What does Halloween mean/mean to you?

[FlouncerInDenial]

Interested in what others may say.

So, for me. I'm not a Christian, but went to a CofE school in the 70s.
I'm sure we were told that Halloween was a biblical thing. The day (night, probably) before All Saints Day.
This was before trick or treating was a "thing". Although we had begun to hear about that as being a thing in America.

So, what is it to you?

[HowFastIsTooFast]

@JingsMahBucket Where did I say that Christmas was any different?

Now you mention it though I hate the commercialism of Christmas too and do my very best not to buy into it. I absolutely love the time of year, but hate the constant pressure to spend and the cursory exchanging of thoughtless gifts that neither party really wants or needs. I'm hoping there'll be a backlash towards a less commercial Christmas this year.

[MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously]

I hate it. Can't see the point in having decorations that make your house look ugly and encouraging kids to knock on stranger's doors to ask for sweets. It goes against the message we give to kids the rest of the year to not talk to or take things from strangers.

[DoTheNextRightThing]

I love Halloween. I love pumpkins, I love all things spooky, and I love my Celtic heritage. Halloween was pagan/Celtic until, like all things pagan, the Christians stole it. I'm also Scottish, so guising was the highlight of my year as a child.

[BashfulClam]

Trick or treating is American nonsense. Guising is what we call it in Scotland, disguising yourself from evil spirits. As a pagan it is very important to me as it is the new year and I will light candles to guide spirits home and put out an offering (this is where giving out sweets came from). I cringe when people use ‘trick or treat’ in the uk as this is not the custom I am used to.

[JaJaDingDong]

It's over taken Guy Fawkes night, which was the main event of the season when I was young, and for that I don't like it.

I don't like the general, and growing commercialisation of most celebratory religious days these days though: Easter, Mothering Sunday, Shrove Tuesday, Christmas (I mean Christmas Eve boxes . Come on), All Hallows' Eve (Halloween)......

[Kljnmw3459]

It wasn't a thing in Scandi countries when I was growing up so for me it's a fun American trick or treating, sweets laden night of cozy ghost movies.

[Changechangychange]

Was never a big thing as a child - just something to do at Brownies between Harvest Festival and Bonfire Night (we bobbed for apples, told creepy stories, and had a BBQ. Our Brown Owl was super-into BBQs).

DS is 3 and is incredibly keen on it. We have been reading a lot of Thomas and the Spooky Ghost Which Was Actually Just Emily in a Sheet type stories, and as far as he is concerned, that is Halloween. Dressing up and shouting boo at your friends to scare them, carving pumpkins, and being very brave by going outside in the dark with your torch. It is perfect for little kids.

[noideaatallreally]

@lazylinguist

I know that makes me sound like a miserable old had, but I'm really not. I love Christmas and go all out for that. I also lave Ester egg hunts etc. I just don't get the hype about Halloween.

I find it baffling that you can say that Halloween is just a money making exercise but happily go 'all out' for Christmas. Think how much more expense, 'plastic and tat' and excess food consumption (and no doubt huge food waste) is generated by Christmas than Halloween in the UK alone. You're welcome to dislike Halloween, but claiming it's because of consumerism and then going all out for Christmas is massively hypocritical imo.

That is quite the assumption you are making there! Trust me my Christmas is not about plastic tat and excessive food consumption. We clearly have different ideas about what 'all out ' might mean.

[museumum]

I’m Scottish and went guising every year from age 4ish. As my parents did before me and their parents before them (I remember my gran talking about it in what must have been the inter-war years).
My family are also catholic and were more than happy to mix the old Celtic and catholic traditions together.

[Changechangychange]

(I agree I’m not a fan of aggressive teenage trick or treating, or the American thing of adult women going to work dressed up as sexy pumpkins)

[Zenithbear]

For a good few years it meant helping dc dress up, carving pumpkins, taking the dc trick or treating, then a spooky tea, apple bobbing and a scary film.
Now they've all grown up we normally go to a party that we organise with our friends.

[PaddyF0dder]

I love Halloween. I’ve always had a bit of a macabre sensibility. I love the cheesy “spooky” crap, decorations, general gothic vibe. I love the costumes. I love having an excuse to watch horror movies more than usual.

It doesn’t “mean” anything I guess. But it appeals to me.

