Trick or Treat: Art & Story by Sandra Russell

Trick or Treat
Original Art & Story by (c) Sandra Russell

Halloween or 'holy eve' refers to the evening before November first aka "All Saints Day". It is a long tradition of belief that the souls of the dead; good and bad, arise to walk among the living on this day, maybe even crossing into heaven or hell. In medieval times beggars would knock on doors and receive gifts of sweet cakes sometimes called 'soul cakes' and would in exchange say a prayer for the soul of departed members of that household. Given that winter was by then well on its way and cold and winter afforded no promise of bounty, this seems a practical last celebration of summer?

In the 1930's "Beggar's night" was the eve before the eve of "All Saint's day" and children would dress up as scary monsters or lost souls, to scare away any real bad souls that might be up and about. Still others would do the opposite and be fairies, heros, angels, and clowns. Any disguise of self was a protection against the 'bad guys'.

Again, the dating of the practice of giving apples, candy and snacks to children going door to door is a practical one. Considering the great depression beginning in 1929 and then the rationing of sugar during the second world war anything like coffee tea and fine snacks was not in every household.

My father would tell us about his trick or treating experiences as he grew up in the 30's being born in '29. He lived in the mining town of Mineral, Ohio. He told us about the community flavor of the holiday and how the neighborhood would sponsor social activity for the kids and chaperones  in the form of wiener roasts, taffy pulls, and bobbing for apples. The boys took the 'trick' part of the treating to heart as well. No toilet papering houses, doubt they had toilet paper? Sears catalogs in the outhouses more likely. He would tell of the popular sport of tipping outhouses over at that time, and how men would prowl with shotguns to protect them. A favorite 'trick' of sorts was to spook one another in the local cemetery with hide and seek games and given that the cemetery was also a 'common' for grazing cows, many cow patties were left to be used in battle. Much like a snowball fight in winter, the boys would make fortress behind tombstones and lob one another with the dried bovine droppings. One Halloween, his dad (maybe his last Halloween, as he died when my dad was only twelve) they were playing this sport and the pop joined in, threw some good ones (he was the pitcher for the Buchtel White Sox). But then that triumph came to an end when he caught one in the face, bottom side up. Yeah, still fresh on the underside. My dad would seldom smile, but he would when retelling this story.