Are We Too Old To Trick-or-Treat?

Recently, I read a post by a concerned mother about how kids should stop trick-or-treating around the age of 16. It was argued that older people would take away the finite amount of candy available, and that the holiday is intended for children. They should engage in other Halloween entertainment options like parties, haunted houses, handing out candy, etc. This post was met with a lot of disagreement, with teenagers and adults arguing that trick-or-treating was a “nostalgic tradition” and should be enjoyed by all. This debate sparked my interest as I’ve been talking with friends about how it felt like this Halloween would officially mark the end of our trick-or-treating days as 16-year-olds. Going door-to-door and asking for candy feels increasingly childish, and we feet social pressure to stop participating in this custom. It seems like every year, as fall comes around, this question comes up for many young adults: “Are we too old to be trick or treating?” This seemingly innocent inquiry is, contrarily, a complex matter, touching on issues of tradition, social norms, individual rights, and the changing nature of childhood. Can one truly outgrow the magic of this beloved holiday tradition? To begin, a brief history of trick-or-treating: The practice began with the Celtic tradition of celebrating the end of the year by dressing up as evil spirits. The Celtic belief was that, as the year passed, the dead and the living would overlap, and demons would roam the earth again. To ward off these spirits, the Celts would dress in costumes and leave food offerings outside their homes to appease the spirits traveling the earth at night.1 In other parts of the world, such as medieval Europe, similar practices were observed. Poor children in medieval Europe would go door-to-door begging for food and money during the Celtic holiday, Samhain, celebrated on October 31. In exchange, they would offer to pray for the souls of their neighbors' recently departed loved ones. Furthermore, modern American trick-or-treating stems from “belsnickeling,” a German-American Christmas tradition where children would dress in costume and call on their neighbors to see if the adults could guess the identities of the disguised. Sometimes, the children were rewarded with food or other treats if no one could identify them.2 It wasn’t, however, always the case that trick-or-treating was limited to children; in America, “Single young women would perform tricks of their own on All Hallow's Eve, in hopes that they would discover the identities of their future husbands — and ideally be married by the following year.”3 These tricks included bobbing for apples with the name of a potential suitor written on them, fortune-telling games, and divination rituals. By the late 19th century, European immigrants flooded America during the Irish Potato Famine, bringing their All Hallow's Eve traditions with them, including trick-or-treating, the carving of jack-o-lanterns, and dressing in costumes. These traditions have become the foundation of American Halloween celebrations today. In essence, the holiday was about embracing the youthful, playful spirit within all of us. Having said that, one of the most notable points I’ve heard people bring up about trick-or-treating at a relatively mature age (besides the obvious factor of free candy) is the feeling of nostalgia that comes with the practice. For a culture that constantly wonders why we grow up so fast, part of the reason may be due to the pressure of fitting in with the social norms of your age. Halloween offers an annual opportunity to take a step back and relive the childhood days of innocence and whimsy. It's a time for fun, creativity, and perhaps entering into a new identity for a day. Can you really blame people for wanting to participate? Nevertheless, those who would otherwise enjoy dressing up and collecting candy may be deterred by fears of judgment from neighbors or peers. Ultimately, The question of whether there is an age limit for trick-or-treating often comes down to social norms. There are unspoken rules within specific communities on the expectations of who and who should not be trick-or-treating. In the neighborhood where I live, trick-or-treating is mainly dominated by kids under the age of 13. For the last two Halloweens, I have been handing out candy on my Brooklyn stoop, all by choice, to see the kids' creative costumes and to witness their joy. However, I notice that when it isn’t young children coming to my stoop for candy, it’s teenagers not dressed in costumes, looking for an afterschool snack. I usually give them a piece of candy, but I often feel like I am rewarding the wrong behavior: Where's the spirit? I’m an advocate for Halloween being enjoyed by all ages, but I believe it's essential for everyone to embrace the spirit of dressing up and wholeheartedly participate in the spirit of the holiday. Besides, there is always something particularly exciting about seeing older people dress in nostalgic pop-culture-reference costumes—the kind you just don’t get from children's costumes. As an additional bonus, teens engaging in trick-or-treating receive an introductory lesson in economics, learning the principles of supply and demand – How riveting! Something I especially love about Halloween is that when people wear a costume, they momentarily transcend the boundaries of age, time, and identity. The enjoyment of dressing up for Halloween and receiving candy knows no age limits, and after all, candy doesn't discriminate. So I ask again, do YOU feel comfortable trick-or-treating if you’re someone over the age of 16? As long as you’re away from the potential judgment that comes out of trick-or-treating, I say do you and unapologetically bask in the fun, whether it be alone or with a friend. Happy trick-or-treating! The Feeling of Halloween