Trick or Treat

The three-word phrase I used to say a lot on Halloween
Was earliest recorded back in 1917
In Canada. The '30s saw it enter the U.S.,
With many variations; it was something of a mess.

That said, the broad tradition where the kids go door to door
In costume for refreshments had been started long before.
In ancient Rhodes, the children dressed as swallows, sang a song,
Demanded food and, if you didn't give it, did you wrong.

Another form existed in medieval British parts
Where mummers put on scenes from plays (we're missing all these arts!)
In hopes of food or drink, although they wanted more than these,
Believing spirits roamed the earth and had to be appeased.

In Celtic-speaking areas, a festival would mark
The harvest season's end, when days got noticeably dark.
Called Samhain, this event saw people dressing like the dead
To keep their wrath at bay and garner off'rings in their stead.

Some Christians in the Renaissance observed Allhallowtide
With soul cakes, which were biscuits with sweet spices baked inside.
To beg for them was "souling," and more singing was involved.
The practice lasted centuries but seems to have dissolved.

In Ireland and Scotland, kids went "guising" for a treat,
Which wasn't always edible; a coin, I guess, was sweet.
They carried turnip lanterns, and they wore "false faces" (masks),
And "Any nuts or apples?" was a question they might ask.

Americans were "guising" by the later 1910s.
That verb has left our lexicon quite thoroughly since then.
Alas, I haven't heard a kid say "Trick or treat" in years.
My neighbors lost the habit in the wake of COVID fears.