It’s the time of year when the local kids are likely to knock on your door expecting handfuls of Halloween pick ‘n’ mix sweets (and sometimes cash) in recognition of their spooky costumes.
Leave them empty-handed and you put yourself at risk of a prank, but how did trick or treating become an established tradition – and what kinds of pranks did trick-or-treaters pull in the past?
Trick or treat – origins of the phrase
Wiktionary has the following definition of trick or treat: “A form of light-hearted extortion by which children get candy on Halloween.”
As a custom, it has had many names, and dates back to at least the Middle Ages, when people would dress up and ask for gifts of food and drink. It was called ‘mumming’ and then, in the 9th century, ‘souling’ in honour of All Souls’ Day on November 2nd.
The etymology of ‘trick or treat’ is much more recent. Nobody knows exactly where it first appeared, but the earliest recorded uses are from Canada in 1917-27, before the custom spread into the USA in the 1930s-50s.
In the UK, we’ve only been saying “trick or treat” since the 1980s, perhaps inspired by the Halloween scenes in the 1982 family favourite E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Do kids still trick or treat?
They certainly do – and if you thought the custom died out in recent years, it might be time to replenish your stash of Halloween sweets and candy.
Like most aspects of life, trick or treating was severely affected by COVID-19. In 2020, YouGov found that just 1% of parents planned to take their children trick or treating.
But by 2021 this figure was already back up to 6% and it’s likely that in 2022, it will edge closer to its pre-pandemic figure of 13%.
The percentage of Brits who bought Halloween sweets to hand out was up last year too, from 10% in 2020 to 21% in 2021 – leaving far fewer households at risk of suffering a light-hearted prank!
What ‘tricks’ do kids do on Halloween?
The UK’s laws on trick or treating are quite relaxed, and any pranks are dealt with under the normal antisocial behaviour legislation.
Before trick or treating though, there was Mischief Night, normally celebrated on October 30th in the UK.
Some traditional examples of Mischief Night pranks from the USA include throwing eggs at houses, draping toilet paper around people’s front yards, and even smashing people’s jack-o’-lanterns on the front porch.
In the UK, trick-or-treating is generally a much happier event – and if you don’t want to be disturbed, most groups will respect a polite notice in your front window or taped to your doorbell requesting no trick-or-treaters.
Halloween and Bonfire candy
Spooky sweets are not just for October 31st. Halloween and Bonfire sweets are a great way to celebrate the autumn season and are hugely popular with younger customers right through until Christmas and beyond.
Popular lines include fizzy Dracula teeth, jelly-filled brains and Terror Eyes bubblegum. Don’t forget traditional Bonfire Night lines too, such as Spooky Bonfire Toffee and individually wrapped Bonfire Mega Lollies. And have fun this spooky season!