160+ Halloween Trivia Questions: Cultures, History, Lore & More

Halloween trivia makes for an excellent, festive activity to include in your Halloween celebration. In this post, you will find 160+ fascinating Halloween trivia questions and answers. You will learn about the rich history of Halloween, where it began, and how it spread across the world. These 160+ Halloween questions are perfect for a friend and family game activity during and around this awesome holiday.

You and your friends will have a blast while learning some wildly interesting facts about the traditions, history, and even some fun facts, using these 160+ Halloween trivia questions and answer.

Be safe this holiday and have a Happy Halloween!

Contents

160+ Halloween Trivia Questions & Answers
1.1 Play 160+ Halloween Trivia Questions
1.2 Read 160+ Halloween Trivia Questions & Answers

Related Content
1.3 Play Harry Potter Trivia
1.4 Play Thanksgiving Trivia
1.5 Play Movie Trivia
1.6 Play Art Trivia
1.7 Play Random Trivia


Play 160+ Halloween Trivia Questions Quiz


Read 160+ Halloween Trivia Questions & Answers

Halloween is possibly the most fun holiday of the year. There is something special seeing the kids run around in their costumes and trick-or-treating. But did you know, that for many cultures throughout history, Halloween was considered a very spiritual holiday, used as a time to honor those that have passed? Continue on to learn more.

Halloween Trivia

Back to table of contents…

The below covers all aspects of Halloween, from the cultural history, to the influences, traditions, foods, and meaning. It is an incredibly interesting time of year. You may be surprised to see the current and past traditions from different culture throughout the world.

If you love Halloween, or would like to learn more about this special holiday, read on for over 160 Halloween trivia questions and answers.

160+ Halloween Trivia Questions & Answers

1. The name “Halloween” is actually a contraction of what longer name for the October 31st holiday?

All Hallows’ evening

2. The Celtic festival of Samhain comes from an Old Irish term meaning what?

Summer’s End

3. What were the name of the folk plays performed by troupes of amateur actors, traditionally all male, that typically consisted of informal groups of costumed community members that visited from house to house on Samhain?

Mummer’s Plays

4. What is another name for Halloween?

All Saints’ Eve

5. What is the day after Halloween called?

All Saint’s Day

6. In England in the 20th century during Samhain, pranksters would use hollowed out turnips or mangel wurzels carved with grotesque faces as lanterns to ward off what?

Evil Spirits

7. What were the candles called that families in Austria, England and Ireland burned in every room of their households, to guide souls back to visit their homes on earth during the Middle Ages?

Soul Lights

8. In Cajun areas of North America, where was the nocturnal Mass traditionally held on Halloween night in the 20th century?

Cemeteries

9. During 17th to 20th century Ireland and Britain, unmarried women were told that if they sat in a darkened room and stared into a mirror on Halloween night, the face of their future spouse would appear in the mirror, but if they were destined to die before marriage, what would would appear in the mirror instead?

A Skull

10. What is the name of the period that begins on annually on October 31st, and is the Western Christian season encompassing the triduum of Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day?

Allhallowtide

11. What do you call a carved pumpkin?

Jack-o’-lantern

12. What can someone expect to find in the ensuing year, if he or she discovers a ring in their Irish Halloween Barmbrak?

True Love

13. What is another name for Allhallowtide?

The Hallowmas Season

14. Who invented the Halloween candy, candy corn in the 1880s?

George Renninger

15. What is the name of the ancient Gaelic festival that scholars believe may have influenced many Halloween traditions?

Samhain

16. What is the name of the yearly English tradition that involved groups of people that would visit local farms and cottages, singing the traditional requests for ale, apples, and small round cakes?

Souling

17. During the 19th century, on All Hallows’ eve, what was placed by the graves of relatives who were praying for their passed loved ones?

Dishes of Milk

18. What is the Ghost Festival referred to as in Taoism?

Zhongyuan Festival

19. What does the word Hallowe’en mean?

“Saints’ Evening”

20. In Scotland and Ireland, what is the term for the tradition of children going door to door in disguise for treats, such as food, coins, chocolate, apples or nuts?

Guising

21. What is another name for Allhallowtide?

Hallowtide

22. A jack-o’-lantern’s name comes from the reported phenomenon of strange lights flickering over what?

Peat Bogs

23. What is another name for jack-o’-lanterns?

Will-o’-the-wisps

24. What is the name of the legendary Irish drunkard who bargains with Satan and is doomed to roam the Earth, with only a hollowed turnip to light his way?

Stingy Jack

25. What is the term for the religious way of attaining information about a person’s life, considered part of a formal ritual, invoking deities or spirits?

