Cheltenham township trick or treat1/18/2024 the church designated November 2 as All Souls’ Day, a time for honoring the dead. Early Christian and Medieval Roots of Trick-or-TreatingĪn early 20th-century postcard of children on Halloween.īy the ninth century, Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted older pagan rites. This custom, known as mumming, dates back to the Middle Ages and is thought to be an antecedent of trick-or-treating. In later centuries, people began dressing as ghosts, demons and other malevolent creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. In 1952, Disney produced a cartoon called “Trick or Treat” featuring Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie.ĭuring some Celtic celebrations of Samhain, villagers disguised themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away phantom visitors banquet tables were prepared and food was left out to placate unwelcome spirits. On the sacred night, people gathered to light bonfires, offer sacrifices and pay homage to the dead.ĭid you know? Although it is unknown precisely where and when the phrase “trick or treat” was coined, the custom had been firmly established in American popular culture by 1951, when trick-or-treating was depicted in the Peanuts comic strip. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, believed that the dead returned to earth on Samhain. Halloween has its roots in the ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated on the night of October 31.
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