As store aisles fill with skeletons, ghouls, and endless bags of candy, children begin the great debate over whether to be witches or firefighters for Halloween. Meanwhile, adults across the country start adding gargantuan bags of candy to their normal grocery lists in preparation for trick-or-treaters. 

This raises the question: Has trick-or-treating always been a part of Halloween? And what were the origins of this spooktacular holiday? 

Grab your favorite fun-sized candy bar as we dive into the history of Halloween. 

Let’s Take It Back to Samhain 

Halloween’s roots trace back thousands of years to the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”). Celebrated on November 1st, Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the start of winter: a harsh, biting season often associated with death. The Celts believed that on October 31st, the last night of their calendar year, the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest. 

To celebrate, they lit fires and left offerings for the spirits. Some Celts dressed up as animals to avoid being kidnapped by spirits or faeries and taken to the other plane. Druids, respected community leaders, would use this night to tell the fortunes of the community for the upcoming winter months. 

The Start of All Saints’ Day 

In the early 600s, the Catholic church designated November 1st as All Saints’ Day to commemorate the saints of the church. November 2nd became All Souls’ Day, a day to pray for deceased loved ones. All Saints’ Day was also known as All Hallows, and the day before it (October 31st) was aptly named All Hallows Eve. 

As Christianity spread into Celtic regions, the holiday began to blend with the traditional customs of Samhain. Eventually, parts of all three holidays would blend into what we now know as Halloween, but it would still be over a thousand years before trick-or-treating and other modern-day Halloween traditions emerged. 

Soul Cakes 

Around the 8th century, the earliest analog to trick-or-treating may have begun in Ireland and England during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day celebrations. On those days, underprivileged individuals would visit wealthy families, offering prayers for the souls of the family’s dead relatives in exchange for pastries called “soul cakes.” Eventually, children took up this activity, going door to door and asking for gifts like food and money. 

Halloween in America 

Early settlers brought their spin on Halloween traditions to Colonial America, but not everyone reveled in the celebrations. Because of the strict religious beliefs held throughout many of the colonies, only Maryland and some of the southern colonies took part in Halloween-related festivities. 

As Native Americans and diverse European immigrants shared their customs and beliefs with settlers, America slowly formed its own version of the holiday, complete with activities such as: 

  • Sharing stories of the dead. 
  • Holding public events to celebrate the harvest. 
  • Telling fortunes. 
  • Dancing and singing. 

Modernizing Halloween 

By the 1800s, Halloween had become known as a night for pranking and tricking unlucky bystanders, effectively putting the spook in spooky season. Teenagers would jump out from dark corners to scare their younger siblings. Children tripped innocent bystanders with hidden ropes as they walked by in the dark. In 1887, a few tricksters even put molasses on the seats of a chapel before church began.  

Eventually, the media began to rebrand the holiday as something more positive for the youth of America. Unfortunately, President Truman’s idea of replacing Halloween with “Youth Honor Day” didn’t take off as he’d hoped. Thankfully, another idea had been circulating since the 1930s and was slowly gaining adoption. Since children were already banging on doors and demanding sweets from strangers, why not teach them to do so politely (and recommend adults have candy at the ready)? Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, magazine articles and television and radio programs began promoting this new Halloween activity, known as “trick-or-treating.”  

Today, typical Halloween celebrations consist of mostly civilized transactions between adult neighbors and costumed children knocking on doors and sweetly holding out their cauldrons, buckets, and pillowcases for the goods. 

Expand Your Historical Horizons at UTPB 

If the history of Halloween intrigued you, why stop there? With an online Master of Arts in History, you can turn your passion for the past into a lucrative career as an educator, historian, legislator, and more. 

The University of Texas Permian Basin’s 30-credit online MA in history is designed for busy people like you. Its 100% online format lets you complete coursework from anywhere, whether you’re on your lunch break or aboard a flight to your next historic travel destination. 

Of course, if you want to participate in live courses, we have you covered. As an online MA in history student, you can enroll in graduate-level synchronous live-remote courses. If you’re interested, contact Department Chair Dr. Ana Martinez-Catsam for more information. 

Are you ready to make history by earning an advanced degree in a subject you’re passionate about? Apply today. 

Sources: 
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain
https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-halloween-was-all-tricks-no-treats-180966996/