Trick - or - treating originated with a ninth century Eurpean custom called souling. On all Soul's Day, the early Christians would walk around to different villages begging for "soul cakes," which were square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cake a beggar would received, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. It was believe, at this time, that when a person died the spirit would remain in limbo for a time and a prayer, even by a stranger, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.
The story of the Jack - O - Latern originated from an Irish folklore. There was a man named Jack who was known for being a drunk and a prankster. One night Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree and quickly carved an image of a cross on the trunk, trapping the devil. Jack then made him promise that, in exchange for letting him out of the tree, the devil would never tempt him to sin again. The devil reluctantly agreed but was able to get revenge upon Jack's death. Jack was banned from entering heaven due to his michevious ways in life and because oof his trick on the devil, he was always banned from hell. So he was doomed to wander the earth until the end of time, with only a single ember (carried in a hallowed out turnip) to warm him and light his way. Turnips were used originally in Ireland but upon arriving in America they discovered that pumpkins were abundant and easier to carve out.
