My dad , born 1913 , would tell me stories about trick or treating on TG . I figured that was with the three wheel wagon , hauling coal , in snow , up hill both ways to school . Then this weekend my 90 year old sister related the tale . Seems they dressed in old clothes & treated for apples !
Halloween traditions like dressing up and trick-or-treating have a direct connection to a Thanksgiving custom called
Ragamuffin Day, where children dressed in rags to beg for treats. This tradition became popular in the mid-19th century after Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday, but it eventually faded as people began to celebrate Halloween more widely, particularly after World War II.
