Halloween

Halloween (eng. Halloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) — a modern holiday tradition Dating back to the ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland, whose history began in the territory of modern Britain and Northern Ireland. Celebrated on October 31, the eve of all saints Day. Halloween is traditionally celebrated in English-speaking countries, though the official day is not. The end of XX century, the process of Americanization and globalization, the fashion for Halloween paraphernalia appeared in most non-English speaking countries of Europe and CIS. Halloween is celebrated informally in some other countries with close cultural ties with the United States or Britain, for example, in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, in a number of island countries in Oceania, more recently — in Russia and other CIS countries.
The tradition of dressing up in costumes and walk from house to house, begging for sweets, appeared in the middle Ages and were originally associated with Christmas. In England and Ireland since ancient times, the poor went from house to house and begging for the so-called "spiritual cakes" on all saints ' Day (1 November), promising in exchange to pray for the souls of the dead relatives of the owners. Although this practice is considered native British, researchers have also found mention of it in the South of Italy. One of the characters of the Comedy of William Shakespeare's "Two gentlemen of Verona" in the phrase "You whine like a beggar for all saints 'Day", which indicates a wide distribution of this custom at the end of the XVI century.

The term Trick-or-treating first started to be used in the US, the first time its use was recorded in 1934, and he began to actively spread only since 1939. Literary it can be translated as trick-or-treating (common options — trick or treat, trick or treat, etc.) that indicates humorous a threat to harm, if the owner does not bring the children treats. But the conventional translation of the term in Russian language there is and usually it is given in the original or replacement to the phrase trick or treat. Although the term was first mentioned only in Western North America to 1940-the years were already widespread across the country. In modern times the phrase is clearly humorous tone and it is often used outside the United States, for example, in Ireland and Japan, not afraid to extortion charges.