Halloween

When I was young enough to go trick-or-treating, that's not what we called it. It was referred to as "Beggars Night" where we grew up. It was usually in the late afternoon or early evening, long before dark. And it was specifically not held on October 31, but perhaps on the 30th or 29th, depending on what day of the week it fell on that year. I don't know if I've ever met anyone (outside my hometown area) who used that same term or recognized what it was.

I learned very recently [today, when I Googled it] that the term Beggars Night is regional. Apparently it's only used in areas of Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, western New York, and my home state of Iowa.

Here are a few Halloween snapshots from our collection.

Halloween in the 1920s near Lake Andes, South Dakota:

The moment before these children scared their Granny in the late 1950s in Missouri:

Halloween 1976, collecting the special gingerbread cookies our Swedish grandmother made for us instead of giving out candy: