Halloween - A Brief History of the Tradition in the UK

 

In 835 AD the Roman Catholic Church made the 1st November a church holiday, this day is called All Saints Day.

 

All Saints Day used to be known as All Hallows, hallow being an old English word meaning saint or holy person. The day actually starts the previous evening, the eve of All Hallows or Hallows Eve, hence the eventual name, Halloween...

 

Mischief Night
The evening of the 4th November is referred to as Mischief Night or mischievous night in many parts of Britain. This was the night when all kinds of trickery would go on. People would disguise themselves and take part in such things as knocking on house doors and running away, or removing garden gates and placing them in someone else’s garden! They would carry lanterns to light their way carved from such things as turnips.

 

Trick or treat came about as a mix of these traditions, "give us a treat or we will play a trick on you". Many believe this to be a recent American tradition, but as you can see this is not so. The USA may have popularly commercialised it and pumpkins may be easier to carve, but the humble turnip or swede was there first, and may still be used in many parts of Britain today.