Why do we have to tolerate "Trick or Treat" every year?

Question

I bet that hardly anybody knows why the Americans started the trick or treat custom. It has no natural basis or tradition in the UK and only became common when The Simpsons started.

In other circumstances the practice would called "Demanding Money (or favours) with Menaces". That's a crime and would be severely punished.

Many elderly folk are terrorised by teenagers knocking at their doors in the evening and demanding 'treats'. If they're not forthcoming it's quite common for eggs to be thrown or gardens disrupted.

There's also the matter of safety for the younger ones who are often out at night on their own doing it.

It's not a British tradition, the kids don't know its origin and it causes more distress than it's worth. I've known several elderly folk who have suffered because of this and they dread every Hallow'een.
So, why do it?

Answer 1

I thoroughly agree with you. It is in fact a celebration with a pagan origin and seems to have been promoted purely by businesses which see in it an opportunity to make money. However, it cannot entirely be argued that it did not exist in the UK before the Simpsons, as Mischief Night was widely celebrated in the North of England and Scotland and this seems to have been merged with the notion of Halloween. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischief_Night .
I have never been able to view it as good harmless fun, as throwing eggs and removing gates would in other circumstances be termed criminal damage.

Answer 2

Apart from being a seasonal custom..I think it's worldwide and although it's called trick or treat it should be called 'Trick'. As you say it does scare elderly folk who are faced with kids wearing horrible masks. Although they are juniors if they are not given money...they go away and come back and throw eggs at the houses. But our area is a little quieter these days or nights of halloween because in our local grocer shop there is a police notice saying that "no eggs will be sold to juniors on the account of eggs being thrown at houses",and even on some doors a notice is put up saying "no trick or treat here thankyou".

Answer 3

um, I'm in Ireland and we've done that long before the Simpsons came about. Call it "going on the púca" or "púca-ing" Púca being a scarey creature for kids. I don't think kids these days have heard of that though, but I'm only 22 and I still call it that. Oh and I don't think teenagers really go 'trick or treating' because it just ain't cool to do it at that age! You just seem a bit of a meanie. It's a fun thing for kids that should be supervised, but adolescents do use it as an excuse to egg houses, throw fireworks through letter boxes and scare people, but that has nothing to do with trick or treating. They will do that regardless of whether or not trick or treating was banned


BY THE WAY, the guy is saying the Simpsons made in popular in the UK, not that the Simpsons made it popular in the US i.e. an American cartoon brought American ways to the UK (I don't agree with this but some of you seem to have read the question wrong)

Answer 4

Actually it came over here during WWII with all of the GI's. I'm nearly 40 and I remember Trick or Treating as a very small child. My father also remembers doing so when he was small. The only difference then, was that the trick only involved going back to knock on the door and running away. These days it usually involves property damage or worse!

I do agree, that the situation is getting out of hand and I have never allowed my children to do so. I would rather give them Sweets or Rent a Film as a Treat.

Answer 5

Umm
No the Simpson's didn't popularize Halloween in the States, actually it has been popular since the 1800s when Irish immigrants brought it to our shores.

Before that they celebrated this holiday since before Christ was born. For that matter, many many cultures also celebrate the dead, who they consider to be honored members of the family.

You're right though about the kids not knowing the meaning of Halloween. It is actually the holy day before all saints day although there are no community wide celebrations on this day. It has been left to the community and the schools and the stores.

There is no reason though not to let your children know about this ancient custom of honoring your ancestors and I don't know why the schools promote the scary part of halloween.

Many communities use this night as a harvest festival to make it more of a celebration rather than something monstrous. We are all in it together and we can make these changes with our kids if we dare!

Best wishes,

Answer 6

I think you got yourself all mixed up here kiddo Halloween here way before Simpson's but goes to show how truly boring you are as you obviously must watch Simpson's and think people live out cartoons!!! Also it's April for goodness sake there are a few more months to go before fretting about Halloween. If you don't like it don't answer door or trick the little mites when they come to the door themselves and get into the sprite of things I know we do and have a great time with kids down our road as each year we have to think of different tricks.

As for the elderly not liking it that's fair enough but there are stickers just for this reason asking people not to come to the door.

So enjoy your life lighten up a little and remember you live once :O)

Answer 7

I don't know where you live but it sounds terrible. Here in the US it is not like that. I am 42 and have great memories of Halloween. No one was mugged, threatened, terrorised, or harassed. It was simply a fun time. I went around with my parents. No egging or flouring of cars. If there was a porch light on that meant that they were giving out candy to trick or treaters if not, you skipped that house. I now take my child around. We walk up to the door together. And with manners, naturally, we trick or treat. It is a great time. And this is a tradition, our tradition. It is a shame some teen get out of hand. I wonder where their parents are and why they are not supervising them.

Answer 8

It's the ancient festival of Samhain, the Celtic new year.

But more importantly, this pagan holiday serves a very important and healthy psychological function. It's the holiday that acknowledges the death aspect of the life cycle (all pagan holidays celebrate some aspect of the life cycle),, and invites people to 'walk around in its shoes' so to speak. By dressing up as symbols of the things we fear, and by allowing ourselves to be frightened (as in haunted houses), we acknowledge and embrace our fears and therefore, gain a better understanding of them.

This brings our fear into light and removes its power to make us afraid. So you see, it helps us process the fear and change it into something manageable. The holiday also celebrates the hope of an afterlife, so it's not just about fear either. This is why it's so fun and exciting, and good to participate in. We will get nowhere with our fears if we always run from them. We will do much better to understand that fears can be endured and survived, and changed.

Answer 9

Barbara G. Walker says that the pagans had the custom of propitiating the ancestors with gifts at that time. If the lord of the underworld accepted the offering on behalf of all the dead, the spirits were satisfied and would refrain from doing harm. If not, they might descend on the world as vergeful ghosts. This is what the children are re-enacting. This is a pagan custom brought down to the children's level and not dangerous. You have more to fear from the New World Order and Tony Blair. www.infowars.com

Answer 10

No, it is definitely older than the Simpsons - I used to go 25 years ago.

Why does it matter if it's not a British tradition? Does everything have to have long roots? ~There is an ancient English tradition of putting old curmudgeons in the stocks and pelting them with rotten vegetables if you would rather keep to the old ways

Answer 11

Hi,

What a boring old thing u r!! I happen to think that it is great and in many towns in the uk really go all out to make it a brilliant community affair!! Lets not go overboard cos a small minority ruin it!

as for the grounds that its not an english tradition many things we in this country celebrate doesn't originate in this country. But can i just say the pageans did celebrate a similar thing on november the 1st!

Rx