We treat it like fun - the local Police have been proactive in recent years - posting through doors with stickers to put up - ie, Yes or No to T or T. They have also visited all the local schools and the local protocol is no knocking on doors unless there is a lit pumpkin visible. This seems to work very well and no-one knocks on doors where there is no pumpkin. I took the children out in their fancy dress and we had a lovely reception - we only called at receptive houses and everyone was welcoming - some folks had made amazing efforts - at one house the door was opened and smoke came out, accompanied by clever lighting and sound effects; at another, a fully costumed witch answered, but the best was a trio of costumed witches gesturing from a backlit bedroom window as we approached the house - my kids said that this was the best bit of the whole evening.
They can't wait to go again next year - they said the fun was better than the sweets. Fair enough.

I also have no problem with Halloween parties, dressing up, etc. but I do not like T or Ting. I agree with Kirk1, unless it's little kids with their parents going to houses where they've already asked if it's ok. My DH is away tonight and I don't want to answer the door to a group of teenagers looking menacing, so think I will turn all the lights off at the front of the house and ignore any knocks at the door! Maybe that makes me an old fart, but I don't like being made to feel intimidated in my own house.

Um, I wish everyone would stop being so uptight

Halloween is a pagan festival which is about remembrance and welcoming the departed. Sounds a bit like a Christian Mass don't it....

If it is a nice thing to recall Jesus by eating his flesh and blood (ewwww) then surely small children in crappy zombie outfits shouldn't cause offence to anyone.

I think that if a house is decorated on the outside/has a pumpkin, then you are fair game for trick or treaters, just turn the lights off and bark at people if not.

I am getting very excited and will be dressing up as a total chav, in celebration of my expanding pregnant belly.

Happy Halloween x

Lishylooloo,

I did a google search for "Halloween English Tradition" Try these for a start - this was the first one off the rank:
http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/halloweenglobal.php

Look here and scroll down to "origin of name" to see that Hallowe'en has been celebrated in England for hundreds of years:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

Yes, of course, you are correct in saying that the origin of Hallowe'en is Celtic, however the origin of Trick-or-treating is English, and both have been practised here for centuries. Sorry, I should have said originally the people think of it as 'only' being Celtic or American

I don't have anything against it, but loathe trick or treat.

I'm not against Halloween, just the trick-or-treat thing. I find it uncomfortably close to extortion. I couldn't find the moral difference between "Gimmie money or I'll smash up your nice corner shop" and "Gimmie sweets or I'll put egg all over your shiny car/ knock at the door and run away/stinkbomb through your letterbox/tp over your house"

And yes I know that MOST kids probably wouldn't do the trick, but the threat is there isn't it? My brothers did used to carry out the trick, they got into serious trouble for putting stinkbombs through the letterbox of the village misery-guts! I have a friend who finds the whole thing very intimidating and hides on halloween night. I won't inflict that on anyone.

Faddies: I've been doing a bit of research and most sources say that Halloween is a celtic tradition as I have always believed it to be....? It could of course have English origins too but I think the celtic ones definitely exist. Not that it really matters anyway...

This is a great thread. I didn't realise the reason for the ressing up, Nassau. That's fun

Great post Faddles, agree with you completely.

Nobody has mentioned why you actually dress up! The traditional reason is (as stated before) that on All Hallows Eve the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead became thin and the spirits of the dead would be able to cross over. People were afraid of what the spirits would do to them (ie 'spirit' them away across the veil) so they dressed up/disguised themselves and would roam the streets trying to fool the spirits into believing that they weren't living beings. Of course, back then, they just wore rags and put ashes on their faces - not quite the same as today .

I hope to celebrate Hallowe'en for many more years to come.

Ah, when you're a kid, there's nothing better than a "bought one".