Halloween is now celebrated globally, but its origins and customs come from a wide range of cultural influences.

Trick or Treat

There are conflicting theories on the origin of this popular tradition. The truth is likely to be a combination of all of these. Firstly, during Samhain, food would be left out as offerings to wandering souls who walked the earth at night. In time, merrymakers began to dress as these spirits in exchange for small food offerings. The German-American tradition of belsnickeling also saw people dressing in ghoulish costumes and going door-to-door. In this tradition, those who answered would have to guess who was disguised and then give a small offering if they were wrong.

This is reminiscent of the Scottish practice of ‘guising’ (or ‘souling’). Mostly children (although poorer adults were recorded to have taken part also) would go door-to-door, in costume, offering prayers for the dead on All Souls’ Day. Over time, the prayers evolved into jokes, tricks, songs and other entertainment in return for money or food. The practice of trick-or-treating remains popular today, particularly in the United States.