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About This Quiz
Test your Halloween knowledge!
What ancient festival did Halloween originate from?
Lughnasadh
Beltane
Alban Arthur
Samhain
Samhain is a festival of the Dead. Meaning "Summer's End." It is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year
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What was celebrated during Samhain?
The end of the summer and harvest time
The begging of the dark and cold winter
The predictions the Celtic priests could make because of the presence of the otherworldly spirits.
All of the above.
Although it doesn't seem like darkness, death, and cold are worth celebrating, the Celts certainy thought they were.
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How would the Druids celebrate?
They would build huge bonfires and burn crops and animals as sacrifices.
They wore costumes of animal heads and skins.
They attempted to tell each other's fortunes.
All of the above.
The bonfires represented the end of the harvest where dressing up and telling each other's fortunes represented the blurred lines of life and death.
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In what century did Pope Gregory III designate November 1st as a time to honor all saints and martyrs?
4th
6th
7th
8th
During the 8th century, Pope Gregory III (731-741) dedicated an oratory in the original St. Peter's Basilica in honor of all the saints on Nov. 1 (at least according to some accounts), and this date then became the official date for the celebration of the Feast of All Saints in Rome.
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What was the evening before All Saints Day called?
The Night Before Halloween
All Hallows’ Eve
All Hallows’ Eve was the night before All Saints' Day, October 31st, and would later become what we know as Halloween.
All Saints Eve
The Evening Prior
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After the Romans conquered the Celtic lands, what two festivals did the Romans combine with Samhain?
Lupercalia and Fornacalia
Feralia and the day to honor Pomona.
The first Roman festival was Feralia, a late October da in which the Romans commemorated the passing of the day. The second festival was in honor of Pomona, the Roman Goddess of fruit and trees.
Equirria and Terminalia
Regifugium and Caristia
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Why did the church make November 2nd All Souls' Day in 1000 AD?
Because October was really November back then.
The number 31 did not exist on the Roman calendar.
The church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the death.
The church wanted to spread Christiniaitny. They knew they would fail if took away every "fun" holiday that the Celts used to celebrate, so rather tan getting rid of Samhain, they combined some of the holiday's traditions with a Christina holiday.
October was still summer in Ancient Rome.
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What other names did All Saints' Day go by?
All-hallows or All-hallowmas
The Middle English word, Alholowmesse means All Saints' day. The night before Halloween was and still is, called All -Hallows Eve!
Hallows-eve
All-hallows night
All-hallowsman
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Why was Halloween not celebrated in colonial New England?
Because of Protestantism
Halloween was more popular in the Southern colonies.
The didn't celebration England so they didn't celebrate it in New England.
They didn't believe in ghosts.
Because they were afraid of witches.
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What were some traditions of colonial Halloween celebrations?
Public parties
Dancing and singing
Telling ghost stories
All of the above.
The different beliefs and customs of various European groups combined with the traditions of the Native Americans. These new traditions and customs began to create a distinctly American Halloween.
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When did Halloween become a national American holiday?
Early 18th century
Middle 19th century
Early 17th century
Second half of the 19th centry
In the second half of the 19th century, America was flooded with new immigrants. These new immigrants helped to make Halloween a popular celebration nationwide.
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When did people begin trick-or-treating?
16th century
17th century
18th century
19th century
Around the same time that new American immigrants were popularizing Halloween, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go door-to-door asking food or money.
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Which superstition was practiced by young colonial women during Halloween?
Reading tea leaves.
Making dream catchers.
Collecting all of the black cats in the town and leaving them in the forests.
Attempting to divine the name or appearance of their future husband b doing tricks with yarn, apples, or mirrors.
It probably never worked, but this tradition was practiced for many centuries after the colonial period.
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When did the religious and superstitious undertones of Halloween dissipate?
Late 1600's
Late 1700's
Late 1800's
The focus moved away from ghosts and onto games, food, and celebrating the season.
Late 1900's
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When did Halloween become secularized in America?
1850's-1900
1950s-1960s
1920s-1930s
Towns would hold parades and host public parties.
1970s-1980s
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When was the practice of trick-or-treating revived?
1920-1950
The Baby Boom of 1950's made town-wide parties far too large. Halloween activities were happening more and more at home and in the classroom. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive and convenient way to celebrate Halloween.
1940-1960
1950-1980
1960-1980
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Which one is a Halloween superstition?
Setting a place for friendly spirits at the dinner table.
Lighting candles on the road for spirits to find their way home.
Avoiding black cats.
All of the above.
Depending on the person, their culture, and/or religion, many old superstitions are still practiced today.
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When did the black cat superstition originate?
Roman times
The 1950s
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, people believed that witches could turn themselves into cats.
1800's
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When was the first recorded Ghost sighting?
First century AD
Pliny wrote about the spirit of an old man with a long beard, rattling chains, that was haunting his house in Athens.
Middle Ages
Colonial period
Revolutionary Frane
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What about the first poltergeist (a ghost that moves objects, makes loud noises, etc.)
856 A.D.
A poltergeist was reported at a farmhouse in Germany. The family living there claimed to be tormented by a poltergeist that liked to throw stones and start fires. Creeeeepy!
652 A.D.
342 A.D.
1096
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Which historical figure is one of the most famous ghosts of England?
Queen Elizabeth I
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London in Mary of 1536. Sightings of her ghost have been reported for centuries at the Tower and her childhood home, Hever Castle.
Henry II
Richard III
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Which historical figure is one of the most famous American ghosts?
