Trick-or-Treating hasn’t always been a part of
Halloween celebrations. In fact, Halloween has only been celebrated in the
US for a relatively short time. Celebrating All Hallow’s Eve was a
practice that came over to the US with the first large wave of immigrants
who came from Ireland, England and Scotland. In some parts of these
countries it was common for kids to go out “guising” on All Hallow’s Eve
to beg for food, money or other items. People who refused to give anything
would sometimes find chalk drawings on their doors the next morning or
find they were the victims of other pranks. When immigrants came to the US
they brought their traditions with them and on all All Hallow’s Eve each
year in some immigrant communities it would be common to see small
children, usually boys, with makeup or soot on their faces or wearing
crude masks made from bags going around begging at different houses.
At the beginning of the 20th century “guising” was still not very
popular and most people didn’t really know what Halloween was. But by the
early 1920s the young trendsetters were beginning to throw lavish
Halloween parties and there was renewed interest in “guising”. Stores
started selling pre-made costumes that people could wear to disguise
themselves and indulge in a little good natured Halloween fun. During WWII
Halloween celebrations were toned down due to sugar rationing and the
generally somber mood of the nation. By the time the war was over and
people started the mad exodus to build homes in the suburbs the
celebration of Halloween had gotten popular. The 50s and 60s were the
decades when Trick-or-Treating became the important Halloween ritual they
are today. Trick-or-Treating became the focus of Halloween celebrations
because going Trick-or-Treating was seen as a wholesome activity for the
whole family. Trick-or-Treating also became popular in the 50s and 60s
because that was when living in subdivisions and newly built suburban
neighborhoods became popular.
Trick-or-Treating remained popular
through the 70s and 80s but by the 90s the practice of Trick-or-Treating
began to change. Many different factors like the rise of people living in
apartment buildings instead of free standing houses in suburban
neighborhoods and the rise in non-traditional households contributed to
the major changes that shaped Trick-or-Treating at the end of the 90s. In
order to accommodate parents with busy schedules and in an effort to make
Trick-or-Treating safer for kids it was moved largely indoors. Malls began
to open for specific Trick-or-Treating events where kids in costume could
go to different stores to receive candy and coupons. These structured
Halloween events also usually feature games, activities, and clowns and
other performers to make the event even more special. Many neighborhoods
have also designated special Trick-or-Treat hours to prevent a lot of
Halloween mischief and help protect the safety of Trick-or-Treaters.
