Periódico Halloween

AS TRADITION, ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT
MANY BOYS AND GIRLS DRESSED UP GO
FROM DOOR TO DOOR ALL OVER THE
STREETS ASKING FOR “TRICK OR TREAT”
TO RECEIVE SWEETS AND CHOCOLATES.
THIS TRADITION HAS BEEN FOMENTED BY
FILMS, BOOKS, STORIES… BUT WHAT IS
ACTUALLY ITS ORIGIN?
ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THIS POPULAR TRADITION AND WHY IT
CAME UP, THERE IS STILL DEBATE. ON ONE HAND, IT’S BELIEVED
THAT THE ORIGIN DATES BACK TO THE MIDDLE AGES; QUITE THE
OPPOSITE, THE ORIGIN COMES FROM CELTIC CULTURE TOO.
AT THE TIME OF THE MIDDLE AGES, POOR PEOPLE WENT FROM
HOUSE TO HOUSE ASKING FOR CHARITY IN EXCHANGE FOR
PRAYING FOR THE SOULS OF THE DEAD RELATIVES OF THE
OWNERS.. OVER THE CENTURIES, AT THE END OF THE XIX
CENTURY, THE CUSTOM OF GOING TO HOUSES DRESSED UP BEGAN.
SINCE THEN, PRAYERS WERE REPLACED BY SONGS AND JOKES, AND
FROM THERE AROSE THE CURRENT "TRICK OR TREAT" THAT WE
ALL KNOW.
THE OTHER BELIEF OF THE TRADITION RELATES THAT IN THE
PAST, DURING HALLOWEEN NIGHT, ANY KIND OF BEINGS FROM ANY
SPIRITUAL KINGDOM COULD WANDER AROUND EVERYWHERE.
THERE WAS ONE WHO WAS ESPECIALLY MEAN, JACK O’LANTERN -
OUR NEW FRIEND FROM THE LAST PAGE. HE WENT FROM DOOR TO
DOOR SAYING “TRICK OR TREAT”. ACCORDING TO TRADITION, IT
DID NOT MATTER WHAT THE DEAL COST, IT WAS BETTER TO
FULFILL IT IN ORDER NOT TO FALL FOR ITS TRICK. JACK CURSED
THE HOUSE AND ITS RESIDENTS, WHO SUFFERED ALL KINDS OF
MISFORTUNES IF THEY DID NOT ACCEPT HIS DEAL.
THE EXPRESSION “TRICK OR TREAT” IS ACTUALLY A BAD
TRANSLATION FROM ENGLISH. “TRICK” MEANS A SCARE (SUSTO) OR
JOKE (BROMA) INSTEAD OF “TRUCO”, WHEREAS “TREAT” MEANS A
SWEET (DULCE) OR GIFT (REGALO) INSTEAD OF “TRATO”.