Why Do We Say “Trick or Treat”?

If there are ghosts, goblins, witches, astronauts, cartoon characters, and a wild variety of oddly dressed creatures visiting your door asking for candy, chances are it’s Halloween. Halloween is a widely loved holiday. It’s a day to dress up, visit haunted houses, and beautify your home with spooky Halloween decorations. This article explains Why Do We Say “Trick or Treat”?.
Before you shell out the sweets, most of these visitors probably shout “trick or treat!” But why do they do that?
In the United States and Canada, trick-or-treating has been a popular Halloween activity since the late 1950s. Children of all ages dress up in costumes and travel from house to house to receive treats in response to their call of “trick or treat!”. Find your favorite and latest Halloween stuff only on Geenali.

What’s the history of trick or treating?

Trick or treating may seem like a modern event, but you can trace its roots back to Celtic Britain and Ireland in the 9th century.
The night of October 31 was known as Samhain, a Pagan festival which was later combined with Christian celebrations. And renamed All Saints’ Day by the Catholic church.

At Samhain, our Pagan ancestors believed the souls of our dead came into our world – and were appeased by offerings of food and drink.
It’s believed that trick or treating evolved from a ritual where people dressed as ghosts and demons, performed dances around a bonfire, and received threats to appease the evil spirits.

This practice, known as mumming, dates back to the Middle Ages.
By the time Christianity had spread into Britain, a new practice called souling had developed.
Poor people would visit the houses of the rich and receive pastries called soul cakes, in exchange for promises to pray for the homeowners’ dead relatives.
In Scotland and Ireland, meanwhile, young people would visit their neighbors’ houses and sing a song. Recite a poem or perform another sort of ‘trick’ before receiving a treat of nuts, fruit, or coins.

What’s the meaning behind the phrase?

Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase “Trick or treat”. The “treat” is usually some form of candy, although in some cultures money is given instead. The “trick” refers to a threat, usually idle, to perform mischief on the homeowner(s) or their property if no treat is given.

How does trick or treating work today?

Modern trick or treating see kids dress up in a Halloween costume – before taking to the streets with their parents.
Traditionally, people will go from door-to-door with Halloween buckets, asking for sweets from their neighbors between 5.30 and 9.30 pm.

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