#halloweentricks

[weemsbotts]

All Tricks and No Treats: Mischievous Imps on the Prowl in Manassas

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

“Black cats peeping from the dark;

             Scat! Meow!

Each eye gleaming like a spark;

             Biff! Wow!

Owl a-hooting in the lane,

Tick-tack on the window pane –

Is the universe insane?

S-a-h-h! S-a-h-h!

It’s Halloween!”

(Source: The Manassas Journal, Friday, 11/05/1920)

While children in Dumfries managed to stop traffic in Northern Virginia with their Halloween mischief, Manassas had its’ fair shares of woes. Notably in October 1910 and October 1911, “Halloween Imps” took it upon themselves to transform the actual town – from destroying property to decorating the streets with merchant’s wares, Manassas was the scene of some serious Halloween scandal.

Trick-or-treating blends different cultural traditions stemming from the Middle Ages when children and adults used Halloween as a chance to earn money and/or food in exchange for songs and prayers. People baked “soul cakes”, small little round sweet cakes with a cross on top representing a soul released from Purgatory once consumed. One popular song associated with souling goes as follows: “A soul! A soul! A soul-cake! Please good Misses, a soul-cake! An apple, a pear, a plum, or cherry, Any good thing to make us all merry. One for Peter, two for Paul. Three for him who made us all.” This evolved to “guising” in Britain in the 19th century as children started to tell jokes, play an instrument, and offer performances for money and/or food. Scottish and Irish immigrants brought the various traditions with them, and by the end of the 19th century, American towns experienced different levels of tricks – from tying opposite apartment doorknobs together to 200 boys attacking people with bags of flour in streetcars in Washington, D.C. 1894.

(Halloween Postcard, Published by Raphael Tuck & Sons, Series 150. Postmarked 31 October 1908. Source: Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol)

While the Manassas and Prince William County newspapers do not report biological attacks with gluten, they do illustrate the damage determined children can do to property. “Down in the business district, doors of shops were barricaded with all manner of heavy commodities that were tributes to the muscular strength of the merrymakers.” Children allegedly coated businesses with paint and signs, and managed to move a bandstand. “The bandstand that has occupied a conspicuous position in the landscape at the corner of Center and Main streets is no more. It transferred its location to the middle of the street during the night, refused to be moved back, and was torn to pieces, after impeding traffic by its obstinacy.” The following year, the children once again “ruled with a reign of topsy-turvy in the old town”, the author noting, “Wraiths and witches, some of them angelic, were abroad when shades of night fell, vanishing on the stroke of midnight when imps of his Satanic majesty held sway.” This time, people found the antic more annoying than destructive, although they still removed and exchanges gates from different houses, and decorated storefronts with merchandise scattered in the street. The author ended the piece noting a little scrying, “Sentimental maidens gazing into mirrors saw visions of their future husbands.”

(Center Street, Manassas, Va, 1915-1916, Manassas Museum)

The holiday transformed as people moved from more rural landscapes to urban cities and WWI and WWII affected available foods and mindsets. While the early 1900 newspapers might have joked about the children soaping the windows (a practice reportedly done in Dumfries), editors lamented the waste of resources and time during WWII. Although President Harry Truman attempted to curtail and change the holiday by introducing “Youth Honor Day” in 1950 (you can see how successful that was), society cleverly started advertising “trick or treat” in magazines, newspapers, and even movies starting in the late 1930s building momentum into the 1950s.

So what would you have bribed children with the in the early 1900s? The Wunderle Candy Company created candy corn in 1880 and you could have also shopped for tootsie rolls, Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum, and Candy Floss. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars and kisses, NECCO wafers, and Chiclets all appeared in the very early 1900s.

Note: Ready to put away Halloween and turn your attention to holiday baking? Join us for a free virtual November Member cookie swap on Saturday, 11/07 @ 10am! Meet with us virtually to share and discover new recipes, along with recipes dating from the 18th and 19th century! Click here for free tickets.