Eleanor Roosevelt
Benjamin Franklin
Starting in the late 19th century, Franklin's ghost was reported near the Amerian Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.
George Washington
Andrew Jackson
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Which American landmark is apparently haunted?
The Statue of Liberty
Alcatraz
The White House
All of the above.
There are many other historical American landmarks that are supposedly haunted!
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What fruit or vegetable was the first Jack O'lantern made out of?
Butternut squash
Grapefruit
Turnips
The first Jack O'lanterns were made out of turnips in Ireland during the 19th century.
Apples
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How did the Jack O'lantern get it's name?
An Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack.
Jack was stingy, so he didn't want to have to pay for the Devil's drink, so he combined the Devil to turn himself into a coin. Jack decided to keep the coin instead, and placed it in his pocket next to a silver cross which prevented the Devil from turning back to his original form. Jack freed the Devil under the condition that he would not bother him for a year. The next year Jack tricked him again, this time into turning into a piece of fruit. The story continues every year or 10 years depending on the deal Jack makes with the Devil.
A Celtic ghost story about a man named Jack.
Jack the Ripper.
An American folktale about a man named Jack.
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What does Samhainophobia mean?
Fear of black cats.
Fear of spiders.
The fear of the goblin, "Sam Hain"
The fear of halloween.
Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.
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What do the English celebrate instead of Halloween?
All Saints Day
The Day of the Dead
Guy Fawkes Night
On November 5th, the English commemorate the capture and execution of Guy Fawkes, who conspired to blow up Parliament in 1605 to restore a Catholic king to the throne.
The Fall Haarvest
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Which famous magician died on Halloween in 1926?
Harry Houdini
The famous magician died on Halloween night as a result of appendicitis.
Isaac Fawkes
Joseph Pinetti
Dai Vernon
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How many years has Halloween been around?
500 years
3,000 years
200 years
6,016 years
Halloween may have originated around 4,000 BC which means it is around 6016 years old
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What does Mexico celebrate instead of Halloween?
Carnaval
Día de los Muertos
Dia de lose Muertos is a multi-day holiday in which families gather to pray and remember loved ones who have died. The purpose of this holiday is to guide the spirits of loved ones on their spiritual journey
Semana Santa
Navidad
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What do the Chinese celebrate instead of Halloween?
Qingming
Chongyang Festival
Teng Chieh.
The Chinese place food and water in front of photographs of deceased family members. They light lanterns have bonfires to light the paths of the spirits.
Mid-autumn Festival
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Which 2 historical cities could be considered the American capital of Halloween?
Salem, MA and Philadelphia, PA
New Orleans, LA and New York, NY
New Orleans, LA, and Salem, MA
New Orleans is one of the oldest cities in America and has a long history of voodoo magic, making it one of the best spots to celebrate Halloween. Salem, MA is the site of the Salem Witch Trials. October is one of Salem's busiest times of year!
Charleston, SC and Seattle, Wa
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Rank the most haunted American cities from most haunted to least haunted.
1. New Orleans, Louisiana%0D2. Baltimore. Maryland%0D3. Savannah, Georgia%0D4. Charleston, South Carolina%0D5. San Antonio, Texas%0D6. Salem, Massachusetts%0D7. Charlotte, North Carolina%0D8. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania%0D9. Deadwood, South Dakota%0D10, Galveston, Texas
1. New Orleans, Louisiana: One of the most haunted places in the world. %0D2. Baltimore. Maryland: This city served as inspiration for Edgar Allen Poe. %0D3. Savannah, Georgia: Filled with history and haunted homes. %0D4. Charleston, South Carolina: The oldest city in the US!%0D5. San Antonio, Texas: Home of the Alamo. %0D6. Salem, Massachusetts: Home of the famous witch trials. %0D7. Charlotte, North Carolina: At years 250 years worth of ghosts.%0D8. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Home of one of the bloodiest battles during the Civil War. %0D9. Deadwood, South Dakota: Once a wild and dangerous western town.%0D10, Galveston, Texas: The Great Storm of 1900 and the Civil War are responsible for the hauntings here.
1. Deadwood, South Dakota%0D2. Baltimore, Maryland%0D3. Savannah, Georgia%0D4. Charleston, South Carolina%0D5. San Antonio, Texas%0D6. Salem, Massachusetts%0D7. Charlotte, North Carolina%0D8. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania%0D9. Deadwood, South Dakota%0D10. Galveston, Texas
1.Baltimore, Maryland%0D2.Deadwood, South Dakota%0D3. Galveston, Texas%0D4. Savannah, Georgia%0D5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania%0D6. Seattle, Washington%0D7. Austin, Texas%0D8. Atlanta, Georgia%0D9. New York, New York%0D10. Saratoga Springs, New York
1. Montreal, Canada%0D2. Pittsburg, Pennsylvania%0D3. Atlantic City, NJ%0D4. Baltimore, Maryland%0D5. Cape May, New Jerse%0D6. Spokane, Washington%0D7. Forks, Washington%0D8. Bend, Oregon%0D9. Los Angeles, California%0D10. San Jose California
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Which candy is the most popular candy for Halloween?
Reeses
Chocolate is by far the most popular type of candy amongst trick-or-treaters. However, if you look into a child's candy bag in the middle of February, all the reeses would be gone or secreted away for a really tough day.
M&Ms
Snickers
Hershey's
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In what country is Halloween the most popular?
Canada
America
Many other countries such as England and France don't understand the hype around Halloween. Instead, they view it as a commercialized and Americanized holiday not worthy of celebrating.
France
England
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You Got:
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