The Strange History Behind Halloween's Trick or Treating Will Surprise You

From haunted houses, carved pumpkins or filling up your bellies with sweets, the Halloween season has become one of the most-celebrated and spookiest holidays of the year. However, did you know that the tradition of trick or treating has a bizarre, strange history?

Not One, But Four Festivals

Halloween dates back to our ancient past, in fact, according to Today I Found, it's a fusion and adaptation of four festivals from different cultures. These festivals include the Roman Feralia festival (commemorating the dead), the Romon Pomona festival (honoring the goddess of fruits and trees), the Celtic Samuin or Samhian festival and the Catholics' All Souls Day.

Specifically, the Celtic Samuin festival has contributed to the tradition of wearing costumes. In the Celtic culture, Samuin marks the end of Autumn, where young men dress up in white costumes and blackened faces or masks to impersonate evil spirits. The idea of dressing up as evil spirits stems from the belief that they could fool real spirits during an encounter.