The History of Trick-or-Treating (or so we think…)

 

October is the fun time of year when kids get to dress up as their favourite movie character or super hero and run around the neighbourhood ringing doorbells in exchange for treats. Pretty strange if you actually think about it. So where did this strange annual tradition of trick-or-treating actually come from?

Trick-or-treating, a Celtic tradition?

It has been believed that this tradition might have begun with a Celtic tradition. The Celtics would celebrate the end of the month by dressing up as something that resembled that of a evil spirit, they believed that as the world moved from one year to the next the dead and the living would overlap, the overlap would allow daemons to roam the Earth again.

By outsmarting these demons, the Celtic people would dress up like one of them to think they were one of their own.

Over time the holiday was converted into a “All Hallows Eve” / “All Soul’s Day” or “All Saints Day” where people would dress up as more than just Demons but saints and Angels.

Trick or Treating – also known by some as “guising” from the word disguising began somewhere in the middle ages where children and poor adults would dress up in costumes as these saints, angels and demon and go from door to door begging for food and money in return for songs and blessings during the period.

The tradition spread world wide with a brief pause during World War || due to sugar rations.

Trick-or-Treating in the 21^st century

These days Halloween is an excuse for kids and some adults to create mayhem in the streets knocking on doors to get free candy from strangers or dress up as your favorite character with friends and family.

In the UAE “treats” - candy has turned into home made snacks (usually of the healthier kind), houses are decorated and communities host “best dressed” awards for which ever family when the most “over the top” there is a Halloween themed brunch at every restaurant and Instagram is flooded with highlights of the day

Which ever way you and the family are planning on celebrating Halloween this year we have some

Halloween recipes to try:

Pumpkin pie tart

Carrot cake minis

And for those not in the mood to bake we have some treats perfect for giving and receiving .