These days we make Halloween funny and fun for the kids and the family, but where did this tradition of dressing up and going from door to door come from? It probably goes back to the Gaelic festival of Samhein, celebrated around the end of the harvest and when the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead faded away. It was believed that unless the dead souls were appeased they would bring havoc and destruction to the harvest.
Masks and costumes would be worn to hide from the spirits and bonfires would be lit, bringing out the insects and night creatures – so the bats would come to feast and they became an integral part of the festival. As time went on and November 1 became All Hallows – or All Souls Day, the medieval tradition of ‘Souling’ took hold. Poorer people would wander from door to door, and would be rewarded with food, drink or even money for saying prayers for the dead of the household. This was probably the beginning of ‘Trick or Treat’.
We take a slightly different view of ‘Trick or Treat’ in the slime household – when ghoulish and ghostly visitors come to call, we always ask then to perform some simple little magic trick, maybe a song or other Halloween-inspired entertainment. In return for their efforts, they are rewarded with a treat. It’s not quite what many of them expect – but it causes some funny Halloween moments. The sight of a burly 16 year old, dressed as a Zombie singing ‘Mary had a little lamb’ – the only song he could remember still makes me cackle!