All Souls Day and Soul Cakes

Trick-or-treating on Halloween in America likely originated with early All Souls' Day parades in England. Poor people would beg for food during the festivities, and in exchange for their promise to pray for the family's deceased relatives, families would give them treats called "soul cakes."

The church promoted the distribution of soul cakes as a replacement for the traditional custom of leaving food and wine out for wandering spirits. Children eventually adopted the custom of "going a-souling," where they would visit the homes in their neighborhood and receive ale, food, and money.

The Halloween costume tradition has both European and Celtic origins. Winter was an uncertain and frightening time hundreds of years ago. Food supplies frequently ran low, and the short days of winter were fraught with anxiety for many people who were afraid of the dark.

People expected to encounter ghosts if they left their homes on Halloween when it was believed that ghosts returned to the earthly world. People would wear masks when leaving their homes after dark to avoid being recognized by these ghosts, hoping that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits.

In order to deter ghosts from trying to enter homes on Halloween, people used to leave bowls of food outside. This would appease the ghosts and keep them away.