Trick or Treat

Halloween is celebrated each year on Oct. 31. The tradition originated with the Celtic festival Samhain which signaled the end of summer and harvest, and ushered in the dark part of the year. It was believed that the veil between the world and the spirit world broke down on this day and ghosts returned to the earthly realm. If people left home they wore masks so ghosts would mistake them for a fellow spirit. To keep ghosts from entering their homes, bowls of food were placed outside the door to appease them. 

In the eighth century Pope Gregory III declared Nov. 1 as All Saints Day, and Nov. 2 as All Souls Day; holidays to honor the saints and departed loved ones and also as an effort to change the holiday from Pagan to Christian. Some traditions of Samhain were incorporated into the holidays. The evening before was called All Hallows Eve, then later, Halloween. Hallow means holy. 

Over time Halloween evolved into a time of trick-or-treating, festive gatherings, carving jack-o’-lanterns, and wearing costumes. 

In Europe, people carved gruesome faces into beets and turnips. Children carried them through the streets knocking on neighbor’s  doors and asking for money. This may be the origin of trick-or-treating. The carvings were placed outside the house to scare away spirits. This custom evolved into carving jack-o’-lanterns from pumpkins. 

Trick-or-treating may also date back to the All Souls Day parades in England. During the festivities poor citizens would beg for food and families gave them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. 

Bobbing for apples was at one time a Halloween courting ritual. Each apple was assigned to a potential mate and the lady tried to bite into the one she wanted.

Have a spooky good Halloween!