I believe I had just turned either 12 or 13. My sister and I have tried to pinpoint the year, but armed with Halloween pictures and vague memories, we could only whittle it down to between two years. It was the Halloween that I dressed up as a pilgrim. I don't remember what possessed me to pick this costume choice. As a kid I loved history, but I don't remember having a particular fascination with our Mayflower forefathers. My sister dressed up as a pioneer woman, so evidently we were very into historical reenactment that year. In hindsight, had I known that I would be expelled from the youthful world of Halloween trick-or-treating that year, I would have chosen a way more badass costume.
The annual ritual of "trick or treating" in the United States is essentially a smorgasbord of several different practices rooted in European history. The Halloween tradition that we know and love today definitely got its start 2,000 years ago thanks to the ancient Gaelic/Celtic festival of
Samhain (celebrated October 31st to November 1st). Meaning
"summer's end," Samhain celebrated the end of summer and the beginning of fall and winter. During Samhain, it was believed that malevolent
"fairies and spirits were said to be active" and so the Gaelic people wore costumes in the hopes to disguise themselves and ward off these harmful spirits. Through the centuries, Samhain came to include practices of going door-to-door to collect food for
"Samhain feasts, fuel for Samhain bonfires and/or Samhain offerings for the spirits and fairies." Samhain is absolutely the great-grand parent of our modern Halloween practices.
Trick or treating also harkens back to the late medieval practice in Ireland and Britain of
"souling." Once a year, poor townspeople would go to door to door on November 1st, also known as Hallowmas. They would beg and sing for "soul cakes" in return for prayers for the souls of the cake-giver's departed friends and family on All Souls Day on November 2nd. Souling has been recorded as far back as the 14th century. In 1593, Shakespeare was obviously familiar with the practice--in
Two Gentlemen of Verona he "observed tartly that one of the 'special marks' of a man in love is '
to speak puling [whining], like a beggar at Hallowmas.'" The custom continued up until the 20th century in some parts of Britain, but evolved into a
child's only pursuit over time. While souling itself was never practiced in the United States, it is clear that trick-or-treating was born out of this medieval ritual. In some parts of the United States in the mid 30s to mid 50s, trick-or-treating was actually referred to as begging and the children
as "
beggars." Some adults didn't appreciate the ritual one bit and felt instead the tradition was more of a
"form of extortion" than innocent fun.
Another ancestor of trick or treating no doubt is the Scottish practice of "guising." Children would disguise themselves in costumes, carry lanterns made out of scooped out turnips (where we get our Jack-O-Lantern tradition!), and go door to door collecting cakes, fruit, and coins in exchange for a performance of a joke, song, or some other skill. Although I couldn't find out exactly when this tradition began, I found sources citing it happening in Scotland at least back to
1895 and it is a practice that continues today.
"Souling" and "guising" absolutely explain the practice of going door to door and giving sweet goods or treats, but where does the "trick" aspect of all of this come from? Britain's
Guy Fawkes Night, which dates back to the 18th century, is one idea. Bonfires, rioting, revelry, and the holiday's celebration of pitting
"disorder against order," all elicit the more naughty traditions of trick or treating. The mischief may also have come from traditions developed right here in the United States. Old urban Thanksgiving "ragamuffin" traditions that began in places like pre-1900 New York and Boston involved children dressing up in costumes, begging for money and treats, and pulling pranks when there were less than pleased. Shopkeepers would even
"buy off these pranksters, trading some sweet snack or bread loaf for security from soaped windows or pilfered shop signs." So, when did the term "trick or treat" actually come into being? The earliest known use in print of the term "trick or treat" appears in 1927, from Blackie, Alberta:
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. [source]
The
first account of the modern trick-or-treating practice in the United States comes from Wellesley,
Massachusetts in the 1920s. The
giant influx of immigrants
from Scotland, Irish, and Great Britain (think Potato Famine--this widespread starvation brought
nearly one Irish million immigrants to the US in 1845 alone), brought the European practices of guising and souling
straight to the people of the United States--and as generations passed, these traditions were melded together to form a new one. The practice did not become commonplace until the 1930s, with the
first actual appearance of the term "trick or treat" in the United States in 1934 and then in a l
arger, national publication in 1939. The practice spread slowly--
sugar rationing during WWII helped to slow its movement--but by the 1950s and 1960s, trick or treating every Halloween was here to stay in the United States. "Trick or treating became the "
focus of Halloween" and was seen as a "wholesome activity for the whole family." And with the prominence of suburbia and subdivision living, it was a practice that became popular and fitting to the American lifestyle. Trick or treating continues to change with the times. Rises in apartment living and fears of childrens' safety in the 1990s lead to inside trick or treating practices, like "trunk or treat" style events. And trick or treating will continue to morph and grow, but there is no doubt it will always echo its European predecessors and embrace a good-natured mischievous spirit and encourage people young and old to suspend disbelief for just one night and let their imaginations run wild.