Divination


125 Harry Potter Trivia Questions & Answers

Check out Harry Potter fun facts from every book and film. Click the play now button to begin.


Back to table of contents…

26. During the English festival of Souling, what is the term for the groups of people that would visit local farmers and sing requests for soul cakes, apples, and ale?

Merrymakers

27. What is another name for Halloween?

Allhalloween

28. In the popular 17th to 20th century Irish Halloween game Púicíní, if the chosen saucer has a ring in it, what would that potentially indicate about one’s future?

They Would Marry Soon

29. What is the name of the kindred festival that was held from October 31st to November 1st by the Brittonic Celts in Wales?

Calan Gaeaf

30. What is the name of the initiative used to further spread Christendom by the Christian Church, which includes the traditionally observed Vigil of All Hallows, and after the service, attendees visit the cemetery, where candles are placed in preparation for All Hallows’ Day?

The Night of Light

31. Who is credited with having created the recipe for the popular Halloween treat, caramel apples?

Mrs. Edna Kastrup

32. What does the word “Goañv” mean in the historical language of Brittany?

First day of Winter

33. What is the Gaelic and Welsh name for Halloween?

Samhain

34. Which Six Flags Great Adventure Halloween attraction set fire in 1984, causing casualties and the payment of millions in legal financial losses?

The Haunted Castle

35. What was the most popular phrase to shout by visiting masqueraders in Ireland, until the 2000s?

“Help the Halloween Party”

36. What was the title of the 1919 first book-length history of Halloween in the US, written by American historian and author, Ruth Edna Kelley of Massachusetts?

The Book of Hallowe’en

37. Who wrote the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus?

Mary Shelley

38. What is the term that refers to several methods of divination by eggs, where by example, an oracle would read the shapes that a separated egg white forms, when dropped into hot water?

Oomancy

39. What is another name for Halloween?

All Hallows’ Eve

40. What were the name of the costumed amateur community folk play actors, that performed in troupes and visited from house to house on the festival of Samhain?

Mummers

41. Which candy company is currently the largest manufacturer of candy corn?

Brach’s Confections

42. In the popular 17th to 20th century Irish Halloween game Púicíní, if the chosen saucer has water in it, what would that potentially indicate about one’s future?

They Would Emigrate

43. What is the name of the haunted attractions typically run by evangelical Protestant churches or parachurch organizations, designed to act as moral instruction, which depict acts that the organizers deem sinful and their consequences, including the torments of the damned in Hell, and a scene of Heaven?

Hell Houses

44. In 17th to 20th century Ireland and Britain, what food would be roasted near a fire, to foretell the desire compatibility of a potential love interest during Halloween?

Hazelnuts

45. The American tradition of carving pumpkins had not been specifically associated with Halloween until what century?

The 19th Century

46. What is the name of the old German Protestant custom, which traditionally took place on November 10th, where farmhands and ordinary workers would go house-to-house reciting poems and singings songs, in hopes of collecting food that could be stored as part of their family’s winter stock?

Martinisingen

47. During Samhain, a man dressed as the “Láir Bhán” would traditionally lead youths house-to-house reciting verses in exchange for food; what does the “Láir Bhán” mean?

White Mare

48. Traditionally, the back walls of churches are decorated with a depiction of graves opening, the dead rising, a heaven filled with angels, and a hell filled with devils; what is the name of this motif that has been associated with the observance of All Hallows’ Eve in Christian tradition?

Last Judgement

49. Which historically celebrated Roman Goddess do some suggest was the influence for the use of hazelnuts and apples in Halloween games?

Pomona

50. In England in the 20th century during Samhain, pranksters would hollow out turnips or mangel wurzels carved with grotesque faces, to use as what?

Lanterns


138 Thanksgiving Trivia Questions & Answers

Learn more about the holiday of Thanksgiving. Click the play now button to begin.


Back to table of contents…

51. What is another name for All Saint’s Day?

Hallowmas

52. In 835, which pope officially switched All Hallows’ Day to November 1st, the same date as Samhain?

Pope Gregory IV

53. In the popular 17th to 20th century Irish Halloween game Púicíní, if the chosen saucer had rosary beads in it, what would that potentially indicate about one’s future?

They Would Take Holy Orders

54. What do the traditional colors of yellow, orange, and white on candy corn represent?

The Colors of the Fall Harvest or of Corn on the Cob

55. Groups of poor children, would go door-to-door during Allhallowtide, collecting soul cakes, in exchange for what?

Prayers for the Dead

56. What symbol were soul cakes marked with prior to baking, indicating they were alms?

A Cross

57. In which 1593 Shakespearean comedy is there mention of souling?

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

58. It is claimed that in the Middle Ages, churches that were too poor to display the relics of martyred saints at Allhallowtide would let parishioners dress up as what instead?

Saints

59. What is the name of the Halloween-themed event held annually at the Magic Kingdom theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and at Disneyland Paris Resort in France, where guests dress up in Halloween costumes and celebrate the season with themed events throughout the park?

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

60. In medieval Europe, on Halloween, what served the dual purpose of guiding returning souls to the homes of their families, as well as to deflect demons from haunting Christians?

A Fire

61. What is another name for All Saint’s Day?

All Hallows’ Day

62. What is the name of this hard, brittle toffee associated with Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night in the United Kingdom?

Bonfire Toffee

63. According to a 2018 report from the National Retail Federation, how much money were 30 million Americans projected to spend on Halloween costumes for their pets in 2018?

$480 Million

64. What was the name of the 19th century English tradition, where families would gather on hills during the night of All Hallows’ Eve, and one member would hold burning straw on a pitchfork, while the rest knelt in a prayer circle for the souls of relatives and friends, until the flames went out?

Teen’lay

65. What is the name of this November 5th annual holiday, which observes the history of and celebrates King James’ life attempt survival with lit bonfires, but inadvertently lessened Halloween’s popularity in the U.K.?

Guy Fawkes Night

66. What are the name of the small round cakes given out during the English festival of Souling?

Soul Cakes

67. What is the name of the light fruitcake that is still baked in Ireland during Halloween, in which charms are placed in, and it is considered good fortune for those who find these trinkets?

A Barmbrack

68. In what century did mass Irish and Scottish immigration make Halloween became a major holiday in the United States of America?

The 19th Century

69. In the popular 17th to 20th century Irish Halloween game Púicíní, if the chosen saucer has bean beads in it, what would that potentially indicate about one’s future?

They Would Be Poor

70. What is another name for All Saint’s Day?

The Feast of All Saints

71. What is the name of this yearly Halloween Parade that began in 1974 by puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee, and is the world’s largest and only nighttime televised Halloween parade?

The Greenwich Village Halloween Parade

72. What is the name of this annual event that occurs at Universal Studios theme parks in the U.S. and Asia, where the parks remain operational during the day and transition to Halloween-themed evenings, that feature haunted houses, scare zones and live entertainment?

Halloween Horror Nights

73. What has been traditionally carved for Halloween, in Ireland and Scotland?

A Turnip

74. What is another name for mummers?

Wrenboys

75. What is the full title to the 1818 novel, Frankenstein?

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus


375 Movie Trivia Questions & Answers

Learn fun facts about every movie genre in existence. Click the play now button to begin.


Back to table of contents…

76. What is the name of the practice of looking into a suitable medium, in the hope of detecting significant messages or visions?

Scrying

77. In 17th to 20th century Ireland and Britain during Halloween, what type of the salty oatmeal baked good was eaten in three bites before bed, without a drink, and was said to result in a dream in which a future spouse offers a drink to quench the dreamers’ thirst?

A Bannock

78. What is the name of the ancient Egyptian mummy, from the 1932 horror film, The Mummy?

Imhotep

79. The skull imagery associated with Halloween traditionally represents a site immediately outside of Jerusalem’s walls where Jesus was crucified; according to the canonical Gospels, what is this site called?

Calvary or Golgotha

80. What was the Halloween treat, candy corn originally named?

Chicken Feed

81. Who wrote the 1785 poem Halloween?

Robert Burns

82. What is the name of the Filipino souling practice, where during All Hallow’s Eve, people drape themselves in white cloths to represent souls, then visit houses, and sing in return for prayers and sweets?

Pangangaluwa

83. The ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain was celebrated as a liminal time between this world and the otherworld deities; what was this otherworld mythological race called?

The Aos Sí

84. What types of creatures were the honored Samhain Gaelic deities, the Aos Sí, believed to be?

Spirits or Fairies

85. What was the name of the Canadian publication, credited with the earliest known use in print of the term “trick or treat”, appearing in 1927?

The Blackie Herald

86. When did trick-or-treating become a widespread practice in North America?

The 1930s

87. What is another name for bonfire toffee, the brittle toffee associated with Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night in the United Kingdom?

Treacle Toffee

88. In Spain, what do Christian priests in tiny villages do in order to remind their congregants to remember the dead on All Hallows’ Eve?

Toll their Church Bells

89. The Danse Macabre was enacted at village pageants and at court masques, and some believe may have been the origin of what modern-day tradition?

