Halloween in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a family tradition. Cabbages, apples, potatoes and nuts as well as oats are celebratory foods. England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland still host games, wear disguises, and use trickery in celebrations, but children are now encouraged towards politeness by saying, “Anything for Halloween” rather than “Trick or Treat!” Fireworks are also prevalent in Canada and Ireland.

Deceased loved ones graves are visited in Europe, on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, interspersed with the frivolous activities. European cities have large celebrations as do Australia and New Zealand and Halloween parties abound to cater to tourists.

Halloween is not accepted everywhere, however. China remains suspicious of the frivolity, and in Mexico, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) although celebrated with food and drink is not a traditional Halloween. Spanish Catholic beliefs here are combined with Native American traditions. Italy and Poland regard Halloween that does not relate to their cultures, and children don’t celebrate it often.

Foods are also associated with Halloween, and apples and nuts play a large part of lore. In one fortune telling game, peeling an apple by a young woman and throwing it over her shoulder, would land the peel in the shape of the person’s soon to be betrothed. These connections to apples and nuts are ancient and Nutcrack Night and Snap Apple night are noted. Tarot cards and palm readings have replaced these now.

‘Mischief Night’ is the name given to the night before Halloween. Soaping windows and winding toilet tissue around trees are common ‘mischiefs.’ Because mischief can spiral out of control many communities now ban this type of behavior.

Halloween has many symbols. Witches and black cats have their roots in European beliefs of the 1500s and 1600s when people thought witches and cats rode through the night on Halloween. Superstitions also included fairies and ghosts and pleas for help to these entities became popular. Lanterns with grotesque faces were used to scare off malicious spirits. The Scots lit bonfires to discourage evil spirits. This led to remembrances of the dead by bonfires on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Bonfires are no longer as common but have been replaced by Jack-o-Lanterns. Ghosts, goblins and witches still remain as symbols.

Halloween costumes have a long history starting with adults in times gone by. In parts of Ireland, a man holding a horse’s head and wearing a white robe led groups, and in parts of Scotland, beggars known as ‘skeklets’ came out. Wales saw a great deal of cross-dressing of boys and girls who then sang rhymes.

By the late 1800s in the United States, adults began celebrating Halloween and dressing up. However, by the 1900s, children primarily engaged in Halloween costuming. The first costumes were usually Fairies, Gypsies and Burglars. The 1950s saw the first factory made costumes, with movies and television lending itself to the themes. Store-bought costumes are now the ideal in many areas.

Jack-o-Lanterns are usually hallowed out pumpkins with faces cut into them with a candle or light inside. Beets or turnips were used initially in Scotland and Ireland. Christian purgatory is represented by Jack-o-Lanterns, as they represent spirits present in the dark, or souls released from purgatory.

Named after a symbolic individual, Jack, who could not enter heaven because of his trickery with the devil, Jack is said to have walked the earth with his lantern lit by a coal from hell.

The rituals and celebrations of Halloween were developed in Europe around fortune telling. The Irish believed that a coin, a ring, and a thimble if baked into cake or other foods would make the finder of the coin wealthy, the finder of the ring, marriageable, and the finder of the thimble, a person that would never marry.

Trick-or-treat is actually the follow up to what was known in England as ‘souling.’ Small breads called ‘soul cakes’ were exchanged for prayers. In some parts of the UK and Ireland, ‘mumming’ was practiced. ‘Mumming’ was the dressing up in masks and parading around, as well as going door to door performing songs and dances in exchange for food and/or drink. In England, Guy Fawkes Day, November 5, still celebrates ‘mumming.’

‘Trick-or-treating’ is still the main activity for children in the United States and Canada. Costumes are worn going door-to-door yelling, ‘trick or treat!’ Homemade costumes as well as elaborate character store bought costumes abound. To avoid having ‘tricks’ played on them those that are visited do give revelers treats such as candy or sweets.