How did the pioneers in early Marietta celebrate Halloween? They didn’t. It was a non-event in America before Scottish and Irish immigrants brought Halloween traditions with them in the mid-1800s.

Halloween has become the biggest American holiday besides Christmas. We spend $11 billion each year on this spooky occasion. So, how did we get here?

Halloween is a centuries-old blend of religious and cultural traditions. The religious tradition is in the name: Halloween or “All Hallows Eve” – is the night before All Saints’ Day on November 1. It was designated by Pope Gregory IV in 827 A.D. to honor Christian saints and martyrs.

One cultural influence on Halloween was an ancient Celtic harvest festival called Samhain (“Saw-wen”), also celebrated on November 1. The name means summer’s end. There was feasting and celebration for the harvest. They prepared for winter by stocking up on supplies and slaughtering cattle. They burnt the bones in “bone fires,” later called bonfires. Bonfires were said to mimic the sun to ward off the darkness of winter and evil spirits.

There was a spooky aspect of Samhain: People then believed that at festival time, the spirits of the dead could visit the living. Also, spirits who hadn’t yet departed might leave and say goodbye to the living. People were fearful because some of the ghostly visitors could be frightening, vengeful, or mischievous.

That prompted two activities that eventually became what we see today: costumes and trick or treat. Costumes, disguises, and masks were for self defense – to prevent roaming spirits from recognizing them or to fool the spirits into thinking the person was one of them. Masks were a convenient disguise in this situation. If the mask wearer met the ghost of a loved one, they could drop the mask and say something like “Hey, Uncle Albert, it’s me! Remember me?”

Another practice was a forerunner of trick or treat. People left food for the spirits as a kind gesture and to keep the bad-boy ghosts from misbehaving. One such sweet food treat was a soul cake. Some people started going door to door giving out soul cakes to residents and asking them to pray for the dead. And others did the reverse: beggars asked for soul cakes from residents in exchange for offering prayers. This routine was called “souling.” At some point, souling took a prankish turn as beggars became more demanding. They threatened a prank if there was no treat – treat or consequences, you could say.

Halloween migrated to America starting in the 1850s with Irish and Scottish immigrants. Pranks became more prevalent than treats or prayers. Many communities, including Marietta, experienced serious outbreaks of vandalism at Halloween.

On Halloween in 1907, The Marietta Times reported, “Pranks and schemes by the hundred were carried out.” Some Marietta College students removed the president’s cow from the barn and placed it in a campus building where it remained until discovered the next day. Imagine the clean-up needed there. A Marietta Times headline, November 1, 1929: “Hallowe’en wild night in Marietta and Lawlessness Results in Many Arrests.” Many street lights were broken, youths seriously damaged an automobile with pumpkins, and fights broke out. An angry resident “chased the boys…and fired a 38-calibre revolver at them.” Dozens were arrested and spent the night in jail.

What about the more innocent costumed trick or treat nights for children that we have now? That did not start until the 1930’s, having originated in Canada. The vandalism gradually faded over the decades and is fortunately rare today. It’s now a night of anticipation, fun, and excitement. Kids can pretend they’re someone else; parents can revel in recalling their own childhoods.