ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KTVI) — Thousands of trick-or-treaters will go door-to-door Friday across the St. Louis region, dressed in costumes and ready to fill their bags with candy. But some may need to earn their tasty treats with a sense of humor.
As part of a Halloween tradition for some St. Louis-area households, your child might be asked to tell a joke in exchange for candy. Occasionally, this may come as a surprise to parents who venture out with their children for the first time, families who recently moved to the St. Louis area, or out-of-towners.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this started, but jokes have been part of the St. Louis trick-or-treating experience for decades. As to why? That depends on who you ask.
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Folklorist John Oldani offers some insight in his 2013 book St. Lou-isms, linking the tradition to Irish culture. Historians say, as part of an Oct. 31 festival that originated around 2,000 years ago, people would disguise themselves and ask people for items to keep an evil spirit away…