To wonder why trick or treat has taken over

[TheoriginalLEM]

from penny for the guy?

OK so halloween is a relatively new thing, but now its all about the sweets and less about the pennies.

(sad face)

I think it depends. Where I grew up in the NW Midlands no one did Halloween then and I remember kids coming round with guys in the late 70s and early 80s.

Halloween has been around in some areas of the UK for centuries but wasn't the main festival at this time of year in all areas. I would guess trick and treat has taken over because kids love dressing up and getting sweets and the heavy influence of Americam films showing it as a normal thing to do.

When I was a little girl in the early 90's trick or treating was very commonplace. Penny for the guy was exclusively done by "rough looking" teenage boys sat outside local shops who looked as likely to mug you as anything else. I can see why the latter has died out.

I went Penny for the lantern when I was a kid in the 80s then Penny for the Guy on Bonfire night. This is in the NE of England.

I would carry my carved turnip around in my witch costume.

Would you rather celebrate the killing of a real person encouraged to keep an entire religion subdued, or a load of made up "scary" myths?

You can't really do both with real gusto, and halloween is just a lot nicer celebration, even without the anti-catholic sentiments fireworks and a bonfire don't beat dressing up and roaming the streets. So as people have moved around and spread the ideas, and the anti-catholic fervour disappeared along with religion, Halloween's colonised and re-colonised all areas, helped of course by the cultures who simply don't celebrate bonfire night at all.