Halloween Costume Parties

90. Some traditional games associated with Halloween originated as divination practiced by a “rare few”, but in recent centuries, these divination games have become a common feature of the household festivities in Ireland and Britain; what two foods are commonly used during these games?

Apples and Hazelnuts

91. In Celtic mythology, what were apples strongly associated with?

Otherworld and Immortality

92. In Celtic mythology, what were hazelnuts strongly associated with?

Divine Wisdom

93. In parts of Wales, what were the name of the fearsome beings some men went about dressed as during Samhain?

Gwrachod

94. What is another name for mummers?

Tipteerers

95. In Ireland and Britain during the 17th to 20th centuries, a variant of the Halloween game, bobbing for apples, used what instrument held between the teeth to try and get an apple from a water filled tub?

A Fork

96. What was the name of the candy company that first produced the Halloween treat, candy corn?

Wunderle Candy Company

97. What is another name for mummers?

Pace-eggers

98. What fruit was used during of the 17th to 20th century Irish and British Halloween tradition, which involved peeling one long strip, tossing the peal over the shoulder, and then identifying shape of the first letter of the future spouse’s name?

An Apple

99. In Scotland, what is the Halloween game, bobbing for apples called?

Dooking

100. Who wrote the 1897 novel Dracula?

Bram Stoker


195 Art Trivia Questions & Answers

Check out these fascinating art trivia fun facts. Click the play now button to begin.


Back to table of contents…

101. What is another name for All Saint’s Day?

Solemnity of All Saints

102. In Finland, because so many people visit the cemeteries on All Hallows’ Eve to light votive candles, what is this known as?

Valomeri or Seas of Light

103. What three countries originated and celebrated Samhain?

Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man

104. In the popular 17th to 20th century Irish Halloween game Púicíní, if the chosen saucer has clay in it, what would that potentially indicate about one’s future?

They would die soon

105. What is another name for mummers?

Rhymers

106. By the end of the 12th century, as all Saint’s Day had become a holy day of obligation, what kind of people were customarily dressed in black parading the streets ringing a bell of mournful sound, and calling on all good Christians to remember the poor souls?

Criers

107. In the popular 17th to 20th century Irish Halloween game Púicíní, if the chosen saucer has a coins in it, what would that potentially indicate about one’s future?

They would become rich

108. By what century was Halloween assimilated into mainstream society and celebrated across the U.S. by people of all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities?

The 20th Century

109. Up until the 19th century, Halloween bonfires were lit for divination in parts of Scotland, Wales and Brittany, and when the fire died down, what would be laid out in the ashes to foretell one’s fate the next morning?

Stones

110. What was the name of the first recorded haunted attraction, which opened in 1915 Liphook, England?

The Orton and Spooner Ghost House

111. What do many Jewish people observe communally four times a year, which is vaguely similar to the observance of Allhallowtide in Christianity, in the sense that prayers are said for lost loved ones?

Yizkor

112. What is term in Slavic folklore for the spirits of the ancestors and a collection of pre-Christian rites, rituals and customs that were aimed to win the favor of the deceased, who were considered to be caretakers in the sphere of fertility?

Dziady

113. What is the name of the famous Knott’s Berry Farm hosted Halloween night attraction?

Knott’s Scary Farm

114. What is the name typically associated with October 30th, related to the night of mischief practiced in parts of the United States beginning in the 1940s?

Devil’s Night

115. Which group produced the first Halloween haunted house run by a nonprofit organization in 1970 Clifton, Ohio?

The Jaycees

116. The ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain marked the end of what?

The Harvest Season

117. What is the name of the Halloween-oriented event, held annually at Six Flags theme parks in the United States, Canada, and Mexico?

Fright Fest

118. What is another name for jack-o’-lanterns?

Friar’s Lantern

119. The popular Irish Christian folktale associated with the jack-o’-lantern is, that it represents a soul that cannot what?

Get into Heaven or Hell

120. What kind of animal is constructed out of straw and burned during Kreki?

A Goat

121. What was the name of the one haunted house initially used during the Fright Nights event, which began at Universal Studios Florida in 1991?

The Dungeon of Terror

122. What has been suggested that the carved jack-o’-lantern, originally represented?

The Souls of the Dead

123. What are candy apples known as outside of North America?

Toffee Apples

124. On All Hallows’ Eve in Spain, what are the special pastries that are baked and put on graves called?

Bones of the Holy or Huesos de Santo

125. What is another name for Allhallowtide?

Allsaintstide


Play Random Trivia Now!

Play random trivia questions from any of our many trivia categories. Click the play now button to begin.


Back to table of contents…

126. What was the name of the wild carnival that many Christians in France believed during the Middle Ages, the churchyard dead would rise rose for on Halloween?

