TRICK OR TREAT

Halloween, a holiday associated with death and the supernatural, is observed in North America and parts of Western Europe. It takes place the day before All Saints' Day (also known as Allhallows or Hallowmas), a Roman Catholic and Anglican holy day.

Fruit and salty snacks are reportedly kids' least favorite treats to get in their trick-or-treat bags, with baked goods and toys coming in close behind. Their favorite treats, by an overwhelming majority, are candy and gum.

Modern Halloween customs stem from the harvest festivals of ancient Europeans, including the ancient Celts, whose Samhain festival involved human and animal sacrifices to honor Druid deities.

The name jack-o'-lantern is derived from a British folktale about Jack, a farmer whose bargain with the Devil backfires upon his death, because he is not allowed entry into either heaven or hell. As the story goes, Jack carved out a turnip, put a candle inside it, and wandered the earth eternally with his lantern, looking for a resting place.

On November 1, 1934, the Oregon Journal in Portland ran an article titled "Halloween Pranks Keep Police on Hop," which stated: "Other young goblins and ghosts, employing modern shakedown methods, successfully worked the 'trick or treat' system in all parts of the city." By the late 1940s, other major publications and network radio programs were also using the term "trick or treat," firmly establishing the phrase in U.S. popular culture.

The annual Village Halloween Parade in New York City has been taking place since 1973, and attracts more than 2 million people from all over the world. It is also the country's only major nighttime parade.

Ireland's barmbrack, or bairin brack, is a sweet, yeasted bread often served toasted and buttered with afternoon tea. The Halloween barmbrack is a fruitcake-like flat, round bread containing sultanas, raisins, and any one of various mystery objects, such as a piece of cloth or a ring that tells the fortune of the person receiving it in their slice.

According to the National Retail Federation, the most popular costume among U.S. children in 2005 was a princess costume (11.8 percent, or 3.8 million children). For adults, it was a witch costume (16.4 percent, or 3.9 million adults). The foundation also noted that the average amount spent on a Halloween costume that year was $38.11.

Filmed in just 21 days in South Pasadena, California, Halloween became the first in a long line of low-budget slasher films in the 1980s and 1990s, itself spawning seven sequels (so far). The $1.98 white mask worn by the murderous Michael Myers originally featured Captain Kirk's face, but was altered by director John Carpenter; he enlarged the eyeholes and spray-painted it a bluish white.

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF was started in 1950 by a group of Philadelphia trick-or-treaters who collected $17 in milk cartons and sent it to UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. It is now a full-year program for UNICEF, which aims to improve the lives of children globally through immunization, education, health care, clean water, and improved nutrition.

To sum up, households decorate their exterior with scarecrows, ghosts, witches, orange lights and pumpkins, carved & lighted or not in the month of October. You can get very creative with that with plywood tombstones in your front yard as in a cementary. Children go from house to house that are lighted in their neighborhood on Oct 31st knocking on doors. Usually the house owner will give them a treat in the form of candy (sweets, chocolate etc) cupcakes (for those who want to bake) and caramel apples (you will get this from the retired granny who has nothing better to do). The kids don't even think of a trick. The protocol is that they do this between the hours of 6.30-8.30 pm in their costumes but that is enough time a get a whole pillow case of sweets! For safety these kids go out in a group and the younger ones are accompanied by their parent. When they return their haul is examined to ensure it is safe to eat. And yes, yours truly did buy a few bags of candy to give out to the kids!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!