On Halloween night, people dress up in scary costumes and go trick-or-treating.
This custom is observed all over the world, but where does it come from?
Modern Halloween traditions originated in 1950s America, but the true origins of the festival and the practice of trick-or-treating are European.
The name Halloween is short for “All Hallows’ Eve”—the evening before All Hallows’ Day, or All Saints’ Day on November 1.
This day celebrates all the saints in the Christian calendar.
In medieval times, children would go “souling,” which meant children would go from door to door praying for dead souls.
As a reward, they would receive soul cakes, which are small cakes filled with sweet spices and dried fruits.
Many see this as the origin of trick-or-treating, but it doesn’t explain the costumes.
The idea of wearing costumes probably came from an ancient Celtic festival, Samhain.
This event was thought to be a time when ghosts and spirits came back to earth.
To protect themselves, children went “guising.”
This means they went in disguise by wearing scary costumes so evil spirits wouldn’t recognize them.
During Samhain, kids would go from house to house asking for food for feasts, fuel for bonfires, or offerings for the spirits.
In return, the houses would be blessed and protected from evil ghosts.
Thanks to the spread of American culture, trick-or-treating is now found in many parts of the world.
Though viewed with suspicion when the practice first appeared in other countries in the 1980s, it has now become a huge part of Halloween.
Make sure you have some treats set aside this year, or the evil spirits just might play a trick on you.