Halloween trivia quiz

All 60 Halloween trivia questions and answers

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1. The word "Halloween" comes from which older phrase?

   All Hallows' Eve — Halloween is the evening before All Hallows' Day, an old name for All Saints' Day on November 1. "Hallowe'en" is a shortened form of "All Hallows' Even."

2. The ancient festival of Samhain is linked to which people?

   The Celts — Samhain was a Gaelic festival celebrated in places like Ireland and Scotland. Many Halloween customs trace back to it.

3. How is "Samhain" usually pronounced?

   SOW-in — In Irish, the "mh" sounds like a "w" or "v," so the name is usually said roughly as "SOW-in."

4. Samhain marked the end of which time of year?

   The harvest season, as winter began — Samhain fell around November 1 and marked the end of the harvest and the start of the dark half of the year.

5. In the 700s, which pope named November 1 as a day to honor all saints?

   Pope Gregory III — Pope Gregory III set November 1 aside to honor all saints, and a later pope, Gregory IV, extended the feast across the whole church. The night before became All Hallows' Eve.

6. All Souls' Day, when Christians traditionally pray for the dead, falls on which date?

   November 2 — All Saints' Day is November 1 and All Souls' Day follows on November 2. Halloween is the night before both.

7. What did "souling" involve in old Britain and Ireland?

   Going door to door and offering prayers for the dead in return for soul cakes — People, often poor folks and children, visited homes and received small "soul cakes" in exchange for praying for the household's dead. It is one root of trick-or-treating.

8. When children went "guising" in Scotland and Ireland, what did they usually do to earn a treat?

   Performed a song, poem, or joke — Guisers wore disguises and were expected to put on a small performance before getting fruit, nuts, or coins.

9. Before pumpkins were common, what did people in Ireland and Scotland carve into lanterns?

   Turnips — Turnips and other root vegetables were carved and lit from inside. In North America, larger and easier-to-carve pumpkins took over.

10. In the Irish folk tale, who tricked the Devil and ended up wandering the earth with a lantern?

    Stingy Jack — Stingy Jack fooled the Devil more than once. When he died, he was turned away everywhere and left to roam with only a small light, giving us "Jack of the Lantern."

11. According to the legend, what glowed inside Stingy Jack's carved turnip?

    A burning coal from the Devil — The Devil tossed Jack an ember to light his way, and Jack put it inside a hollowed-out turnip.

12. Which group of newcomers helped spread Halloween customs across the United States in the mid-1800s?

    Irish immigrants escaping the Great Famine — Large numbers of Irish people came to America during the potato famine of the 1840s and brought their Halloween traditions with them.

13. Which Scottish poet wrote a well-known poem called "Halloween" in 1785?

    Robert Burns — Robert Burns described the fortune-telling games and customs of a Scottish Halloween night in this poem.

14. In what year did kids first trick-or-treat for UNICEF?

    1950 — The idea began in 1950 in the Philadelphia area, when Mary Emma Allison and her family collected coins for UNICEF instead of candy. UNICEF later made it a national program.

15. What does a teal-painted pumpkin on a porch usually mean?

    The home offers non-food treats for kids with food allergies — Teal pumpkins signal that small toys, stickers, or other non-food treats are available, so kids with food allergies can join in safely.

16. Which organization launched the Teal Pumpkin Project nationwide in 2014?

    FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) — A Tennessee mom started the idea locally in 2012, and FARE turned it into a national campaign in 2014.

17. Which Washington Irving story features the Headless Horseman?

    The Legend of Sleepy Hollow — Irving's story tells of a ghostly rider said to haunt a quiet valley in New York. "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" are by Edgar Allan Poe.

18. In what year was "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" first published?

    1820 — It appeared in 1820 as part of Washington Irving's collection "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent."

19. Which schoolteacher is chased by the Headless Horseman?

    Ichabod Crane — Ichabod Crane is the nervous schoolmaster. Brom Bones is his rival in the same story.

20. In 1996, the village of North Tarrytown, New York, changed its name to what?

    Sleepy Hollow — The village took the name of Washington Irving's famous story, which is set in that area along the Hudson River.

21. In what year did the Salem witch trials take place in colonial Massachusetts?

    1692 — The trials began in 1692. Today the city of Salem draws large crowds every October.

22. Which famous escape artist died on Halloween in 1926?

    Harry Houdini — Harry Houdini died in Detroit on October 31, 1926. Fans still hold séances in his memory on Halloween.

23. In what year did the novelty song "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett reach No. 1 on the Billboard chart?

    1962 — The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 just before Halloween in 1962 and has been a seasonal favorite ever since.

24. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is mainly celebrated on which days?

    November 1 and 2 — The holiday lines up with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, right after Halloween.

25. Is Día de los Muertos just the Mexican name for Halloween?

    No, it is a separate holiday honoring loved ones who have died — Día de los Muertos has its own roots in Mexico. Families welcome back the spirits of relatives with food, music, and decorated altars. It is joyful, not meant to be scary.

26. Which bright orange flower is used to decorate Day of the Dead altars?

    The marigold (cempasúchil) — Marigolds have a strong color and scent that are said to help guide spirits home.

27. On Día de los Muertos, what is an ofrenda?

    A home altar with photos, food, and gifts for departed loved ones — Families build ofrendas with pictures, favorite foods, candles, and flowers to remember the people they have lost.

28. In what year was Mexico's Day of the Dead inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage?

    2008 — UNESCO added the indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead to its Representative List in 2008.

