Wednesday, October 31st. There’s an excellent chance that today is an occasion deeply revered by young children and the nation’s candy makers. According to ancient Celtic tradition, Halloween — the evening before All Saints Day — is a time of haunting by ghosts. Halloween has come a long way from pagan practices to “trick or treat!” Today’s prank and costume-filled observance goes back about a century in America, and giving the disguised young visitors to the doorstep some candies has been a major part of the ritual. This is an important boost to the nation’s nearly 1,850 chocolate and nonchocolate confectionary manufacturers, along with some 3,400 candy and nut stores. American candy manufacturing amounts to around $27 billion annually.
You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey.
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