(Sources: The Manassas Journal, Reign of Topsy-Turvy in the Old Town By Mischievous Imps of Halloween, 11/03/1910; The Manassas Democrat, Hallowe;en Imps in Merry Mischief: Wild Reign of Topsy-Turvey, 11/02/1911; Hiskey, Daven. Today I Found Out Feed Your Brain: How the Tradition of Trick or Treating Got Started, 10/17/2012; Bannatyne, Lesley. When Halloween was All Tricks and No Treats, Smithsonian Online Magazine, 10/27/2017; Candy Favorites: Retro Candy Timeline)

[bunkysvintageandcrafts]

Excited to share the latest addition to my #etsy shop: Ridleys house of novelties 2 x Ice Cubes with Insect Inside Halloween Trick Toy #halloween #rare #searchattributes #listingsmanager #ridleys #houseofnovelties https://etsy.me/3gHn6YK #etsy #bunkysvintagecrafts #etsyfinds #etsygifts #etsysale #etsycoupon #shopsmall #womeninbusiness #bosschicks #insectinice #halloweentrick #trickice #trickicecube #icecubetrick (at Tadley) https://www.instagram.com/p/CA9pOZyAfsu/?igshid=a35xmk30d1z9

[soft-simmer]

SIMBLREEN 2019

I'm going to do simblreen this year!! ( I try to do all three weekends. But i will inform you if i have to sit out one day)

My Porchlight will be always one from morning till evening my time. (Germany)

these are my porchlight graphics for when it’s on or when it’s off.

I am also a part of the S4MM Discord HalloweenTrick or Treat event, but for that i’m going to do a separate post, with invite link and the amazing poster @cmykayleena​ made

have a spoopy weekend :D

[lolilooo]

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A post shared by 𝔹𝕖𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕪•ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙•𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖•𝔸𝕣𝕥 (@lolilooo)

👹💃🏻My Red Devil Monster! Hope you like last years’ creation! - Btw, sooo happy that @preendotme and @dermalogica sent me an awesome care package of cleansing goodies including this amazing #dermalogica #PreCleanse that melts all kinds of crazy Halloween makeup off- even waterproof stuff! 😱 can't wait to give the other goodies a try and I'll be posting my thoughts soon! 😄 #halloweentricks 👹: @mehronmakeup paradise paints in red and black, @meltcosmetics shadow in dark matter @inglot_usa 77 gel liner @ofracosmetics liquid lipsticks in brooklyn and Staten Island @litcosmetics glitter in tinsel town @houseoflashes lashes in iconic @camoeyes breaking dawn contacts . . . . . . #litcosmetics #meltcosmetics #ofracosmetics #houseoflashes #camoeyes #inglot #mehronmakeup #halloweencostume #halloweenmakeup #halloween2017 #peachyqueenblog #wakeupandmakeup #dressyourface #nyx #nyxcosmetics #limecrime #katvond #kvdlook #katvondbeauty #facepaint #facepainting #kvdbeauty #devil #gothicmakeup #gothgirl #evil (at Snapchat: Loliloooo)

[words2life]

🎃𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥🎃𝐅Řόｍ Ŵέ𝓷𝔢𝐁𝑜ڶ𝓞  💥 Tricks, Treats, And Fall Foliage!! 𝓐 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓣𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 #𝓦𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓫𝓸𝓳𝓸! 𝔀𝔀𝔀.𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓫𝓸𝓳𝓸.𝓬𝓸𝓶 #HalloweenTricks #HalloweenTreats #storytelling #FallFoliage2021 #sundayfunday #halloweenvibes #octobergiveaway #HalloweenGifts #halloween2021

[bellacandlefactory]

