October 18, 2012 10:51 am
The History of Trick Or Treating Is Weirder Than You Thought
Photo: Flickr user stevendepolo
It’s almost that time of year when underaged kids get into costume and traipse around the neighborhood ringing doorbells and begging for treats. When you think about it, trick or treating is kind of a weird thing. Where did it come from anyway?
Today I Found Out discovered that the practice began with the Celtic tradition of celebrating the end of the year by dressing up as evil spirits. The Celts believed that, as we moved from one year to the next, the dead and the living would overlap, and demons would roam the earth again. So dressing up as demons was a defense mechanism. If you encountered a real demon roaming the Earth, they would think you were one of them.
Fast forward to when the Catholic Church was stealing everybody’s holidays and trying to convert them. They turned the demon dress-up party into “All Hallows Eve,” “All Soul’s Day,” and “All Saints Day” and had people dress up as saints, angels and still a few demons. Today I Found Out writes:
As for the trick or treating, or “guising” (from “disguising”), traditions, beginning in the Middle-Ages, children and sometimes poor adults would dress up in the aforementioned costumes and go around door to door during Hallowmas begging for food or money in exchange for songs and prayers, often said on behalf of the dead. This was called “souling” and the children were called “soulers”.
You might think that this practice then simply migrated along with Europeans to the United States. But trick or treating didn’t re-emerge until the 1920s and 1930s. It paused for a bit during World War II because of sugar rations, and it’s now back in full force.
The term “trick or treat” dates back to 1927. Today I Found Out explains:
The earliest known reference to “trick or treat”, printed in the November 4, 1927 edition of the Blackie, Alberta Canada Herald, talks of this,
Hallowe’en provided an opportunity for real strenuous fun. No real damage was done except to the temper of some who had to hunt for wagon wheels, gates, wagons, barrels, etc., much of which decorated the front street. The youthful tormentors were at back door and front demanding edible plunder by the word “trick or treat” to which the inmates gladly responded and sent the robbers away rejoicing.
The British hate Halloween, apparently. In 2006, a survey found that over half of British homeowners turn off their lights and pretend not to be home on Halloween. Yet another reason by the United States is happy to be free from British rule. No funs.
More from Smithsonian.com:
Wednesday Roundup: Phantoms, Costumes and Halloween Galore
Halloween Costume Ideas from the Collections
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In Britain, Halloween is considered an American import that’s started to overshadow the traditional Guy Fawkes’ Day, which is a few days later. That’s why a lot of them object to it.
Comment by Kevin W. Parker — October 18, 2012 @ 1:29 pm
Thanks for the mention and linkbacks to my Halloween Trick or Treating article.
Comment by Daven from Today I Found Out — October 18, 2012 @ 9:22 pm
@Kevin
Thank’s for the clarification. That does make a lot of sense.
Comment by Patrick Acurio — October 21, 2012 @ 7:54 am
Actually, we hate it because it’s stupid! You teach children not to talk to strangers and to be kind to everyone except one day when you take anything that anyone gives you to eat and if they don’t give you anything you get to be mean to them!!
I can’t for the life of me understand the point of it. What exactly are you celebrating anyway?
Comment by Marie-Ann — October 21, 2012 @ 8:47 am
What is an ‘underaged kid?’
Comment by Sonya — October 21, 2012 @ 8:52 am
You’re misinformed, the drivel about it being a Celtic thing is a modern myth. The Iron Age tribes did feast at this time of year (they had to, having just killed any animals who would not be able to be kept over winter), but there is no evidence that they ever dressed as evil spirits at any time of year.
And I’m a British druid with a lifelong interest in Iron Age history.
Comment by Helen Wood — October 21, 2012 @ 10:17 am
As an American, I agree with Marie-Ann. It is a,”godless” holiday!
Comment by Joe — October 21, 2012 @ 10:31 am
As a ROMAN Catholic, I do not appreciate your opinionated reporting on alleged holiday “stealing.” Although one may have opinions on how these holidays came to be, and “holiday” is an aphorism for what is a holy day, intentional stealing is a mortal sin in Catholic doctrine and the term should not be used lightly.
Let’s report and not malign and disparage one’s faith or belief. That’s beneath the Smithsonian.
