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By: Anna Dunlap
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Trick or Treating is a big part of Halloween, but when did it start? The first trick-or-treaters were poor children in medieval Europe who would go door to door asking for food and money during the Celtic holiday called Samhain, which is celebrated on October 31. This tradition was called souling. By the 19th century, the Catholic Church took over Samhain and the Celtic New Year and renamed them All Hallow's Eve and All Souls' Day.
Throughout the years Halloween has been used as an excuse to do some strange things, but one of the most intriguing has been that some have even used this day to find their spouse! According to www.businessinsder.com “Single young women would perform tricks of their own on All Hallow's Eve, in hopes that they would discover the identities of their future husbands — and ideally be married by the following year.”
Candy didn't get introduced into the trick-or-treating rotation until the 1920s, but neighbors did hand out a sweet, round pastry called a soul cake. By the late 19th century, immigrants flooding into America from Europe brought their All Hallow's Eve traditions with them, and Halloween started to become what it is today. By the 20th century, Halloween turned into a time of vandalism and crime. Souling turned into pranking, which eventually turned into overturned cars, trashed houses, and even harassment and assault became common. Parents also started welcoming children to their homes and giving out candy. Companies started making special Halloween-themed candy for trick or treaters. Today, Halloween is a very popular holiday that is celebrated by many people of all ages.
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