Ahhh, it’s that spooky, kooky time of year again. The time when children and adults alike don costumes both frightful and fair in the name of gathering fistfuls of candy. In honor of this sugar-filled holiday, here’s some bite-sized bits of Halloween history.
The tradition of “souling” was an earlier form of what we call trick-or-treating today. Those in need would ask for “soul cake” pastries, and in return they would pray for people’s deceased relatives. Check out these clippings about souling:
Wondering where costumes come in to all of this? Take a look at these clippings on the Scottish and Irish tradition of guising:
Aren’t you glad that all we have to say is “trick-or-treat”?
Guising and souling were just part of what eventually became Halloween as we know it today. Take a look at this Newspapers.com search to see what Halloween histories were shared in the news across hundreds of Halloween seasons past. And check out this page for some prize-winning Halloween stories from 1924.