Most “holidays” celebrated today can be traced to seasons changing
Comment by Greg Olsen — October 21, 2012 @ 12:02 pm
Don’t be ridiculous! Halloween is creative and fun. My kids get a small amount of $ to buy part of their costume with and they have to dig into old costumes and dress up clothes to make up the rest. They have so much fun figuring it out and there is much giggling and scheming between friends. On the big night a group of giggly friends go around the neighborhood yelling Trick or Treat. My neighbors come out and compliment their costumes and drop candy in their bags. The kids say “Thank you!” I get to say Hi to the people I live next to all year and it’s a bonding experience. No one gets tricked. Tricks are a funny myth to the kids.
Comment by Kat — October 21, 2012 @ 1:06 pm
So, then, it would seem that the Halloween scene in the MGM Musical “Meet Me in St. Louis” was historically inaccurate. Apparently Halloween pranks (flour dumping, bonfires, etc.) were not done in 1904 Saint Louis after all. It was fun to watch, but I should not be surprised — that’s Hollywood! By the way, I agree with Kat’s comment — as a child it was a creative and thrilling event, and as an adult I can’t wait to see what the kids come up with each year.
Comment by Judy — October 21, 2012 @ 1:54 pm
Well we could celebrate a terrorist like Guy instead.
Comment by Dave — October 21, 2012 @ 2:02 pm
I must be living in Britain even though I live in California; everyone, including myself, in my neigborhood ignore trick-or-treaters.
Comment by Don — October 21, 2012 @ 2:31 pm
So many more important things to teach our children, and halloween is not one of them.
Comment by sultanaali — October 21, 2012 @ 2:38 pm
My family moved from Jersey City to the Boston, MA area in 1940. By 1944 or 45 I was ready to go out Trick or Treating. One point of confusion for my Mother was that she had never heard of it being called that. She had used the phrase “A penny for a beggar?” as a child. That would have been circa 1911 – 1918 or so. She was afraid that “trick or treat” sounded too much like a threat. She would have preferred that I not use that phrase but I guess my teenage brother and sister got her to lighten up.
Comment by Bob Carolan — October 21, 2012 @ 2:45 pm
Regarding Kat’s comment – above – we almost NEVER hear a “thank you” for treats given. When we were young parents in Fairfax,VA, we did hear politeness, but not now. Not in Fairfax where our grandkids live nor in Gettysburg where we live now. Parents accompanying kids now don’t even care if the kids break something on your property – - they IGNORE it. It’s almost like parents are afraid to discipline their kids. How else are you going to ground kids in what’s right and wrong and what’s acceptable and what’s over the top? Where did respect go?
Comment by Patricia Carr — October 21, 2012 @ 3:24 pm
This is a very poor quality article. Smithsonian can surely do better.
Comment by Mary — October 21, 2012 @ 4:43 pm
What Patricia Carr said is why one day we suddenly quit participating — the parents of too many modern kids & not knowing what THEY would do. Most of our experiences had been fun ones but it really is time to close down the trick or treating aspect of the holiday IMHO in this modern world. Have parties where people know each other but don’t encourage homeowners to open their homes to any (potentially dangerous) stranger and don’t encourage children to go door to door to unknown strangers. My father got very testy about Halloween and I have grown to agree with him on its dangers — and more.
If parents weren’t apologetic for breaking stuff as Patricia mentioned, I’d prosecute. That would be a lesson learned. (Or if you werent’ going to prosecute, explain that not doing so was a gift.)
Comment by Anonymous — October 21, 2012 @ 6:06 pm
Actually there were “tricks” in the early 1900s (and back in the 1800s), as represented in “Meet Me in St. Louis.” It’s the phrase “trick or treat” that didn’t appear IN PRINT until the 1920s.The tricks were a longstanding tradition (with some areas celebrating a “Mischief Night”). And the treats certainly go back to the middle ages (in Britain, which is where Halloween started). The news story which first mentions the phrase does so in a matter of fac way, with no explanation, indicating that it had probably been in common spoken use for some time and just hadn’t found its way into print.
From what I hear, Halloween is a popular holiday in Scotland and Ireland. So it’s not “the British” who object, but just some of the English. I would also say that anyone who remembers celebrating Halloween as a kid probably remembers the excitement and fun the holiday inspires. It’s OK to do something that kids enjoy. There’s no harm in trick-or-treating (the “poisoning” stories out there are typically hoaxes and rumors. There are no proven examples of a stranger harming a child with poisoned candy). Learning is important (I am a teacher myself), but not every childhood experience needs to feel like a study session or have some “job training” justification.
