In Britain and Ireland, the tradition of going house to house collecting food at Halloween goes back at least as far as the 16th century, as had the tradition of people wearing costumes at Halloween. In 19th century Britain and Ireland there are many accounts of people going house to house in costume at Halloween, reciting verses in exchange for food, and sometimes warning of misfortune if they were not welcomed. The Scottish Halloween custom of “guising” – children disguised in costume going from house to house for food or money
TRICK OR TREATING
In North America, trick-or-treating has been a Halloween tradition since the 1920s. While going house to house in costume has remained popular among Scots and Irish, the custom of saying “trick or treat” has only recently become common. The activity is prevalent in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and northwestern and central Mexico. In the last, this practice is called calaverita (Spanish for “sugar skull”), and instead of “trick or treat”, the children ask, “¿Me da mi calaverita?” (“Can you give me my sugar skull?”), where a is a calaverita small skull made of sugar or chocolate.
The Tale of Stingy Jack- Jack O’Lantern
This tale of Stingy Jack gave rise to the tradition of carving turnips and, later, pumpkins into lanterns during Halloween, a way to ward off Jack’s wandering spirit.
Long ago, in the misty hills of Ireland, there lived a man named Jack. Jack was known far and wide for his cunning and deceitful ways. A notorious trickster, he would swindle anyone, whether they were friend, foe, or stranger. His greed earned him the nickname “Stingy Jack.”
One evening, as Jack sat in a tavern counting his ill-gotten coins, the Devil himself appeared, grinning from ear to ear. The Devil had come to collect Jack’s soul, as it was high time for him to face judgment. However, Jack, ever the trickster, wasn’t about to go without a fight.
“Before you take me,” Jack said, “how about one last drink?” The Devil, curious about Jack’s request, agreed. After drinking their fill, Jack turned to the Devil and said, “You’re the Devil. Surely, you can pay for our drinks. Turn yourself into a coin and let me pay the bartender!”
Amused, the Devil transformed into a silver coin. But quick as a flash, Jack grabbed the coin and placed it in his pocket next to a small silver cross. The Devil, trapped by the cross’s power, was unable to change back. Furious, the Devil demanded his freedom, but Jack had other plans.
“I’ll let you go,” Jack said, “if you promise not to take my soul for ten years.” The Devil, left with no other option, agreed. Jack, always smug, released him, and the Devil vanished in a puff of smoke.
Ten years later, Jack was walking down a lonely country road when the Devil appeared once more. This time, there would be no tricks. The Devil had come for Jack’s soul as promised. But Jack, still sly, had one final trick up his sleeve.
“Before you take me, would you grant me one last request? Could you climb that tree and fetch me an apple from the highest branch?” The Devil, weary but intrigued, climbed the tree. As soon as he did, Jack quickly carved a cross into the bark, trapping the Devil once again.
“Release me, Jack!” the Devil snarled.
Jack, now more desperate than ever to avoid his fate, bargained with the Devil. “Promise you will never take my soul to Hell, and I’ll set you free.” The Devil, seeing no other way out, agreed. Jack erased the cross, and the Devil was gone.
Years passed, and Stingy Jack’s time on Earth eventually came to an end. When he tried to enter Heaven, he was turned away at the gates for his deceitful and wicked life. Left with no choice, Jack wandered to the gates of Hell, seeking refuge. But the Devil, true to his word, refused to let him in.
“Where am I to go?” Jack asked.
The Devil, in a mocking gesture, tossed Jack a burning coal from the fires of Hell. “Find your own place,” the Devil said.
With nothing but the coal to light his way, Jack placed it inside a hollowed-out turnip and began to wander the dark, lonely roads of the world. Ever since that day, his ghost has roamed the earth, unable to find rest. People began to call him “Jack of the Lantern,” or simply “Jack-o’-Lantern.”
And so, every Halloween, when the wind howls and the shadows stretch long, you might see the flickering light of Jack’s lantern as he searches endlessly for a place to call home.
HALLOWEEN IN HISTORY
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