- - -
My family had moved a few years before to our new house and it was only our second or third experience going door to door begging for candy in this neighborhood. My sister and I got all ready--it did not take long that year seeing as there was no heavy ghoulish makeup involved--and with bags in hand we set off for our favorite night of the year. We hit a good amount of the neighborhood and then we stopped at one unassuming house. I walked to the door behind a gaggle of other kids, asked "Trick or treat?" in a polite manner of the lady doling out the good stuff, and she replied, "Aren't you a little tall to be doing this?" I smiled shyly, took my candy, and we finished our route. I don't remember having a big cry fest with my Mom, or even having a conversation deciding it was time to stop, it just kind of ended without any drama or disagreement. I think adolescent, middle school Megan was too worried what other people would think of her and didn't argue when some old bat inferred that it was time to stop. Granted, I was probably past my prime trick or treating years. I did a little searching and asked the Internet, "When should kids stop trick or treating?" and the answers varied from, "Once you hit high school" to "Why ever stop?"
This blog post cites a $100 fine in Belleville, Illinois to anyone over the age of 12 caught trick or treating. That's pretty damn harsh.
What kills me is that as a grown-up giver of treats now, I would never say this to a kid. What other way is there to best break a kid's youthful spirit? Tell them that, "Hey, the ship has sailed, kid. You're old. Move on." Heck, I pass candy out to adults as long as they bring the Halloween spirit and have put some effort into the night by appropriately dressing up for the occasion. There are those trick-or-treaters, however, that absolutely should respect the tradition and stop taking advantage of people's kindness. You know the type. The teenage and adult punks who show up in black hoodies and jeans with an open backpack worn backwards across their bellies that don't even bother with the trick or treating basics. They just lift their backpacks in your direction without saying anything, expecting you to shower them with candy just for showing up. Yeah, bud, you're going to have to work for it a little harder than that. I hope Halloween fans everywhere can commiserate both with my story and my venting, because there will always be some people out there who try to ruin the experience of trick or treating for others or abuse the tradition. Fortunately, there are far more kind people who embrace the community and positive spirit of the holiday.
As an adult, and after writing this post, I guess I've come to the completely cheesy realization that Halloween has always been about change. The changing of seasons, the maturation of crops, and, more morbidly, death, are all themes forever linked with the holiday. We all, no matter how regrettably, most grow up from little trick or treating goblins into the torch-bearers of the holiday, "the givers of the candy." When October 31st rolls around now, I almost love the holiday even more. Now it's my job to help build fond memories of Halloween for little boys and girls (and future Halloween-lovers that will pass down the spirit of the tradition). I used to delight in dressing up and setting a battleplan of which streets to hit first, now weeks beforehand I plan how to decorate my house and which candy to pass out. The meaning of Halloween and the tradition of trick or treating evolves as a person ages, and dare I say it, I think the giving is way more fun.
