History of Trick or Treating
October, 2023
As Halloween creeps upon us, we always think about our costumes and what way we want to celebrate, but have any of us ever wondered where the tradition of trick-or-treating comes from?
It can be traced back all the way to the Celts and Pagans. People would leave out offerings for traveling spirits, to fuel their journey. This tradition sounds similar to Dia De Los Muertos because it is! All Saint’s Day (November 1st) is celebrated similarly to the Hispanic tradition with all the supplies passing souls need to get to their final destinations. Halloween was celebrated the evening before All Saint’s Day and was called All Hallows Eve. Eventually, people began dressing up as spirits or ghosts to collect this food. It developed into the tradition we all know and love today with many varieties of costumes and snacks.
The saying “trick or treat” was dated to around the 1920s in Canada. The phrase was a short way of saying, “Would you like to give me a treat or do you want me to trick you?” which at first, was not very appealing to adults handing out candy at the time. But eventually, it was normalized and became a tradition within the holiday.
Hope you had a great Halloween! And don’t be afraid to dress up and carry on this beloved tradition!
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