The Danse Macabre

127. What is the name of this popular variant of trick-or-treating, also known as Halloween tailgating?

Trunk-or-Treating

128. What is another name for bonfire toffee, the brittle toffee associated with Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night in the United Kingdom?

Plot toffee

129. What is another name for mummers?

Galoshins

130. What is another name for jack-o’-lanterns?

Hobby Lantern

131. If a household did not donate food during Samhain, what ancient Celtic “boogeyman” was believed would bring that household misfortune?

The Muck Olla

132. When was the Halloween candy, candy corn first produced?

In 1888

133. What is the name of the traditional custom of baking and sharing soul cakes for all christened souls, that has been suggested as the origin of trick-or-treating?

Souling

134. What is the date of All Soul’s Day?

November 2nd

135. In Ireland and Britain during the 17th to 20th centuries, another once-popular Halloween game involved spinning a hanging small wooden rod from the ceiling at head height, with an apple hanging from one end, and everyone taking turns to try to catch the apple with their teeth; what was on the other end of the small spinning wooden rod?

A Lit Candle

136. What was the candy company Jelly Belly formerly known as?

The Goelitz Confectionery Company

137. What aspect of one’s future, did several of the traditional Halloween activities from 17th to 20th century Ireland and Britain, involve the foretelling of?

A Partner or Spouse

138. What is the popular Halloween food of peanuts in their shells called in Ireland and Scotland?

Monkey Nuts

139. What is the name of the kindred festival that was held from October 31st to November 1st in the historical country of Brittany?

Goañv

140. In 1960, who patented the first automatic caramel apple making machine, which replaced much of the by-hand production process?

Vito Raimondi

141. What is the name of this Irish dish, which is made of potatoes, butter, milk and cabbage, and is traditionally served on Halloween with foretelling trinkets and prizes hidden inside?

Colcannon

142. On All Hallows’ Eve in Poland, what were Christian believers once taught to do as they walked through the forests in order to console the souls of the dead?

Pray Out Loud

143. What is the name of the kindred festival that was held from October 31st to November 1st in the historical country of Cornwall?

Kalan Gwav

144. In Ireland, what were the masks used during guising, in the late 19th century called?

False Faces

145. What was the name of the popular 17th to 20th century Irish Halloween game, where a blindfolded person would choose between several saucers with variously shaped items in them, and each unique shape type chosen would predict a different potential outcome?

Púicíní or Blindfolds

146. What is another name for mummers?

Soulers

147. When did Halloween themed fun houses start to appear in America?

The 1930s

148. What is the name of the mid-September festival where Hindus pay homage to the dead and perform a ceremony for the souls of their ancestors?

Pitru Paksh

149. In what year did the famous Knott’s Scary Farm Halloween night attraction open?

1973

150. What was created and organized as a response to the escalating vandalism resulting from Devil’s Night in 1995 Detroit?

Angel’s Night

151. What is the name of the yearly event, presently celebrated in Finland by burning a giant straw animal constructed by locals out of straw, and historically, the traditions and sentiments have paralleled All Hallows’ Eve?

Kekri

152. What was the yearly Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights event formerly known as?

Fright Nights

153. What is the straw goat called that is burned during the Finnish tradition of Kreki?

Kekripukki

154. In what year did the Haunted Mansion attraction open up in Disneyland?

1969

155. In Chinese culture, what is the name of the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar year, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm?

Ghost Festival

156. During the English festival of Souling, what is the term for the songs that were traditionally sung to request soul cakes and other treats from farmers?

Souler’s Songs

157. What is the Ghost Festival referred to as in Buddhism?

Yulanpen Festival

158. What is another name for bonfire toffee, the brittle toffee associated with Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night in the United Kingdom?

Tom Trot

159. What is the name of the event that began in 1919 Independence, Kansas, centering around day and night parades on October 31?

Neewollah

160. What was the Six Flags Great Adventure Halloween-oriented event Fright Fest, formerly known as?

Fright Nights

161. What is another name for jack-o’-lanterns?

Hinkypunk

162. In Scotland, what do they call bonfire toffee, the toffee associated with Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night?

Claggum

163. In folklore, what is the term for this atmospheric ghost light seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes?

Will-o’-the-wisp or Ignis fatuus

Trivia Mastermind Editorial Team

We are fact fanatics, writers, and most importantly, trivia enthusiasts. We have spent thousands of hours creating original trivia questions and fun fact articles for your enjoyment. There are currently, over 6,250 trivia questions on Triviamastermind.com for you to check out. We hope you love them!

Recent Posts