Wendy Lyon wrote:
>
> On 11/2/05, B. <docile_body at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > As far as I'm aware, the tradition came to
> > the US via impoverished Irish immigrants and
> > indentured servants.
>
> I dunno the history of Halloween in Ireland but it's a much more
> enjoyable holiday in America than it is here. Here it's mainly an
> excuse for young delinquents to scare the bejesus (or bejaysus, to
> give it its local pronunciation) out of everyone with illegal
> fireworks ... oh and burn the odd immigrant's shop down.
This describes Halloween in small towns and rural areas before WW2. Tipping over outdoor toilets was the most famous of the tricks. Sometimes even with people sitting in them. Soaping windows was run-of-the-mill. "Trick or Treat" was part of the panic about "juvenile delinquency" of the mid- and late-forties; it was introduced as a replacement for vandalism. I'm not familiar with the urban history of the event.
Carrol