It’s really spooky the way Halloween has changed from generation to generation. We know that Halloween began as a religious festival of sorts. Probably an early Celtic harvest festival called Samhain, it was also believed to be the date when the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest and the spirits of the dead could easily return to their old homes on that night. Toward off or to confuse the
spirits, people dressed in disguises, believing that if the spirits couldn’t recognize them they would be safe from any of their mischief.

The observance was adopted by the Catholic Church about 1,200 years ago (for a long time, known as All Saints Day) and was little related to today’s Halloween. Contrary to what some people believe, the holiday is not related to any Satanic church or ritual, nor was it originally considered a holiday that included special activities for children. Apparently, as fewer and fewer people came to believe in the return of spirits on that day, some of the more interesting and enjoyable features were retained as pleasant traditions. Children delighted in the fantasies, the costumes and the fun of pretending. Begging for treats probably began with the ancient practice of making offerings to the spirits in hope of appeasing them. Eventually, it evolved into what became known as Beggar’s Night and was celebrated the evening before Halloween when “beggars” demanded treats as a deterrent to any mischief they might commit the
following night. The jack-o-lantern is a result of the once common practice of using hollowed-out turnips as
a means of carrying lighted candles safely – a primitive sort of lantern.

Each generation seems to have made its own changes to the holiday’s traditions. Even just the changes I’ve witnessed during my lifetime amaze me at how fast and dramatically such practices evolve. My Aunt Agnes took delight in telling tales of her youngest brother (my dad) and some of the ones I remember best are of Halloween pranks he and his friends committed during their teen years. She told of them removing the wheels of farm wagons, letting livestock out of barns and pens, hoisting hay-wagons onto barn roofs or up into trees. One of their more notorious escapades involved leading a milk cow up into the bell tower of the schoolhouse. The culprits were found out, though, and made to remover and return her to her home pasture – leading her down the stairs proved to be a much more difficult process than it had been to lead her up. Tipping over outhouses was a common Halloween stunt nearly nationwide during those days, as few people in small towns and rural areas had any sort of indoor plumbing.

My generation was not so much concerned with Trick- or-Treat as we were with soaping windows, making eerie noises and tipping over garbage cans before running away to watch from a distance to see how the home owner reacted. Costumes were optional and homemade. We collected a few treats from houses where we knew the occupants. Treats at that time were mostly homemade goodies such as popcorn balls, cookies or fudge. The few store-bought treats included chewing gum and regulation-size candy bars, as manufacturers had not yet begun turning out bite-size candies specifically for Halloween. Some people interpreted Trick-or-

Treat to mean the beggar must perform some sort of entertainment to earn a treat. We didn’t buy that idea and avoided houses where we might be required to singa song, recite a poem or turn cartwheels. When we lived in Iowa City, we were overwhelmed by carloads of kids being hauled all over town to collect hundreds of dollars’ worth of store-bought candy from total strangers. When we moved to the country in the early 1970’s, no beggars came to our door on our first Halloween, so we began having parties for friends and neighbors. Much less trouble; much more fun.