Trick-or-Treating is one of the most exciting things a child can look forward to during the month of October. Remember thinking about what you were going to be every year and getting bags full of candy? Many adults still do it now! It has been a major tradition in many countries. But where did it all begin? Halloween came from the pre-Christian Celtic festival known as Samhain. The Celtic people lived 2,000 years ago, and they celebrated Samhain on October 31. On that night, they would pay tribute to the dead they thought returned to earth this night by having a bonfire. 

Around the mid-19th century, immigrants brought the concept of Halloween into the United States. Trick-or-treating was called “guising” around this time. “Guising” turned into trick-or-treating around the 1920s and 1930s. People began to pull pranks around the 1920s, and it got worse into the Great Depression with different acts of violence and vandalism. A theory says these pranks led to the trick-or-treat tradition on Halloween. When World War II started, it was hard to trick-or-treat due to sugar rations. After the war, the tradition skyrocketed! After this expansion, it became a ritual for candy companies in North America to advertise for Halloween. 

When asked what was his favorite part about trick-or treating, Jarrett answered, “I always tried to get more candy than my brother!” Americans today spend $9 billion on candy, costumes and decorations yearly, indicating this tradition is here to stay.