Trick-or-treating is the main Halloween activity for children in the United States and Canada. Children dress in costumes and go door-to-door collecting candy and other treats.
Credit: © Ariel Skelley, Corbis Stock Market

Trick-or-treat! On October 31, children in the United States or Canada dress in costumes and go trick-or-treating to celebrate Halloween. If you live in an area where trick-or-treating is a practiced Halloween custom, you might have said these words thousands of times! Do you know what they mean? How did trick-or-treating become so popular?

Historically speaking, it should be treat-or-trick! The custom started as a way to honor and please spirits believed to be about on Halloween. It was once common for people to leave food out on a table as a treat for these spirits. In England, people went house-to-house souling—that is, asking for small breads called soul cakes in exchange for prayers. In some areas of the United Kingdom and Ireland, people went mumming (parading in masks) on many holidays, including Halloween. Groups of masked adults would go door-to-door asking for food and drink in return for a performance or song. Dressing in costume and asking for food or money was done in England on Guy Fawkes Day (November 5). So the treat started long ago, but when did the trick come into play?

On Halloween, many people decorate their homes with jack-o’-lanterns, hollowed-out pumpkins with a face cut into one side. A candle or other light illuminates the face from within, as seen in this photograph.
Credit: © V. J. Matthew, Shutterstock

Today, trick-or-treating is the main Halloween activity for children in the United States and Canada. Young people wear costumes and go from door to door saying “trick or treat!” Costumes range from simple homemade disguises to elaborate store-bought likenesses of characters from cartoons, motion pictures, and television. Costumes of ghosts, witches, devils, and other mysterious creatures are also popular. The neighbors, to avoid having tricks played on them, give the children candy and other treats. Children carry bags or plastic buckets to collect the candy. Trick-or-treating usually occurs late in the day or after dark on Halloween. Homeowners turn on their porch lights as a sign that treats are available.

Since 1950, some children have gone trick-or-treating for UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund. They collect money for the agency in official orange-and-black cartons to aid children throughout the world.

Certain measures can help prevent accidents while trick-or-treating. A child can wear a light-colored costume or one with reflecting tape sewn on so they can be easily seen by drivers. The costume should be made of a material that does not burn easily. Because masks can block vision, many parents of small children use face makeup instead. Children should visit only homes in their own neighborhood. Younger trick-or-treaters should be accompanied by an adult. Have a safe Halloween!

Jack-o’-lanterns are hollowed-out pumpkins with a face cut into one side. Most jack-o’-lanterns contain a candle or some other light. Many people display jack-o’-lanterns on Halloween.
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Pumpkins with toothy smiles on porches are a tell-tale sign of autumn and a common decoration for Halloween. Pumpkins transform into jack-o’-lanterns when the seeds are scraped out, faces are carved into the fruit on one side, and a candle or other light is set inside the pumpkin. Why do we hollow out these fruits and set them outside to rot? Why do we call them jack-o’-lanterns? While jack-o’-lanterns have become a well-known tradition, the origin of the jack-o’-lantern is still disputed (argued). 

Irish folklore features a story about a man named Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack makes several deals with the devil, including that the devil cannot claim his soul when he dies. After years of tricking the devil, Stingy Jack dies. Heaven rejects him and the devil maintains his word and does not accept him in hell either. Stingy Jack is given one piece of coal which he puts in a carved-out turnip to light his way as he wanders the land forever.

Many people in Ireland believed they saw Stingy Jack when they saw ghost lights, or ignis fatuus, at night. Ignis fatuus, also known as foolish fire, jack-o’-lantern, and will-o’-the-wisp, is a phenomenon where decaying plants in marshes (swamps) produce methane and other compounds which burn and emit a blue glow. This process is called oxidation. People said ignis fatuus was Stingy Jack walking through the night. The term Jack of the lantern was shortened to jack-o’-lantern over time. The story of Stingy Jack explains ignis fatuus just like many myths and folktales explain natural phenomena. 

On Halloween, many people decorate their homes with jack-o’-lanterns, hollowed-out pumpkins with a face cut into one side. A candle or other light illuminates the face from within, as seen in this photograph.
© V. J. Matthew, Shutterstock

In Ireland and Scotland, people began carving faces into turnips and potatoes. They would set them in windows and outside houses to ward off Stingy Jack and other ghosts. In England, people often used beets. These root vegetables with ghoulish faces are usually set out on All Hallow’s Eve. All Hallow’s Eve was eventually shortened to Halloween. Halloween developed from a Celtic festival over 2,000 years ago in the area that is now the United Kingdom, Ireland, and northwestern France. The festival was called Samhain, which means summer’s end. It was celebrated around November 1. In the 800′s, the Christian church established All Saints’ Day on this date. All Saints’ Day was also called All Hallows’. Hallow means saint, or one who is holy.

When many Irish immigrants established themselves in the United States, they brought along the tradition of jack-o’-lanterns. Seeing there were not as many turnips in the United States as there were in Ireland, pumpkins quickly became a perfect alternative for the tradition. Jack-o’-lanterns were also popularized by Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1848), in which a headless horseman throws a pumpkin at a man who believes the pumpkin is the horseman’s head. Now jack-o’-lanterns are illuminated on Halloween, the last night of October, continuing a long tradition of warding off ghosts in festive, fall fashion. 

Credit: © FamVeld, Shutterstock

Trick or treat! It’s almost Halloween. But this year, Halloween may look a bit different than in years past. A different look doesn’t scare Halloween, though. Your costumes might change from year to year, so you look different each Halloween, too!

In many places, efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the pandemic (global outbreak) of COVID-19. Such methods often include social distancing, meant to limit contact between people and thus the spread of germs. But, limiting the spread of germs does not mean you can’t have any fun. Here are some tips—and tricks—for a safe and spooky Halloween.

If you plan on going door to door to collect candy, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before greeting others. Carrying hand sanitizer is easy, because you will already have a bag in which to carry your goodies! Plus, candy tastes better with clean hands. You don’t want any yucky germs with your delicious candy.

Another way to stay safe while going door to door is to incorporate a protective face mask into your costume. If you’re going as a unicorn, for example, wear a mask with rainbows. If you’re going as a cat, wear a mask with whiskers, a nose, and a mouth. You could also decorate a mask with the wrappers of your favorite candy, letting your neighbors know which treats you like best.

Not leaving the house this Halloween? You can still go trick-or-treating! Have members of your household stand behind the doors in your house—the front door, back door, bathroom doors, or bedroom doors, for instance. Knock on each door and yell, “Trick or treat!” Your family members can hand out candy. And the best part about trick-or-treating at your house? You get all the candy!

Many people carve jack-o’-lanterns for the spooky season. A traditional jack-o’-lantern is a hollowed-out pumpkin which has eyes, a nose, and a mouth carved into it. With adult supervision, you can carve a pumpkin, creating frightening or funny features. If you don’t want to carve a pumpkin, you can paint on a silly or scary face. One way to enjoy time with your friends may be a socially distanced pumpkin-carving party. Set up tables outdoors at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart and have each family bring their own supplies, or you can provide supplies for your guests. Make sure to disinfect such instruments as carving knives and paintbrushes.

However you choose to celebrate, we hope you have a safe and fun Halloween!