How did the game of ‘Trick or Treating’ come about?

Celebrated every year on October 31st, Halloween, which is also popularly known as Halloween, is a celebration of Celtic origin, with more than three thousand years of tradition, widely celebrated in regions such as the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

The party, which always includes costumes and lots of decorations, also has a very popular game, usually played by children and teenagers and which is always represented in films and series: trick-or-treating. But how did this tradition come about?

Origin

At the beginning of Halloween, when it was known to the Celts simply as Samhain Day, it was common for people to celebrate with huge bonfires, using costumes to trick the spirits, while children made requests for food and money.

After the colonization of North American lands, these traditions were taken to new regions, where they remain strong to this day, although they have undergone some changes — such as the act of asking for food and money.

According to the Tecmundo portal, with the United States becoming independent in 1776, Americans decided to give their own twist to the traditional Halloween and, instead of asking for food and money, the tradition would now be to say “trick or treat”.

Over the years, especially in the early 20th century, the United States food industry began to increasingly encourage the tradition of ordering candy on Halloween, arguing that by providing the treats you would prevent acts of vandalism. were carried out as pranks.

Controversy

Despite being extremely traditional across the country, many people in the United States are against trick-or-treating and have been trying to put an end to the custom for years.

The main argument used by opponents of the game is the depredation of public and private property carried out by young people at this time of year due to the famous pranks.

Furthermore, these people also argue that encouraging a high consumption of sweets during Halloween is extremely harmful to health. health of children and teenagers who participate in the game, which can cause numerous illnesses due to excess sugar.