The kid in the Robot costume yells, "Trick or Treat." The door opens. The adult steps out, feigns fear and, well, you know the rest.
But there's a little more to those three words.
The goal, legend says, is that if you give the kids candy - the treat - they go away and cause no harm. But tell the little rascal "no" and you'll get tricked.
It's the modern-day equivalent of two ancient celebrations. One honored the Irish god, Muck Olla; the other was part of the English All Souls Day celebration.
According to legend, the Irish staged a parade to beg for food. At the parade's head, the local village elder dressed in a white robe and wore a mask made from the head of an animal.
The English added to the myth, but in a different way. Instead of animal heads and parades, the English poor would go "'a-souling." That is, they wondered through the city knocking on doors and asking for "soulcakes" - a type of pastry about the size of a child's hand. Should a soulcake be given, the poor wretch begging at the door would promise to pray for the donor's soul - at least until the next stop.
PURITANS AND IMMIGRANTS
The All Souls Day celebration ended with the rise of the English Puritans.
Due to the Puritans' strict religious beliefs and extensive fear of witches, the Halloween celebration declined.
It wasn't until the 1820s that things changed again. As new Irish and Scottish immigrants came to the United States, they brought their customs and beliefs, which renewed the holiday and formed what we now know as the modern Halloween celebration.
MODERN TIMES
By 9 PM the streets are full.
Small ghouls and goblins, witches, and a horde of other creatures roam the city seeking candy.
The five-year-old vampire, his mouth full of caramel, pretends to fly across the lawn. He reaches the door, delivers the demand, and soon is on his way, unaware that a thousand years ago, on that very night, on that same spot, another small five-year-old wore a wolf's hide and danced in the light of a bonfire.
Article comments