The History of Trick Or Treating

If you have ever thought that the practice of going door to door on Halloween night asking for candy and treats for strangers resembles begging, than you would be right. The first trick or treaters were beggars. In the Middle Ages, beggars would go door to door on All Souls Day, asking for money and food. This practice carried over into the Christmas season as well, when carolers would sing for their more affluent neighbors in hopes of being given money and food.

The Irish are credited with bringing the concept of Halloween to America in the 1840s, but trick or treating had been around for much longer. As the custom changed, the beggars became children who would go from house to house and ask for treats. If they did not get them there was always the possibility that they would play a trick, usually some type of mild vandalism on the offending household. The term trick or treat does not appear in print until 139, when it was associated with widespread poverty and serious vandalism of the time in some countries. In America, however, Halloween became commercialized starting in the 1920s, when neighborhood Halloween parties were held, and officially sanctioned trick or treating by neighborhood was introduced in an attempt to curb serious Halloween night related vandalism.

In Scotland, and in parts of Northern England, trick or treating is called guising. Children only receive treats if they perform for the people of the household, usually by singing a song or reciting a joke or poem. This practice is falling out of favor in some areas however.

Halloween costumes have their origins in history as well. The Celts, credited with inventing the idea of Halloween, called their festival Samhain, pronounced sow on and believed that this was the night when the line between the living and the dead was blurred. The first costumes for Halloween, naturally, were ghosts, vampires, and other creepy spirits. The popularity of horror movies has also contributed to Halloween costumes over the years, which is why you will see so many witches, werewolves, vampires, zombies, and little Freddy Kreugers running around on Halloween night.

Halloween is a time to collect free candy, wear fun costumes, visit haunted houses, and in general, let your hair down. The Halloween of today may not bear much resemblance to Samhain, but some traditions, like wearing masks and bobbing for apples still remain. Trick or treating, while it has evolved with the times, still bears some resemblance to the Medieval practice of souling.

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