Trick or treating feels like it’s been around forever. But have you ever stopped to wonder where it all started? Why do kids dress up and knock on doors for sweets? Let’s take a look back at how this spooky tradition came to life — from ancient rituals to modern candy hauls.
📌 Want the full lowdown on modern-day trick-or-treating? Start with The Ultimate Guide to Trick-or-Treating in 2025 for tips, safety advice, and family-friendly ideas.
Ghosts, Costumes & Treats
A long time ago—way before plastic pumpkins and superhero outfits—people believed that once a year, the line between the living and the dead got blurry. Ghosts and spirits could roam freely.
This belief goes back to Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), a Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and the start of winter. The Celts thought that on the night of October 31st, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead weakened.
To keep those spooky spirits away, people lit bonfires, wore animal-skin costumes, and made offerings of food and drink. Some did it to honour the dead, others to ward them off. If the spirits were happy, they’d leave you alone. If not... well, trickery might be in store. Even though it looked very different from today’s Halloween, this is where the idea of dressing up and sharing treats began.
Knocking for Goodies
As time passed, people in different countries added their own twist. In some places, kids or poor people would go from house to house asking for food, money, or little treats. In return, they might sing a song or say a prayer for someone’s family.
One old tradition was called souling—people would knock on doors and offer to pray for dead relatives in exchange for small cakes aka 'soul cakes'. Over time, this turned into something more fun: kids dressing up, knocking on doors, and telling jokes or singing for sweets.
These practices were less about fear and more about connection. They were rooted in religion, family, and community — people gathering together, remembering the dead, and sharing what they could.
“My gran used to tell us about going souling with her sisters in the 1940s,” says Lucy R., a ToT user from Yorkshire. “They didn’t get sweets — they got apples, coins, even little buns. But the excitement was the same.”
Halloween Travels to America
When families moved across the world, they brought their Halloween customs with them. In North America, kids started dressing up and asking for candy from house to house.
At first, it wasn’t organised, everyone did it their own way. But by the early 1900s, newspapers were using the phrase "trick or treat", and kids were going door to door asking for sweets while promising not to play pranks.
After WWII, as sugar rationing ended, trick-or-treating exploded in popularity. Suburban development and post-war baby booms helped create the perfect environment for roaming groups of costumed kids — and generous candy-givers — meaning by the 1950s, trick-or-treating was everywhere!
Tricks, Treats, and TV Shows
Once Halloween became a household event, pop culture ran with it. By the 1960s and 70s, trick-or-treating featured heavily in Halloween episodes of TV shows, children’s books, and films. Animated specials like It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown helped cement trick-or-treating as the defintive Halloween Tradition.
Supermarkets leaned in too — pushing fun-size candy and Halloween decorations. Plastic pumpkins, vinyl costumes, and candy variety packs became staples. What started as a seasonal folk ritual became a family-friendly event with major commercial backing. Still, the heart of trick or treating remained the same: dressing up, visiting neighbours, and celebrating together.
Trick-or-Treating Today
These days, trick or treating is one of the best parts of Halloween. Kids dress up, grab their buckets, and head out for a night of fun and sweets. The tricks are mostly gone, but the joy and community spirit are still going strong.
Every place does it a little differently. Some families go to "trunk-or-treat" events in car parks. Others stick to the neighbourhood streets. Some homes have huge spooky displays, while others keep it simple with a smiling pumpkin by the door.
However it’s done, trick-or-treating brings people together. So the next time you see a group of kids running around in costume, remember—they’re part of a tradition that’s been growing for centuries. And if you’re handing out sweets or just admiring the fun, you’re part of it, too.
Trick-or-Treating Around the World
Did you know trick-or-treating isn’t just a British or American thing? Cultures around the world have similar customs:
• Germany: Children celebrate Rummelpott, where they sing for sweets.
• Phillipines: Kids go door-to-door during Pangangaluluwa, singing in exchange for prayers or offerings.
• Mexico: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) includes elements of costuming and food-sharing.
Though not always called “trick-or-treating,” the idea of dressing up, knocking on doors, and sharing seasonal joy is universal.
A Living Tradition
So next time your little zombie knocks on a neighbour’s door, think about how far the tradition has come. From ancient fire festivals to medieval cakes, from immigration waves to TikTok costume contests — trick-or-treating is a celebration of community, creativity, and connection.
And it’s still evolving.
📬 Want to be part of it? Add your house to the Trick or Treat Map and join a centuries-old tradition — with a very modern twist.
Want to Know More About Halloween’s Origins?
Explore how different cultures shaped the holiday we know today:
• Why Do We Say Trick or Treat?
• Do British Kids Go Trick or Treating?
• Weird Trick-or-Treat Traditions Around the World
Or dive deeper into the whole season with:
• The Ultimate Guide to Trick-or-Treating in 2025