All Hallows Leaves
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
As time passed, and the moral fiber of society progressively frayed, the tradition became a financial and emotional burden on American society. By the year 1700, it was common for juvenile delinquents to leave their houses early on Halloween, stripping the Trinket Trees bare before the other children had set out. Feeling angry and cheated at finding an empty tree in front of a house, the children would bang on the front door shouting "Trinket Tree! Trinket Tree!" until the residents opened it. Often, the youthful mob would steal or destroy everything of value in the home.
Because of the degree of social unrest caused by the tradition, the Trinket Tree was outlawed in 1710. However, the tradition was so beloved that children continued to roam their neighborhoods on Halloween, demanding trinkets. As an attempt to compromise, the Trinket Tree tradition was moved to Christmas, and placed inside the home. But even this could not curb the children's voracious appetite for material goods. Without the physical tree in the yard, the term "Trinket Tree" soon lost its meaning, and today children instead use the corruption "trick or treat".
Labels: halloween, holidays, traditions