A little halloween lore

The Jack-O-Lantern

The legend of the Jack-O-Lantern comes from Ireland from about the 18th century. With some variations the basis of the Jack-O-Lantern is as follows:

There was a stingy drunkard of an Irishman named Jack who tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree. Then Jack quickly cut the sign of a cross into the trunk of the tree, thereby preventing the Devil from climbing down. Jack made the Devil swear that he wouldn't ever come after Jack's soul again or claim it in any way. However, this did not stop Jack from dying and when he did he was not allowed into Heaven, because of his life of drinking, being tightfisted and being deceitful. And because of the oath the Devil had taken Jack was not allowed into Hell either. "But where can I go?" asked Jack. "Back where you came from!" replied the Devil. The way back was windy and dark. The Devil, as a final gesture, threw a live coal at Jack straight from the fire of Hell. To light his way and to keep it from blowing out in the wind Jack put it in a turnip he was eating. Ever since Jack and his "lantern" has been traveling over the face of the earth looking for a place to rest.

The moral of the story: Don't mess with the devil.

Ghosts, Bats and other Halloween stuff...

Halloween is based on an ancient holiday 'All Hallows Eve'. It was the one day of the year where dead spirits were allowed to walk the earth.
Bats fingers are actually parts of its wings and their "fingers" are bigger then their body
Bats always turn left when exiting a cave
"Phasmophobia" is a fear of ghosts.
Of the 4000 species of mammals on the planet, there are 900 different species of bats.
Worldwide, bats are the most important natural enemies of night-flying insects.
9% of Americans report having been in the prescence of a ghost.
During WWII, Americans tried to train bats to drop bombs. They failed.
Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Samhainophobia: Fear of Halloween