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postcards writes , “ There are cards which mention the custom [ of trick-or-treating ] or show children in costumes at the doors , but as far as we can tell they were printed later than the 1920s and more than likely even the 1930s . Tricksters of various sorts are shown on the early postcards , but not the means of appeasing them ”. Trick-or-treating does not seem to have become a widespread practice until the 1930s , with the first U . S . appearances of the term in 1934 , and the first use in a national publication occurring in 1939 .
A popular variant of trick-or-treating , known as trunk-or-treating ( or Halloween tailgaiting ), occurs when “ children are offered treats from the trunks of cars parked in a church parking lot ,” or sometimes , a school parking lot . In a trunk-or-treat event , the trunk ( boot ) of each automobile is decorated with a certain theme , such as those of children ’ s literature , movies , scripture , and job roles . Because the traditional style of trick-or-treating was made impossible after Hurricane Katrina , trunk-or-treating provided comfort to those whose homes were devastated . Trunk-or-treating has grown in popularity due to its perception as being more safe than going door to door , a point that resonates well with parents , as well as the fact that it “ solves the rural conundrum in which homes [ are ] built a half-mile apart ”.
4.1 Costumes
Halloween costumes are traditionally modeled after supernatural figures such as vampires , monsters , ghosts , skeletons , witches , and devils . Over time , in the United States the costume selection extended to include popular characters from fiction , celebrities , and generic archetypes such as ninjas and princesses .
Dressing up in costumes and going “ guising ” was prevalent in Ireland and Scotland at Halloween by the late 19th century . Costuming became popular for Halloween parties in the US in the early 20th century , as often for adults as for children . The first mass-produced Halloween costumes appeared in stores in the 1930s when trick-or-treating was becoming popular in the United States .
Rev . Dr . Eddie J . Smith , in his book Halloween , Hallowed Be Thy Name , offers a religious perspective to the wearing of costumes on All Hallows ’ Eve , suggesting that by dressing up as creatures “ who at one time caused us to fear and tremble ”, people are able to poke fun at Satan “ whose kingdom has been plundered by our Saviour .” Images of skeletons and the dead are traditional decorations used as memento mori .
4.2 “ Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF ”
is a fundraising program to support UNICEF , a United Nations Programme that provides humanitarian aid to children in developing countries . Started as a local event in a Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood in 1950 and expanded nationally in 1952 , the program involves the distribution of small boxes by schools ( or in modern times , corporate sponsors like Hallmark , at their licensed stores ) to trick-or-treaters , in which they can solicit small-change donations from the houses they visit . It is estimated that children have collected more than $ 118 million for UNICEF since its inception . In Canada , in 2006 , UNICEF decided to discontinue their Halloween collection boxes , citing safety and administrative concerns ; after consultation with schools , they instead redesigned the program .
5 Games and other activities
There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween parties . One common game is dunking or apple bobbing , which may be called “ dooking ” in Scotland in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water and the participants must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin . The practice is thought by some to have derived from the Roman practices in celebration of Pomona . A variant of dunking involves kneeling on a chair , holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drive the fork into an
Steel Notes Magazine | 13