Serious question, I have no idea. Is there an established tradition, sequence of events, rule?
I just asked some kids, and they said they’d come later and secretly do some trick on me, but they didn’t seem too sure about it either.
This in Europe btw.
The original idea was that the “trick” was the default (some type of mischief or vandalism) but the costumed (annonymous) tricksters would give the person a chance to be spared by offering a “treat” instead.
We’ve gone so soft…
I thought that. Kids would have to a) come prepared for tricks (eggs, TP…) and b) not be recognizable. And I guess it also required that sweets/treats were more precious and less ubiquitous than they are today.
I think most traditional feasts used to have some sort of good/bad dualism built in, but over time the bad part got removed.