To say Hallowe'en is not an American import?

[MaimAndKilloki]

Because it's not!

It's based on Samhain, a Celtic festival, it was a night thought to be when the veil between the world of the living and dead was thinnest, and people dressed up in order to fool those from the other side of the veil so that they wouldn't know they were alive and take them back with them.

Trick or treating came partly from that tradition. And also from souling, where people would pray for the dead in exchange for treats.

The other idea behind trick or treating was that by treating those that came to your door you would be blessed and be safe from the spirits.

As Samhain was seen as the end of the year (no more crops growing after that), it was also a way of ensuring you got through the winter safely, and were promised a good year after.

It is not an American import, we sent it over there first.

We didn´t do "trick or treat", but "Mischievous night" on the 30th & dressing up, bobbing for apples on the 31st.

I think T or T used to be similar to guising in the USA as well. When we lived there 20 years ago a friend (who was then in her sixties) said how horrible T or T had become and how it was so much nicer when she was a child (in 1930s). Back then, she said, children used to make sweets or cakes and it was the children who would hand out these 'treats' to their neighbours, not the other way around. They would say "trick or treat?" and if the neighbour chose "trick" the children would perform a song or a dance - and if they chose "treat" they would be given a sweet or a cake.

I lived in North London and was born early 60s. We had no trick or treating, Halloween was known about but we celebrated Guy Fawkes night more with things like bobbing apples.

I'm catholic and I was brought up to believe Hallowe'en was 'all souls' night. A chance for the undead to wander the earth.

You already know I agree with you OP! [hwink]

Oiche Shona Shamhna to all!

AliciaJH That's pretty much it (obviously there was a Pagan festival pre the Christian festival, but it was essentially the same)

Good to see you here HeadlessPrinceBilly! [hgrin]

This drives me mad too.

Also people saying America commercialised it America did not! It is hundreds of miles away! If shops choose to stock more Halloween goodies, and people choose to buy it it is US that have happily said yes, I welcome more plastic tat in my lives!

It also has not got significantly worse in the past few years, it's just that your DC are now paying attention to it. Past few decades yes, not years.

YANBU - another 'guiser' in childhood. Don't forget the treacle scones dangling on string from the washing line [hgrin]

We've some older Scottish neighbours (deep in the Home Counties) and they love the fact that my lot will always sing them a song first rather than just hold open a bag for loot. [hsmile]

We also had mischief night as children. People give you sweets or money- if they didn't you played a trick on them.

I believe it is a northern thing- this was in the 1960s and 70s.

Very good point laweaselmys!

Simba-that sounds like trick or treat.

We didn´t ask for anything, just got up to "mischief"

I assume the Bishop was talking about the Christian All Saints Day, from which Hallowe'en got it's name, if not any of it's current (largely secular now!) customs. We celebrate All Saints Day in my church certainly.

I'm English and we always did trick or treating when I was a child.

I find it bizarre that other places seemingly never did.

It's just a bit of fun, imho. And my dad is a vicar!

Oooh Weblette scones covered in treacle on string - YUM! and fantastically messy. And we 'dooked' for apples. Can't remember who mentioned it, but I think it's funny too that there didn't seem to any nut allergies around when we were kids!

All Saints day is November 1st. It's a holiday in a lot of places.

Cool that your dad was OK with it, cumbria. Local church on an estate I used to live on used to run Saints and Sausages parites on Halloween.

I'd understand it if we'd had trouble with hoodies throwing eggs at old ladies or somesuch, but we hadn't. I got the distinct impression that is was a "proper" Christian alternative to the devil worship that is trick or treating. Needless to say I wasn't impressed [hgrin]

80s Mum,

I did reverse trick or treating last year with a neighbour who'd just moved in to introduce her to everyone. It went down very well!

All hallows eve (from where we get Halloween) is the day before all saints/all hallows/all souls day.

I was surprised to find this wasn't common knowledge when I mentioned it a couple of years ago to colleagues as it was something I'd known about since I was a child, prob the catholic upbringing.

When I worked in the US, the trick in trick or treat referred to the visiting child telling a joke or similar. It was not in any way a threat or an attempt to extort sweets as some people seem to interpret it

Another one who was a kid in the late 60s/early 70s and though we didn't do trick or treating, we mae a big deal of halloween, there were always parties at Browneies/school/friends' houses.

Goog grief. Just Googled saints and sausages and found this about alternatives to Halloween.

Not a terribly interesting article, but the suggestion that children might like to dress "as angels and Bible characters" for an "All Saints and Superheroes" party made me [hhmm].

There must be some excellent Bible characters to dress up as though. One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse perhaps? The devil gets a few mentions in the Bible too, iirc [hgrin]

Do they do tricks - as in mischievous things - in the US at all? I wonder if that's a great chunk of tradition that we've kept, rather than imported, iykwim.

I'm with A.N. Wilson on this one!

Ah, I just read that the telling a joke bit is a Missouri thing, never realised it wasn't more widespread

Link

"If you?re a newcomer to St. Louis, there?s one piece of advice you need to know about Halloween night. ?Trick or treat? to St. Louis natives does NOT mean ?give me a treat or I?ll egg your house!? It means: ?perform a trick and I?ll give you a treat!"