Comment by Andrew — October 21, 2012 @ 7:05 pm
Thanks to Andrews for the clarification. I am in Minnesota in a very multicultural suburb. The kids in my neighborhood are very polite and hardly ever forget to say thank you. They may have to be prompted to say Trick or Treat, but the Thank You rate is about 95%. Even the overgrown teenagers, who are really too old to be trick-or-treating, and may not have even bothered to wear a costume, remember to say Thank You. Perhaps that Lake Woebegone culture is more pervasive than I thought…
Comment by Judy — October 21, 2012 @ 7:57 pm
I’m an Australian and am not a fan! It started appearing here about 8 years ago and our personal experience has been horrible.
Two years ago we had nothing to give the trick or treaters but fruit which they refused (they were teenagers). The next morning we found that nearly new car that had been parked on our driveway had been vandalised. No I’m not a fan.
We are now faced with not being home on the night or to avoid anymore vandalism having sweets to give to these teenage terrorists.
Comment by Cez Keane — October 21, 2012 @ 10:04 pm
Halloween is awesome! My kids’ favorite holiday is Christmas—because they get toys—but Halloween ranks #2, because they get candy. To them, candy is more valuable than money. They also love to dress up as something scary or beautiful or powerful, and they take their costume choices very seriously—I think there is some deep psychology going on there, either about self expression, self realization or self actualization. May this holiday for the children, by the children and of the children never perish from this earth!
Comment by Larry — October 21, 2012 @ 11:00 pm
I’ve decorated the outside (and inside!) of my house for Halloween for almost thirty years now. Last year the front yard was a pirate cemetery. The year before we celebrated with Jack Skeleton. My children are grown now so I have no other excuse. It’s just fun! The neighborhood kids always come around and never fail to say “Awesome”! Or “I love coming here every year”. And they NEVER fail to say thank you for their candy bar or whatever we’re giving out that year. At least Hollywood got one thing right in “Meet Me in St Louis”, Halloween really is fun, the kids are polite, and just maybe that’s the way it is everywhere if that’s what you’re looking to see. Happy Halloween to you all and thanks for a fun article, Smithsonian.
Comment by Ray — October 22, 2012 @ 12:59 am
We always got “thank yous” when we handed out candy to the neighborhood kids. And when little ones “forgot” invariably a parent would say, “What do you say?” and the child would thank us. And I’ve never seen small kids out without a parent (or occasionally, a teenaged sibling) watching out for them.
Comment by Margo Howland — October 22, 2012 @ 8:20 am
You know, Halloween is what YOU make of it. For us, it is a fun time to express your creativity or to pretend to be your favorite cartoon character, animal, or superhero. My daughter has chosen to be a fairy this year and is anxiously awaiting the day that she can put on her wings.
We do not go to strangers doors we go to our neighbors and our town has a Halloween festival in our town sqaure which is always fun. The volunteer fire dept is there, the police, the US Army or National Guard always shows; it is just a fun time.
Again, Halloween like any other holiday is what YOU make of it… It can be an evil day or one that kids get to dress up and get free candy (granted it isn’t really free when the parents have bought it and is also giving away candy). Let the kids enjoy the spirit of Halloween and not everything has to be serious because it is okay to laugh and have fun!
Comment by Michelle — October 22, 2012 @ 9:52 am
“The Celts believed that, as we moved from one year to the next, the dead and the living would overlap, and demons would roam the earth again.” Am I the only one who hasn’t a clue what this sentence is trying to say?
Comment by James — October 22, 2012 @ 11:58 am
My parents were born in 1911 in Pennsylvania and they remembered trick and treating as children. But the trick was that they were expected to perform a poem or song before they got a treat. Pop could recite cowboy poems many, many years later.
The night before Halloween was mischief night, when gates were removed and out houses were tipped over. Window-soaping was big in my youth in the 1950′s.
Comment by Kathy Peter — October 22, 2012 @ 2:14 pm
I too found your political correct statement “Fast forward to when the Catholic Church was stealing everybody’s holidays and trying to convert them” offensive. There is no need for this and in fact it isn’t an accurate presentation of the practice. Just report the facts. Don’t throw in your own secular views on something.
Comment by Jim — October 22, 2012 @ 2:33 pm
I think some comments are overly sensitive in response to the “stealing” notion…would “borrowing” be better? I believe that it has been fairly well documented that during the formative era in Christianity, the existing celebrations in pagan practice were incorporated with new names and rationales. Even in my religion classes in college (at a church sponsored school which required religion classes), we were taught that the holy days were set to be at times when people were already expecting to have a celebration or observance. I don’t think that’s a bad or political stance…it just is what happened.
