Nothing says childhood to me like trick-or-treating in the 1970’s. Your parents ushered you out of the house unchaperoned, you went to nearly everyone’s house in your hometown, returned after dark and emptied what seemed like garbage bags of every kind of candy you can imagine onto your living room floor to sort it out and trade with your siblings. You then lived off that candy until Christmas came along.
There is, of course, a darker side to Halloween – that being the “tricks” side of the equation. Centuries ago, poor folks would visit the homes of the wealthy to beg for money, ale and food – in exchange for prayers for their dead loved ones. Eventually this tradition morphed into children disguising themselves to do the begging (along with carrying bars of soap to punish those who refused their requests by soaping their windows). In the 1930’s, the practice exploded in the United States, becoming known as “trick-or-treating”.
For today’s “This…or That”, I thought I’d present a poll on if you’re a trickster or a treat…only on Moteventure.
SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW THE OPTIONS AND CAST YOUR VOTE.
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THE QUOTES:
I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
Henry David Thoreau
There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly lit front porch.
Robert Brault
Can I just go trick-or-treating and ask for wine?
Auntie Acid
Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat.
Unknown
What will I do, when my feet, no longer race, to trick or treat?
Rusty Fischer
Tonight remember: Teenagers who seem too old to trick-or-treat chose childhood over partying. Be happy and hand over the Snickers.
Unknown
THE FASCINATING FACTS:
- Just behind Christmas, Halloween is the most anticipated holiday of the year for kids.
- The origins of Halloween? During medieval times in Ireland and Scotland, the Samhain festival was held at sunset on October 31 and lasted through daylight on November 1. It marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, or the “dark season.”
- Fearing ghosts, people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off evil spirits.
- The novelty classic hit song “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett hit #1 in the U.S. on October 20, 1962, and returned to Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1970 (#91), 1973 (#10), and most recently in 2021 (#37).
- Children started going trick-or-treating in the U.S. in 1911. Trick-or-treating became popular in the U.S. in the 1930s. Children originally received fruits and nuts for trick-or-treating.
- 90% of parents steal their children’s Halloween candy.
- Famed magician Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926.
- “Beggar’s Night” happens when Halloween is celebrated before 10/31. This regional phenomenon arose out of safety concerns for children on Halloween night.
- Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy each year for Halloween.
- Originally jack-o-lanterns were carved from turnips instead of pumpkins.
- The most popular candy on Halloween is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
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As you contemplate your preference, enjoy a few videos exploring the rituals of Halloween and Trick-or Treating:
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