Halloween: The History of Trick-Or-Treat - Self-Paced

This class focuses on the origin of Halloween's main event: trick-or-treat! Most of us go out in costume asking for candy without ever knowing where the tradition came from. Is it a modern creation or does it stem from ancient rituals? What prompted the first trick-or-treater to go out in costume? And why do we expect candy at every door? Students will learn all of this and more as we move through the history of the popular holiday custom.

Students will learn about the ancient Celtic celebration, Samhain, which is often thought to be where Halloween gets its start. From there, we'll cover mumming, All Souls' Day, Guy Fawkes Night, how Halloween festivities made an appearance in the United States, trick-or-treating through the Great Depression and WWII, and how trick-or-treating has changed in the last few decades. 

This is a self-paced class and has no live meetings. I will post a lecture video, as well as discussion questions and links to other resources in case students want to learn more about the topics we'll cover that week. At the end of the second week I will share how my family participates in Trick-or-Treat and will give an opportunity for students to share how they celebrate it as well. 

Students do not need any prior knowledge of the history of Halloween to take this class, however prior experience with trick-or-treating or other Halloween events will help the student understand some references made. I will provide a basic rundown of any pertinent information needed to understand the context of any historical moments we discuss (such as the Great Depression).