7 weird Halloween facts that will scare the wits out of you

Did you know Somerset has it's own super-creepy Halloween traditions? Here's a round up of terrifying facts about the spookiest day of the year.

 

 1. If you're in Germany on Halloween, hide the knives

They celebrate Halloween in Germany, but as a time to honour and respect the dead.

One tradition is to hide all the knives in the house, for fear that returning spirits might injure themselves on any knives that are left out.

There are a number of logical problems with this tradition - not least of which is that ghosts tend to be dead already, so how much damage can a knife realistically do? But if you start applying logic to the idea of the dead walking the Earth...

2. If you're in Italy, you can enjoy the Beans of the Dead

In Italy they have a traditional Halloween recipe, which is kind of an oval cookie a bit like a macaron. It's called Fave dei Morti, which roughly translates as Beans of the Dead.

Beans of the Dead sounds like the great lost George A Romero zombie movie nobody's been waiting for.

3. Chances are, if your trick-or-treat sweets have been poisoned, a family member did it

There are all kinds of urban myths about the mean old crone or crazed madman in the tumble-down shack slipping poison or dangerous items into cakes and candy for the unsuspecting cherubs who knock on their door on Halloween.

But in reality almost every case of Halloween candy tampering has been performed by a family member.

For example, there was the case of Ronald O'Bryan, who laced his son's sweets with cyanide in Texas in 1974. Or the case in Detroit in 1970, where 5-year-old Kevin Toston died of a heroin overdose after he found his uncle's stash of the drug. His family later sprinkled heroin over his Halloween candy to try and protect his uncle.

And of the cases of foreign objects hidden in sweets - like needles or razor blades - all but a handful have been hoaxes, or the media jumping on a story which turned out to be untrue.

There was, however, the case in Manchester of a 23-year-old man who was giving out baggies of cocaine to kids instead of sweets - though he didn't hide it in any sweets, and police said he'd given the items "in error."

4. Dancing for treats

According to most experts, inspiration for trick-or-treating came from European "mumming'. Which involved people in costume playing songs and dancing in return for treats.

It is also thought that beggars began the tradition of trick or treat. While they played no pranks, men often went door to door begging for money. It was mainly the poor that took part, however, wealthy children also joined in.

5. Wearing animal skins

Throughout history, tribes have worn costumes to connect with the spirits of the dead. This often consisted of animal heads and skins.

6. Jack o'lanterns were originally made from turnips.

The British tradition of carving a scary face into a vegetable was originally done with turnips.

When Irish immigrants took the idea of the jack o'lantern to America, they started using pumpkins, because they were cheaper than turnips.

Not to mention making nicer soup. And lattes.

But we think you'll agree, turnips are way, way scarier.

7. The village of Hinton St George in Somerset celebrates 'Punkie Night' - its own deeply creepy Halloween celebration

The villages of Hinton St George and Lopen in Somerset have their very own twist on Halloween, and it's dead creepy.

Historically, the tradition involved children marching around with jack o'lanterns - or 'punkies' - begging for candles and money, and threatening those who wouldn't cough up. So far, so trick-or-treat, right?

Well, what makes it extra sinister, is the fact that this band of marauding youngsters is generally led by a Punkie King and Punkie Queen - and they sing a song.

The song goes:

It's Punkie Night tonight 
It's Punkie Night tonight 
Adam and Eve would not believe 
It's Punkie Night tonight

And here's how it sounds - as performed by Carl Turney and Brian Campbell from the band Clinic.

 

 

Top 7 facts about television

TV: Top 7 facts about television

TODAY marks the 15th anniversary of Free view (freeview.co.UK) which delivers most of the nation’s favorite television channels at no cost.

 

1. The total amount spent on TV advertising in the UK last year was £5.28billion.

2. Worldwide, 90 per cent of homes own TV sets. In the UK, the figure is 95.4 per cent.

3. ...while 8 per cent would give up their bed and 4 per cent would give up the washing machine.

4. By the time the average US child is 14 years old, they have seen around 11,000 murders on TV.

5. The use of the word “goggle-box” for a television dates back to 1959.

6. Although John Logie Baird did not invent the television until 1926, the word “television” has been with us since 1900 for such a proposed invention.

7. Baird’s first TV set used an old hat box, a pair of scissors, some darning needles, a few bicycle light lenses, a used tea chest and sealing wax and glue.

 

Top 7 Facts about what keeps us Alive

1. The first food eaten by astronauts that had been grown in space was Romaine lettuce on the International Space Station in August 2015.

2. According to the Office for National Statistics, the average UK household spends £56.80 a week on food and non-alcoholic drinks.

3. A study in China in 2015 reported that people who eat spicy foods tend to live longer.

4. Last year, Chan Hong Meng of Singapore became the first street food vendor to be awarded a Michelin star. 

5. Around the world, 75 McDonald’s hamburgers are sold every second.

6. “Food is an important part of a balanced diet,” (Fran Liebowitz). 

 
7. The first meal eaten on the Moon included bacon squares, sugar biscuits, coffee, a pineapple and grapefruit juice drink and tinned peaches. 

Top 7 Facts about eyes

1. By far the most common eye colour in the world is brown but in the UK blue is now most common.

2. Percy Shaw of Halifax invented the cat’s eye road safety device in 1933 after being inspired by light reflections in a real cat’s eye. There are now around 500 million cat’s eyes on British roads.

3. According to research in 2015, blue-eyed people are more likely to become alcoholics. 

4. According to research in 2009, women’s faces are most attractive when the distance between the eyes is 46 percent of the face width and the eye to mouth distance is 36 percent of the face length.

5. The animal with the largest eyes is the colossal squid. In 2008 one colossal squid eye was measured at 11 inches across.

6. Percy Shaw of Halifax invented the cat’s eye road safety device in 1933 after being inspired by light reflections in a real cat’s eye. There are now around 500 million cat’s eyes on British roads.

7. Your eyeballs stay the same size all your life, from birth to death.