Trick or treat?

Was kind of interested myself so did a little digging. It's Irish in origin although the term 'Trick or Treat' doesn't appear until 1939.

Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, ii, 370, states that in parts of Count Waterford: 'Hallow E'en is called oidhche na h-aimléise, "The night of mischief or con". It was a custom which survives still in places -- for the "boys" to assemble in gangs, and, headed by a few horn-blowers who were always selected for their strength of lungs, to visit all the farmers' houses in the district and levy a sort of blackmail, good humouredly asked for, and as cheerfully given. They afterward met at some point of rendezvous, and in merry revelry celebrated the festival of Samhain in their own way. When the distant winding of the horns was heard, the bean a' tigh [woman of the house] got prepared for their reception, and also for the money or builín (white bread) to be handed to them through the half-opened door. There was always a race amongst them to get possession of the latch. Whoever heard the wild scurry of their rush through a farm-yard to the kitchen-door -- will not question the propriety of the word aimiléis [mischief] applied to their proceedings. The leader of the band chaunted a sort of recitative in Gaelic, intoning it with a strong nasal twang to conceal his identity, in which the good-wife was called upon to do honour to Samhain..." According to Tad Tuleja's essay, "Trick or Treat: Pre-Texts and Contexts," in Santino's previously mentioned anthology,Halloween's modern trick or treating (primarily children going door-to-door, begging for candy) began fairly recently in the US, as a blend of several ancient and modern influences. In 19th Century America, rural immigrants from Ireland and Scotland kept gender-specific Halloween customs from their homelands: girls stayed indoors and did divination games, while the boys roamed outdoors engaging in almost equally ritualized pranks, which their elders "blamed" on the spirits being abroad that night. Its entry into urban world can probably traced back in mid-19th Century New York, where children called "ragamuffins" would dress in costumes and beg for pennies from adults on Thanksgiving Day. Things got nastier with increased urbanization and poverty in the 1930's. Adults began casting about for ways to control the previously harmless but now increasingly expensive and dangerous vandalism of the "boys." Towns and cities began organizing "safe" Halloween events and householders began giving out bribes to the neighborhood kids as a way to distract them away from their previous anarchy. The ragamuffins disappeared or switched their date to Halloween.

The term "trick or treat," finally appears in print around 1939! Pranks became even nastier in the 1980's, with widespread poverty existing side-by-side with obscene greed. Unfortunately, even bored kids in a violence saturated culture slip all too easily from harmless "decoration" of their neighbors' houses with shaving cream and toilet paper to serious vandalism and assaults. Blaming either Neopagans or Halloween for this is rather like blaming patriots or the Fourth of July for the many firecracker injuries that happen every year (and which are also combatted by publicly sponsored events). Given this hazardous backdrop town councils, school boards and parents in the 1930's invented this custom as it is being celebrated today to keep their kids out of trouble.

And guess what - shortly after it appears here in the the UK ....

So it is clearly an American creation as it stands now, it was turned into what we see now as 'Trick or Treat' by school boards and parents in the USA.

kbannon wrote: Also the fireworks are mandatory so that your area sounds (& feels!) like somewhere in Iraq. The last few weeks were the worst I have ever known it to be.

IMO the sale of fireworks to the general public should be banned! Some kid round our way got his fingers blown off the otherday playing with them. Gangs of youths have also been throwing them at cars.

It's another excuse for the local scallies to knock on peoples door's and terrorise old people.

At least D. Turpin wore a mask!!!! .. they just put there Ellesee hoodies on and ask for money.

Out of about ten knocks on the door, only two were genuine "young" kids who had bothered to dress up. Took the BM round somewhere quiet to avoid it getting caught up in the random eggings!

Don't get me wrong, Im all for tradition, but this year it took the ....

I know it isnt matey...but the Chavs dont think so "can we have money instead of sweets" ... Dont worry I set them straight on that one!

Dont think Im getting at the kids here Im not, I think its great that they get in the spirit and make the effort, what Im saying is its getting "hi-jacked" if you like, by older kids who an hour or two later will prob be seen down by the local off-ee with a can of white lightning.

Not stereotyping everyone... But im just stating an obesrvation from the other night.

LOL .. It may sound like a victor meldrew style rant  ... but there just must be more chavs round where I live then, than where you do.

Praktisk wrote: I know it isnt matey...but the Chavs dont think so "can we have money instead of sweets" ... Dont worry I set them straight on that one! Dont think Im getting at the kids here Im not, I think its great that they get in the spirit and make the effort, what Im saying is its getting "hi-jacked" if you like, by older kids who an hour or two later will prob be seen down by the local off-ee with a can of white lightning. Not stereotyping everyone... But im just stating an obesrvation from the other night.

feel free to stereotype.  if they are scum they are scum!!  a spade is a spade in my book.

the few spoil it for the many like everything else...

kbannon wrote: silverbeastie wrote: good call!  When will Britain realise it is not America and stop trying to copy everything they do.  only good thing about that place is cheap fuel! and i liked the refills on my pepsi but that's it! so you are not going to put up any red clothed, black booted pictures/decorations of a big fat white bearded man this christmas?

Just in case you didn't already know the reason that Father christmas wears red and white is beacuse Coka cola dressed him up like that in an advertising campaign years ago. His outfit has nothing to do with tradition or folklore etc just good old commercialism and advertising!