated?
This list might surprise you, the celebrations range to quite a diversity of cultures and peoples where this holiday still has a following. Each nation holds its own traditions for this day, but they all commemorate it.

1. Austria
   
2. Belgium
   
3. Canada
   
4. China
   
5. Czechoslovakia
   
6. England
   
7. France
   
8. Germany
   
9. Hong Kong
   
10. Ireland
    
11. Japan
    
12. Korea
    
13. Latin America
    
14. Mexico
    
15. Spain
    
16. Sweden
    
17. USA

What are the most popular items to pass out to trick-or-treaters?

1. Tootsie Roll
   
2. Hershey's Milk Chocolate
   
3. Nestle Crunch
   
4. Nerds
   
5. Hot Tamales
   
6. Candy Corn
   
7. Snickers Bar
   
8. Baby Ruth
   
9. Reese's Pieces
   
10. Almond Joy
    
11. Milky Way
    
12. Razzles
    
13. Life Savers
    
14. M & M's
    
15. Sour Patch

Non-sweets:

1. Halloween-themed stickers
   
2. Temporary tattoos
   
3. Pencils
   
4. Bubbles in tiny bottles
   
5. Individual-sized containers of playdoh
   
6. Noisemakers
   
7. Pretzels
   
8. Sugar-free gum

What are the most typical Halloween costumes?
For 2010 the projection for top picks:

1. Shrek
   
2. Alice in Wonderland
   
3. Vikings
   
4. Dragons
   
5. Pirates

Classics
Classic costumes that appear again and again and have gained popularity in the past 30 years or so:

For Adults:

1. Ghost
   
2. Witch
   
3. Political Figure
   
4. Batman
   
5. Fairy

For Kids:

1. Disney Princess
   
2. Pumpkin
   
3. Star Wars Character
   
4. Pirate
   
5. Spiderman

Now you have just a smidgen of the facts about this well-loved holiday. Perhaps at your next Halloween bash you can now host a trivia night and have all these answers at your fingertips. No matter what costume you choose, what candy you prefer or where you live, you can always gather your family and friends around you to enjoy Halloween festivities and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Margo Smith graduated with a B.S. degree from BYU. Working through college and being in the corporate world give her a great deal to say about subjects as diverse as employee motivation to online classes to candy making.