Trick or Treat - How did that happen?

The modern equivalent of trick or treating has several origins but Celtic customs are mainly responsible for bringing the acceptable face of begging into society's domain.

During the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the start of the dark half of the year at the end of the Autumn harvest, the Celtic Druids believed the dead would cause mayhem and destruction for the living. Obviously the mischievous dead had to be appeased. Villagers would therefore offer the Druids a peace offering in the form of food to ensure the dead were well fed and the living were left alone.

Another possible origin is based on Irish folklore. Peasants would go door-to-door to collect money and food treats, such as cakes, cheese, butter, nuts and applies in preparation for the festival of St. Columb Kill.

Another custom has its roots in early Christianity. Christians would offer a prayer for the souls of dead relatives in return for a 'soul cake'. Over time this custom developed into a simple cake offering in return for good luck and good fortune, which simply evolved into door to door begging for treats. The failure to supply the goodies resulted in the tightwad house owner being the victim of a practical joke.

Halloween's modern form trick or treating (primarily children going door-to-door, begging for sweets) was largely adopted in 19 th Century America, as Irish and Scottish immigrants kept the old Celtic traditions alive.

Boys roamed around engaging in ritualised pranks, which their elders "blamed" on the spirits of Halloween. As pranks turned nastier, towns and cities ran their own 'safe' Halloween events and homeowners resorted to offering bribes to kids to ensure they didn't create too much anarchy, thus entering into mainstream American society.