Does anyone know the origin of 'trick or treating'?

Question

What is behind dressing up and going around getting candy from your neighbors? It's not that I don't think it is a fun thing to do, I am just wondering where it came from. Is there some superstition behind it?

Answer 1

Trick-or-treat (TOT) is an American custom that started in large part with visiting close neighbors for treats and having the neighbors try to guess one's identity. It gradually grew to be more of a civic activity. TOT in the United States is not directly related to any previous activity; however, Halloween, New Years, and Christmas had similar customs in the British Isles and some areas of continental Europe. These included mumming, guising, wassailing, belsnickling, and Hogmanay. One of the closest parallels would be 'souling'.

Souling is where children would go from house to house and offer to say prayers for the souls in purgatory in exchange for 'soul cakes'. In some areas it was believed that the more soul cakes one ate, the more souls released from purgatory.

But trick-or-treat is purely American. The earliest written mentions of it appear in the 1930's. There are plenty of references to Halloween-related vandalism in the early 20th century, and some towns organized civic activities in response to this, so reducing vandalism may have been a factor in encouraging TOT. An October 30, 1938 article from the Los Angeles Times entitled "Halloween Pranks Plotted by Youngsters of Southland" suggests so:

"'Trick or treat!' is the Halloween hijacking game hundreds of Southern California youngsters will play tomorrow night as they practice streamlined versions of traditional Allhallows Eve pranks."

I don't know of any superstitions surrounding trick-or-treat but that would be interesting to research.

Anoka, MN was the first town to organize a civic celebration to divert kids from playing pranks:

http://www.anokahalloween.com/history.ht...

Answer 2

It began with people dressing up scary on halloween to scare the ghosts that scared them. On Samhain (Halloween) the veil between our world and the afterlife is thinnest, therefore things that we miss perceive scare us and we scare back (in the beginning that is!). The idea of exchanging candy came from when people used to give fruits. They would leave them on their doorsteps for the ghouls to take and not haunt them on that night. trick or treating did not start here in America, this is something that was done in other countries as well. Over time it evolved to what it is now.

Answer 3

actually i think the origin from trick or treating was hundreds of years ago thousands maybe they thought that on halloween all the ghouls and goblins would go door to door collecting children in sacs from the homes.so then someone came up with the idea to dress there kids up as ghouls and goblins and send them around door to door collecting candy to make them blend in on halloween night.then over time it became a tradition to dress up and go collecting candy.

But that is just a myth there is like a hundred more about it but you could probably find more info on the web:)

Answer 4

Well people started to dress up scary to scare ghost and haunted stuf away and then for the trick-or-treating (TOT) That is to celebrate the holiday and also a myth about this days it that it is to celebrate the devil and then is wrong.

And it started with people just going around as fun to get candy.

But there is a story that says that WAY back then that ghost,goblins,ghouls (ect.) Will go to house and take kids. And that is another way that it stated that people just go door to door getting candy

Also when you TOT the house with lights on is the house that give and out.