29. Which Mexican artist first drew the elegant skeleton lady later known as La Catrina?

    José Guadalupe Posada — Posada made the etching in the early 1900s. Diego Rivera later featured her in a famous mural, which helped make her a symbol of the holiday.

30. Five days after Halloween, people in Britain light bonfires and fireworks for which celebration?

    Guy Fawkes Night — Guy Fawkes Night on November 5 remembers the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In parts of Britain it is a bigger event than Halloween.

31. In Ireland, barmbrack is a Halloween fruit bread. What is traditionally hidden inside it?

    A ring and other small charms — Finding the ring in your slice was said to mean you would marry soon. Other charms predicted different fortunes.

32. In old European folklore, black cats were often linked with which figures?

    Witches — Black cats were once thought to be witches' companions, or even witches in disguise, which is how they became a Halloween symbol.

33. Bats are the only mammals that can do what?

    Truly fly — Some mammals, like flying squirrels, can glide, but bats are the only ones that flap their wings to fly.

34. How do most bats find insects in the dark?

    Echolocation — Many bats make high-pitched calls and listen for the echoes bouncing back. Bats are not blind, either.

35. Where do vampire bats live in the wild?

    Mexico, Central America, and South America — Despite the vampire legends from Eastern Europe, the three species of vampire bats live only in the Americas.

36. What is a group of owls called?

    A parliament — A group of owls is a parliament. A murder is a group of crows, and a pride is a group of lions.

37. About how far can an owl turn its head?

    About 270 degrees — Owls cannot spin their heads all the way around, but special bones and blood vessels let them turn about three-quarters of a circle.

38. Botanically speaking, a pumpkin is a...

    Fruit — A pumpkin grows from a flower and holds seeds, so scientists call it a fruit, even though we often cook it like a vegetable.

39. Pumpkins belong to which plant family?

    The gourd family, with squash and cucumbers — Pumpkins are a kind of winter squash in the gourd family, along with cucumbers, melons, and zucchini.

40. Where did pumpkins first grow?

    The Americas — Some of the oldest pumpkin seeds ever found come from Mexico. Pumpkins later spread around the world.

41. The word "pumpkin" goes back to a Greek word meaning what?

    Large melon — The Greek word "pepon" meant a large melon. It changed through French and English into "pumpkin."

42. About how much of a raw pumpkin is water?

    About 90 percent — Pumpkin flesh is mostly water, which is one reason it is low in calories.

43. Roasted pumpkin seeds without their shells are often called what?

    Pepitas — "Pepitas" is a Spanish word for little seeds, and it is often used for green, hulled pumpkin seeds.

44. When candy corn was first sold, what was it called?

    Chicken Feed — Candy makers named it after the corn farmers fed to chickens, hoping to appeal to rural shoppers.

45. Candy corn was invented in the 1880s in which city?

    Philadelphia — A candy maker at a Philadelphia company is usually credited with creating it. Another company began selling it widely around 1898.

46. What are the three colors of classic candy corn?

    Yellow, orange, and white — Each piece has a yellow wide end, an orange middle, and a white tip, like a kernel of corn.

47. Cotton candy became famous at the 1904 World's Fair under what name?

    Fairy Floss — It was sold as "Fairy Floss" at the St. Louis World's Fair. The name "cotton candy" caught on later.

48. One of the inventors of the electric cotton candy machine worked in which job?

    Dentist — Dentist William Morrison and candy maker John C. Wharton built the machine in the late 1890s.

49. Who created the chocolate peanut butter cup in 1928?

    H.B. Reese — Harry Burnett Reese, who once worked on a Hershey dairy farm, started making peanut butter cups in Pennsylvania in 1928.

50. In what year was John Carpenter's horror film "Halloween" released?

    1978 — The low-budget film came out in October 1978 and helped launch the slasher movie wave of the 1980s.

51. In what year was the Universal film "Dracula," starring Bela Lugosi, released?

    1931 — Lugosi's cape and accent from 1931 shaped how vampires have looked in movies ever since.

52. In what year was "Frankenstein," with Boris Karloff as the monster, released?

    1931 — The film came out in late 1931, the same year as Universal's "Dracula."

53. The German silent vampire film "Nosferatu" premiered in which year?

    1922 — "Nosferatu" is one of the earliest surviving vampire films and is now in the public domain in the United States.

54. In what year was George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" released?

    1968 — Made on a small budget near Pittsburgh, the 1968 film created the modern idea of the movie zombie.

55. In what year was Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" released?

    1960 — "Psycho" was released in 1960 and is famous for its shower scene and its screeching string music.

56. In what year was the film "The Exorcist" released?

    1973 — "The Exorcist" opened in December 1973 and became one of the first horror films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

57. Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" was first published in which year?

    1818 — Mary Shelley began the story as a teenager during a ghost-story contest with friends, and it was published in 1818.

58. Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" was first published in which year?

    1897 — Stoker, an Irish writer, published "Dracula" in 1897. It is told through letters and diary entries.

59. A full moon shone on Halloween in 2020. When is the next Halloween full moon expected?

    2039 — Moon phases repeat on nearly the same calendar dates about every 19 years, so the next Halloween full moon falls in 2039.

60. Which Minnesota city, which started a citywide Halloween celebration in 1920 to cut down on pranks, calls itself the "Halloween Capital of the World"?

    Anoka — After a year of overturned outhouses and cows on Main Street, Anoka organized a parade and party in 1920, and the tradition still continues.