Origins of Halloween, Part Four: Trick-or-Treat

The most popular way of celebrating Halloween in the United States seems to be playing the part of the supernatural beings supposed to walk the earth on this night -- by dressing as spooks who go from house to house demanding sacrificial treats, and by playing pranks! 

There are numerous explanations as to how "trick-or-treating" originated.  The Druids (priests of the Celts) wore masks at their Samhain rituals to represent the spirits of the dead.   Masks and costumes today are sometimes interpreted as a means of avoiding recognition by the spirits rather than a means of imitating them.  In Scotland, some "guisers," as they were called, blackened their faces instead of wearing masks.  This recalls the customs of blackening one's face with the ashes of the All Hallow's fires for protection and good fortune.   

Why Masks?  Masks are part of sacred and magical rituals the world over.  Psychologically, masks and disguises can lessen inhibitions and give the wearer a sense of freedom and relaxation from usual social restrictions -- often a healthy and harmless break from our day-to-day lives. Perhaps wearing costumes serves the purpose of letting us defy temporarily the boundaries of our everyday lives and "be someone else," perhaps act out parts of ourselves that we normally keep hidden. And so normally mild-mannered moms dress as exotic gypsy girls and ethereal mermaids and sexy witches -- or scary ones -- and children for a night are princesses and superheroes. Why then do some of us dress as werewolves and vampires and big scary monsters?  One wonders what Freud would say..........but it's probably all in fun! 

Some say the original purpose of trick-or-treating was to gather food and money for the All Hallow's feast.  It has been linked with "mumming," a custom practiced on other seasonal holidays as well, especially Yule (later Christmas), another ancient new year's celebration. 

"Mumming" was a seasonal tradition in England and other parts of Europe, in which men donned fearful or comical magical masks and went from house to house demanding or begging for food.  Although often fun and humorous, it was surrounded by a mystical and magical air, and performed at seasonal holidays such as Yuletide. 

Yule, the Winter Solstice and longest night of the year, is the new year festival of the solar seasonal calendar, based on the solar equinoxes and solstices, while Samhain is the new year of the "lunar" calendar.  The two calendars were eventually combined, and it is easy to see how some Yule customs could have become associated also with Halloween. Burning the Yule Log represented burning the old year and kindling the new; Halloween bonfires (where a figure representing the Oldy Year was sometimes burned) served a similar purpose.  Hearth fires were rekindled from the community bonfire.

Belsnickling?  An interesting account from West Virginia reports that trick-or-treating originated from "Belsnickling," a Christmas custom brought to the area by Pennsylvania Germans in the 1700s.  On Christmas Eve groups went about in disguise from house to house.  They knocked on the door, and when asked, "Who is it?" the leader replied, "Old Belsnickle."  After being invited in, anyone correctly identified behind their disguise had to do a "trick" -- sing a song, perform a dance, etc.  If no one was identified, the whole bunch was treated with food and drink.  (Of course, they were all treated anyway, no matter what happened!)  This custom sounds very much like a survival of mumming.  According to this account, Belsnickling was later adapted to Halloween and soon spread all over the country; the meaning of the world "trick," however, came to be a prank rather than some clever act.  (source: Witches, Ghosts, and Signs: Folklore of the Southern Appalachians, by Patrick W. Gainer, Seneca Books, 1975)

To be continued..... more to come about Halloween and Halloween customs and traditions!

Still to come:
Bonfires
Superstitions & Divination Customs
Pumpkins & Jack-o_Lanterns
Black Cats
Witches
Bats & Owls!

The vintage Halloween images in this article are courtesy Lunagirl Images!