Halloween is a cherished tradition for adults and children in certain countries. In the evening prior to All Saints day (1 November) Children dressed in costumes go from house to home and ask for treats using the words “Trick or treat”. “Trick” or “treat” is usually some kind of candy, but in some cultures , money is also given as a substitute. “The “trick” refers to a threat, which is usually in idle form and threatening to harm an homeowner(s) and their home in the event that no treats are given. Halloween is usually the night on the 31st of October. Some homeowners show that they’re willing to give out treats by setting up Halloween decorations on their entrances. Other homeowners leave candy on their front porches for children to enjoy freely. Some homes may also keep their porch lights on to show that they are stocked with candy.
In Scotland as well as other parts in Britain and Ireland the custom of guising, hopping from home to home on Halloween and performing an unintentional performance, and being rewarded with sweets or food, dates back as far in the sixteenth century like the tradition of dressing up in costumes for Halloween. There are numerous stories of the 19th century Scotland as well as Ireland of people going from house to house dressed in costumes at Halloween, singing songs to get food, and even warning of ill-fated in the event that they were not received. The tradition of going from house to house dressed in costumes has long been a popular pastime for people of both Scots and Irish but it was only since the year 2000 that the expression “Trick or treat” has become a common occurrence throughout Scotland as well as Ireland. Prior to this the children of Ireland typically would declare “Help the Halloween Party” on the front of homes of the homeowners. [3]
For North America, trick-or-treating has been a popular Halloween activity in the 20th century. The first documented instance in that Irish as well as Scottish Halloween tradition which consisted of “guising” – children going from house to house in search of food or money , while dressed in costumes[2] – dates dating back to 1911 in which children were reported as having performed this ritual at Ontario, Canada. [4]
This practice is common across areas such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, and Australia. In central and northwestern Mexico the practice is known as the calaverita (Spanish diminutive of calavera which means “skull” in English) Instead in place of “Trick or treat”, children ask “?Me da mi calaverita?” (“Can you please give me your small skull? “), where it is a small skull that is made of chocolate or sugar.