<P> In North America , trick - or - treating has been a Halloween tradition since the late 1920s . In Britain and Ireland the tradition of going house - to - house collecting food at Halloween goes back at least as far as the 16th century , as had the tradition of people wearing costumes at Halloween . In 19th century Britain and Ireland , there are many accounts of people going house - to - house in costume at Halloween , reciting verses in exchange for food , and sometimes warning of misfortune if they were not welcomed . The Scottish Halloween custom of `` guising '' -- children disguised in costume going from house to house for food or money -- is first recorded in North America in 1911 in Ontario , Canada . While going house - to - house in costume has remained popular among Scots and Irish , the custom of saying `` trick or treat '' has only recently become common . The activity is prevalent in the United States , Canada , the United Kingdom , the Republic of Ireland , Puerto Rico , and northwestern and central Mexico . In the latter , this practice is called calaverita ( Spanish for `` sugar skull '' ) , and instead of `` trick or treat '' , the children ask ¿ me da mi calaverita ? ( `` can you give me my sugar skull ? '' ) where a calaverita is a small skull made of sugar or chocolate . </P>
<P> In North America , trick - or - treating has been a Halloween tradition since the late 1920s . In Britain and Ireland the tradition of going house - to - house collecting food at Halloween goes back at least as far as the 16th century , as had the tradition of people wearing costumes at Halloween . In 19th century Britain and Ireland , there are many accounts of people going house - to - house in costume at Halloween , reciting verses in exchange for food , and sometimes warning of misfortune if they were not welcomed . The Scottish Halloween custom of `` guising '' -- children disguised in costume going from house to house for food or money -- is first recorded in North America in 1911 in Ontario , Canada . While going house - to - house in costume has remained popular among Scots and Irish , the custom of saying `` trick or treat '' has only recently become common . The activity is prevalent in the United States , Canada , the United Kingdom , the Republic of Ireland , Puerto Rico , and northwestern and central Mexico . In the latter , this practice is called calaverita ( Spanish for `` sugar skull '' ) , and instead of `` trick or treat '' , the children ask ¿ me da mi calaverita ? ( `` can you give me my sugar skull ? '' ) where a calaverita is a small skull made of sugar or chocolate . </P>
when did trick or treating start in the us
when did trick or treating start in the us
the late 1920s
the late 1920s