Trick or treating used to be a custom among old and young in ancient Celtic times. The costumes were quite simple: men dressed as women, and women as men. Although we don't know what tricks they may have played, we do know that the treats were not candy but spirits, of the alcoholic variety. Roving bands of revelers would take to the streets, singing holiday carols and demanding treats.
The Jack-o-lantern was a carved pumpkin or gourd with a candle in it. The scary faces were useful for warding off evil spirits, and the lantern could be carried by the wary travelor or posted in a house window to afford protection to those within.
Ducking for apples began as a way to tell fortunes for the coming year. The bigger the apple you catch, the wealthier you will be. If you fail to come up with an apple at all, not even a puny, shriveled one, you will end the year in the poorhouse.
