h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The original celebration in the Celtic calendar was a fire festival to mark the end of harvest and the old year, the beginning of winter and the start of a new year. The Christians took it over when they arrived and bagged it for their 'all hallows'. Bloomin' cheek.

The latest import of 'trick or treat' isn't as new or as American as people imagine. It seems to have started in Ireland in the middle ages. In any case, it's widely regarded as a good basic training in demanding money with menaces.

Hey, thats a skill every child needs! You never know when it is going to be needed!!

You worry me

You could be right though

The little perishers didn't turn up in the end. I had some bags of peppermints ready, just in case. They flour-bombed my front door a couple of years ago because I had the nerve to be out. I'd forgotten all about Hallowe'en dammit!

The Irish Hallowe'en tradition, which is also strong in Scotland, is of dressing up and asking for treats, without menaces. Later in the night, a huge bonfire is lit, and if anybody has fireworks, (which are illegal in Ireland), they set them off.

The Hallowe'en tradition has gone two ways - the Americans took over the funny costumes, but added the "trick" part. The British took over the bonfires, but moved it to 5 November. But it is still part of the same tradition.

The traditional Irish jack-o-lantern, made out of a turnip, has been replaced by the American pumpkin lantern, because pumpkins are far easier to carve out than turnips. Even a child can do it. The tradition is that if there is a jack-o-lantern in the window, then the house welcomes children and will give out sweets and nuts. If there isn't, it's not worth going to that house. There's certainly very little tradition of doing any damage to houses here in Ireland.

The real destruction comes later on when teenagers and youths start the fires, and do stupid things like throwing fireworks at each other.