While placing this cache, I wondered about the origin of a certain Halloween tradition. After Googling a few websites, I discovered that a number of historic traditions have apparently contributed to what we now know as trick-or-treating in the United States.
Samhain is a Gaelic festival celebrated from sunset on October 31st through sunset on November 1st, midway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. The festival has ancient origins and is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature. It was believed that the realms of the living and the dead overlapped during this time which allowed the dead to temporarily roam the Earth. One element of the festival involved dressing up in costumes with the intention of fooling the spirits.
In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church attempted to change the old traditions and introduced several new holidays including “All Hallows Eve”, "All Soul’s Day” and “All Saints Day". Many of the Samhain traditions were adapted into the festivities of these newer holidays and that included the tradition of dressing in costumes.
Later on in the 19th century, Scottish and Irish immigrants introduced the practice of “guising” (as in disguising) which involved dressing up in costume, singing a song or telling a story and then asking for treats. Many years passed though before the term “trick or treat” came into wide usage; the first instance in print occurred in 1927. Trick-or-treating spread slowly but eventually became pervasive in the 1950s.
That’s it for the history lesson. So, what will it be … trick? or treat?
Placed with permission. Posted park hours are 5am to 11pm.