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History of Halloween
October is nearing its end, and we all know what that means; Halloween is right around the corner. It’s that time of year when people dress up and go out into their neighborhoods to take candy from strangers. Little kids have a sugar rush while teenagers who’d rather stay home watch horror movies. For some, Halloween is a holiday they are hyped for, but for others... The spooky season isn’t necessarily their cup of tea. However, whether you’re a Halloween lover or hater, it’s hard not to notice the odd traditions that come with this holiday.
So, how exactly did trick or treating start? Believe it or not, this fun Halloween activity started out as being an important religious ritual where people would dress up as ghosts and dance around bonfires to please evil spirits. After Christianity spread to Britain, a new practice called "souling" began, where the poor would visit the houses of the rich and receive tasty pastries called soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for the dead relatives of the owner of the house they visited. However as time went by, souling became something mostly kids would do, and instead of soul cakes they would get food, ale, or money. In Ireland, kids would actually perform tricks to be rewarded with sweets! As for the term “trick or treat,” it only started being used in the early 1930s in newspapers, and it was used to describe how adults had no choice but to give out candy to kids, lest to avoid being “tricked.”
Halloween has a fascinating history that can leave anyone shocked. I mean, who would’ve thought that dressing up as monsters or ghosts could be so important? But however odd it may be, it’s hard not to find excitement in the silly traditions that come with Halloween entertaining. While we don’t have to do tricks to earn candy or get into costumes to ward off evil spirits, going along with a centuries old tradition is just too good of an opportunity to resist, especially since there’s much fun to be gained out of it.
Happy Halloween!
Sources:
https://www.history.com/news/halloween-trick-or-treating-origins
https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4609024/trick-or-treat-halloween-origins-2018/
Image Credit:
https://www.history.com/.image/ar_4:3%2Cc_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1200/MTY3NDg4OTU3NjQxMTQwMDEz/halloween-gettyimages-172988453.jpg