We celebrate the same holidays every year, but how much do we actually know about these annual traditions? And how much of what we think we know is actually true?

New year’s resolutions aren’t always doomed to fail. In fact, the act of declaring a goal as a New Year’s resolution makes it more likely to be achieved than just keeping it as a vague idea in your head.

Halloween is also one of the more commonly misunderstood holidays. For a season characterized by ghosts, ghouls, and goblins, it’s almost ironic that the meaning behind Halloween isn’t scary or evil in nature at all.

In this episode of Misconceptions, we debunk a handful of holiday misbeliefs, from the doomed fate of lovers on Valentine’s Day to the true origins of Thanksgiving.

This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as Misconceptions About 9 Major Holidays.