Comment by Christy — October 22, 2012 @ 3:00 pm
Thanks for the fascinating attempts to cobble together the oral and written history of Halloween. In response to the worry over whether it is a “good” holiday, it has evolved into a celebration of childhood, similar to “Children’s Day” in Japan. It is sad to hear that some young adults took the “trick” idea seriously as I have never had an act of vandalism or a “trick” occur in Northern Virginia where I grew up and now reside. It was always my favorite growing up because of the terrifically fun combination of “dress up” and, of course, free candy
Comment by matt irwin — October 22, 2012 @ 4:53 pm
OK, OK, stealing is a mortal sin. So the Catholic church copied or borrowed or aped or built upon older traditions. So what? Paranoia is a sin too. Check your catechism.
T or T is a fun memory from childhood, and I’m glad some kids nowadays get to play that too. I gave apples to T or T’ers for one season and I remember one neighbor girl in particular was absolutely thrilled to get that instead of candy.
Sorry the Aussies don’t have a better experience with this.
Comment by Les Borean — October 22, 2012 @ 9:42 pm
“Fast forward to when the Catholic Church was stealing everybody’s holidays and trying to convert them.” LOVE IT…nothing but the truth…nothing ‘holy’ about any of those pagan celebrations!
Comment by Ana Pink — October 22, 2012 @ 11:08 pm
we use to call it ”guess or give” much more gentile.
Comment by Robert Cimbalo — October 24, 2012 @ 10:29 pm
I am distressed about the caliber of this story and the reference to the Catholic Church “stealing everyone else’s holidays.”
It is coinciding with a new, unattractive and not at all inviting layout of the print magazine.
After many years, I am considering for the very first time allowing my subscription and gift subscription to lapse.
Whatever is going on is not going in the right direction.
Comment by Ruth — October 25, 2012 @ 12:15 pm
Just think of it as candy makers “high means of making money”.
I am delighted that I have not had any child come to my house in a few years. Perhaps the parents have “grown up”. I do purchase one bag of goodies, and will enjoy them over the next two months. I don’t have candy every day.
Comment by Birdie — October 26, 2012 @ 12:35 pm
I think that it is funny that a lot of Catholics are complaining about the “stealing” of Halloween and other holidays. Would you prefer appropriating without permission? It is a fact and not opinion that this was done, Christ was not born on Christmas day, in fact he wasn’t born in December. This holiday and others were pagan holidays that the Catholic Church appropriated without permission. You can stick you fingers in your ears or ask you local religious authority (priest or pastor), and they will tell you that this is true. By the way, I am a Roman Catholic.
Comment by Kevin — October 26, 2012 @ 3:11 pm
Its not a traditional holiday here in Australia & to be honest I pity the stupid parents now conned by American television shows & desperate stores into shelling out yet more money. Its all about buying cheap plastic crap & helping their children further along the road to obesity & diabetes. It isn’t even Autumn here, so to celebrate it in Spring is ridiculous.
Comment by LG — October 28, 2012 @ 5:44 am
Today I Found Out, which seems to be the sole source of the article, uses the modern popular misconception of an association between the Samhain and both All Saints’ Day and All Soul’s Day (Nov.1 & 2).
“The Celtic festival Samuin, meaning “summer’s end”, (also called “Samhain”) which the bulk of Halloween traditions ultimately stem from
The Catholic “All Soul’s Day” and “All Saints’ Day”, which was instigated around 800 by the Church to try to replace Samuin”
But in actual fact All Saints in the West dates to 13 May 609 or 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs, and All-Saints and All Hallows in the Eastern-rite churches is even older.
Samain was the name of the feast/rites marking the beginning of winter in Gaelic Ireland. It is first attested in some of the earliest Old Irish literature but that`s still from the 10th century onward. Long after the 800 AD date given, and the practices of the peasants in distant lands would hardly have merited a response as large as creating a new feast day from Rome at the time.
Comment by Edwin Duthie — November 13, 2012 @ 4:28 pm
I grew up in Canada and have resided in Australia for the past 24 years. Halloween to me as a youth was always an exciting, fun day to dress up and “trick or treat” for a bag full of candy. I am happy to see trick or treating catching on here in Australia. Parents/teenage siblings with “goblin” children arriving at your door is harmless fun. Unfortunately, too many Aussies turn their backs on Halloween because they would rather vent their anti-American sentiments yet again (see LG October 28 above). I see these sentiments time and time again. These same Aussies are happy to eat at fast food chains like McDonalds all year long. And, celebrating Halloween in Spring is no more ridiculous than celebrating Christmas in Summer!
Comment by Garth — December 14, 2012 @ 8:19 am