CECIE 20 DE 20

If there are  ghosts , goblins, witches,  astronauts , cartoon characters, and a wild variety of oddly dressed creatures visiting your door asking for  candy , chances are it's Halloween. Before you shell out the sweets, most of these visitors probably shout “trick or treat!" But why do they do that? In the United States and Canada, trick-or-treating has been a popular Halloween activity since the late 1950s. Children of all ages dress up in costumes and travel from house to house to receive treats in response to their call of “trick or treat!" The phrase is a subtle suggestion that if a treat (like candy) is given, then the child will not perform a “trick" (mischief) on the owner of the house. This popular Halloween custom has its origins in the ancient practices of “souling" and “guising." In the Middle Ages, poor people in Ireland and Britain would go “souling" on Hallowmas (November 1). “Souling" consisted of going door...