How hallowed is Halloween?

 

Jonathan P. Lomas, teacher and the author of Whodunnit, a murder mystery set in the world of Doctor Who fandom, shares some history of trick-or-treating.

Ready to receive treats

 

It may have come back across the Atlantic in post-War years thanks to the dominance of American culture, but it seems as if the custom was carried over to the States originally by settlers of Scots descent.

Its current format is probably a development of the Celtic tradition of ‘guising’, which dates back to when the Celtic calendar ended with the festival of Samhain, a celebration which the newly-converted Scots then incorporated into their own All Saints’ Day celebrations. One of the elements of ‘guising’ was the practice of children going from house to house, asking for soul cakes or gifts for the departed, an ancient custom which was also known in Britain as ‘souling’. It is a pity that some of the innocence of the custom’s origins has been lost in translation. It is now the norm for groups of children to come to your door demanding not soul cakes for the repose of the dead, but sugary sweets to hasten their own demise. At least that custom still carries in it the idea that the act of giving might serve to earn a blessing for the dead; it is not simply an imperious demand for sugary treats, but an implied recognition that this was once a festival with religious significance.1

The idea of giving in the minds of the ghouls and goblins moving from door to door on All Hallowed’s Eve is present in those visitors, today, seeking donations for UNICEF and those who gather treats to be shared with younger siblings.

"guising" with Dad

 

It is a very good motive.

1(2014, October 31). How hallowed is Halloween? | Thinking Faith: The online .... Retrieved October 31, 2020, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/how-hallowed-halloween