1 . If there are ghosts, goblins(小妖), witches, astronauts, cartoon characters, and a wild variety of oddly dressed creatures visiting your door asking for candy, chances are it’s Halloween.

Before you shell out the sweets, most of these visitors probably shout “trick or treat!” But why do they do that?

In the United States and Canada, trick-or-treating has been a popular Halloween activity since the late 1950s. Children of all ages dress up in costumes and travel from house to house to receive treats in response to their call of “trick or treat!”

The phrase is a subtle suggestion that if a treat (like candy) is given, then the child will not perform a “trick” (mischief) on the owner of the house. This popular Halloween custom has its origins in the ancient practices of “souling” and “guising.”

In the Middle Ages, poor people in Ireland and Britain would go “souling” on Hallowmas (November 1). “Souling” consisted of going door to door asking for food in return for saying prayers for the dead on All Souls Day (November 2).

“Guising” — the custom of wearing costumes, masks, or other forms of disguise — began in Scotland in the late 19th century. Scottish children hoped to prevent evil spirits from doing harm by dressing like them. They carried lanterns made out of hollow turnips and at various homes asked for treats, such as cakes, fruit, and money.

Immigrants brought these local customs to North America in the early 20th century. The term “trick or treat” first appeared in print in 1927 in Canada. No one knows for sure how or why that particular term came to be.

The custom of trick-or-treating started in the western United States and Canada and slowly moved eastward. The custom stalled(停滞) during World War II because sugar was rationed(限额) during that time. From the 1950s onward, however, the custom picked up steam and has been the central focus of Halloween ever since. Today, Halloween trick-or-treating is big business.

2 . After a tough year, friends have proven they have always been there for us. Choose Friendship Day 2021 to appreciate the connections you have in life or use this holiday to reach out to past friends and rekindle that bond.

National Friendship Day occurs every year on the first Sunday of August — August 7, 2022 — and celebrates the importance of loving, platonic relationships. For more than a century, we’ve celebrated the strength of friendship, and thanks to social media, we’re able to continue celebrating with our friends no matter where they are in the world.

Humans are the most social beings on earth: we need to relate to others, just as Abraham Maslow exposed in his Hierarchy of human needs. Our sociological needs motivate our behavior, encouraging us to make interpersonal relationships and connect with others on a deeper level. With such a huge need for human connection with people other than our significant other, it’s no wonder that we celebrate an entire holiday based on the importance of friendship.

National Friendship Day was originally a marketing strategy for Hallmark Cards in the 1930s. Founder Joyce Hall designated the day would take place on August 2 and decided it would be a day to celebrate the people closest to you — and send them a card or two in the process. It soon became a bigger deal than originally planned when the 1935 U.S. Congress pronounced the first Sunday of August as National Friendship Day.

The holiday continued gaining popularity, and in 1998 the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world’s Ambassador of Friendship. In 2011, during their 65th session, the U.N. designated July 30 International Friendship Day.

Nowadays, we celebrate National Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August. Thanks to advancements in technology, it is easier to get in touch with friends, to share, and to be thankful for them.

This August 2, celebrate the lover you create and share with the family that you chose — the friends who get you through hard times and cheer you on during your most successful moments.

I’m so glad to receive your letter.

Yours sincerely,

Zhang Wei