So, this Halloween how do you decorate your home? We like it really spooky ;) . .. ... #BELLACANDLEFACTORY #dessertcandles #halloween #halloween2019 #halloween🎃 #halloweentime #halloweenfun #halloweenart #halloweenideas #halloween🎃👻 #halloweenvibes #halloweenspirit #halloweenseason #halloweenlover #halloweendecor #halloweendecorations #halloweendecoration #halloweendecorating #halloweendecorideas #halloweendecorations🎃 #halloweendecorationsareup #halloweencandles #halloweencandles😈💀 #halloweencandle #halloweentricks #halloweentrickortreat #holidayparty #holidaymood #holidaytime #holidaydecor https://www.instagram.com/p/B4T1mN6hkJf/?igshid=2m64wugfolkq

[kerinrealty]

If you dont I am a huge Halloween Fanatic 🎃🎃. Well I just got Tricked. Well played well played 😂😀👻. I know look like the kid from problem child lol. . . . #trick #defaced #prank #trickortreat #KerinRealty #wrap #halloweentrick #funny #wellplaydd #😀 #😂 #🎃 #really #lol #myface #whatthe #payback #kr #tampa (at KerinRealty Realtor) https://www.instagram.com/p/BouYHBVlJ7M/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c1gp9kl45lvt

[devilduck]

If you look too soon, you will see instead of your lover true, a #clown or perchance a loon. #HalloweenTricks.

[myhappyhalloween-blog]

Solitaire Halloween [Download] Buy Now $6.89 Product Description Solitaire HalloweenTrick or treat! Enjoy new hands in this special holiday solitaire!

[lolilooo]

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A post shared by 𝔹𝕖𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕪•ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙•𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖•𝔸𝕣𝕥 (@lolilooo)

👹💃🏻My Red Devil Monster! Hope you like! - Btw, sooo happy that @preendotme and @dermalogica sent me an awesome care package of cleansing goodies including this amazing #dermalogica #PreCleanse that melts all kinds of crazy Halloween makeup off- even waterproof stuff! 😱 can't wait to give the other goodies a try and I'll be posting my thoughts soon! 😄 #halloweentricks 👹: @mehronmakeup paradise paints in red and black, @meltcosmetics shadow in dark matter @inglot_usa 77 gel liner @ofracosmetics liquid lipsticks in brooklyn and Staten Island @litcosmetics glitter in tinsel town @houseoflashes lashes in iconic @camoeyes breaking dawn contacts (at Snapchat: Loliloooo)

[words2life]

Tricks, Treats, And Fall Foliage

A Free Treat from Wenebojo! Check Out #Wenebojo free Halloween gift - www.wenebojo.com

#HalloweenTricks #HalloweenTreats #FallFoliage2021 #octobergiveaway #HalloweenGifts #halloween2021

[bellacandlefactory]

So, this Halloween how do you decorate your home? We like it really spooky ;) . .. ... #BELLACANDLEFACTORY #dessertcandles #halloween #halloween2019 #halloween🎃 #halloweentime #halloweenfun #halloweenart #halloweenideas #halloween🎃👻 #halloweenvibes #halloweenspirit #halloweenseason #halloweenlover #halloweendecor #halloweendecorations #halloweendecoration #halloweendecorating #halloweendecorideas #halloweendecorations🎃 #halloweendecorationsareup #halloweencandles #halloweencandles😈💀 #halloweencandle #halloweentricks #halloweentrickortreat #holidayparty #holidaymood #holidaytime #holidaydecor https://www.instagram.com/p/B4TPsa6hafI/?igshid=1pnj8plb66ykh

[tykishapeterson]

👎🐊😡Fernando has jokes today on his way back from Miami. This shit isn't funny, he says Happy Halloween. #crazyass #domesticpartner #halloweentricks

[meganevans512]

great time at the Magic Castle with these fine people #magicians #Halloweentricks #fancy #workperk (at The World Famous Magic Castle, Hollywood)

[moyssidis]

Are you playing any tricks on your trick or treaters? What decorations are you using in your front yard? Via bhg.com #halloweentricks #halloweendecorations #halloweenfun #halloweenparty #halloweenpartysupplies