[BLASTPROCESSING]

MN Drinking Game: Every time someone on a Hallowe'en thread sneers about how "ItS aN AmErIcAn ImPoRt!!!" or some variation on that theme, take a shot. You'll need an ambulance by the time you get to the end of the thread.

[elp30]

I am Mexican American from a very large border city so Halloween was dressing up and giving and receiving candy. It was never a big deal but it was fun.

Then on November 1 & 2 it is "Dia de Los Muertos" (Day of the Dead) celebrations. We would make displays honoring our deceased ancestors, special meals and generally hang out at the cemetery where my grandparents are buried in Mexico and in the US. Watch the film, "Coco" and you'll understand more of what it's about.

[CherryValanc]

@BLASTPROCESSING

MN Drinking Game: Every time someone on a Hallowe'en thread sneers about how "ItS aN AmErIcAn ImPoRt!!!" or some variation on that theme, take a shot. You'll need an ambulance by the time you get to the end of the thread.

To make it safe:

"It's an American import" (or variant of) = two fingers of a long drink
"Glorified begging" (or variant of) = a shot

Still risky mind!!

[Hiccupiscal]

Today Dc, DP & i bumped into a mutual friends mother in the supermarket.
Stopped and said a socially distanced hello, she commented on our trolley with pumpkins and halloween cake mix etc, DP said "will you be joining in"

Of which she said "oh god no, stupid American traditions"....

Made me think of this thread so much, and made me desperate to tell her about the origins/and tell her that I found her attitude really crap.

I didnt because face masks, socially distancing and covid....

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

Nowadays, it’s a massive consumerist tat-fest - and nearly all Chinese plastic tat at that. And presumably a money spinner for anyone growing pumpkins.

But having said that, my dds always loved dressing up for trick or treating, ditto Gdcs now. So I always put a pumpkin in the window and have goodies ready for any children who call, though I’m not really expecting any this year - might have to eat all the tubes of Smarties myself, oh dear 🐷.
The pumpkin is always made into Thai-style soup the next day - waste not, want not.

[waitrosetrollydolly]

For me its all about guessing which child is which from our local village and making sure we have enough sweeties to go around 👻🤡👹

[Tumbleweed101]

For me it’s Samhain, the final autumn harvest before the cold, dark months really kick in. The final celebration of the year (in Celtic times it was the end of the year) where we reflect on the year gone by. It was the time to acknowledge our ancestors and it’s said to be the time in the year where we’re closest to the spirit world.

I like to make something of Halloween, for me it’s an important landmark in the year.

[BLASTPROCESSING]

"To make it safe:

"It's an American import" (or variant of) = two fingers of a long drink
"Glorified begging" (or variant of) = a shot

Still risky mind!!"

I look forward to the "NO ONE SAID SANTA IN THE UK UNTIL LAST WEEK" drinking game at Christmas.

[OrtamLeevz]

Halloween means very little to me other than a chance to show off my mediocre pumpkin carving skills.

[madcatladyforever]

Halloween not much although I enjoy all the fun and Halloween decor.
Samhain is the pagan New Year so it's a big deal in my circle and something we usually get together to celebrate with a ritual and a supper for the dead. A time when the veil is thin between the worlds and it's easier to contact the dead if we want to.
Like all things it's been done to death.

[lazylinguist]

That is quite the assumption you are making there! Trust me my Christmas is not about plastic tat and excessive food consumption.

I didn't say yours was. But I was responding to the post where you said this:

I think it is a money making exercise and the reason why yet more plastic will be added to landfills

My point was why criticise Halloween for consumerism and plastic when Christmas is a gazillion times more so? However wholesome and plastic-free your own personal going-all-out Christmas might be, Christmas in general is not. And if it were really that which bothered you about Halloween, it is just as possible to have a wholesome plastic-free Halloween!

[CherryValanc]

@BLASTPROCESSING

"To make it safe:

"It's an American import" (or variant of) = two fingers of a long drink
"Glorified begging" (or variant of) = a shot

Still risky mind!!"

I look forward to the "NO ONE SAID SANTA IN THE UK UNTIL LAST WEEK" drinking game at Christmas.

Me too, with a small gap after the Halloween one though (for recovery).

Also, best not forget "we don't do the Santa lie"

[Seeingadistance]

I’m Scottish, and I still spell Hallowe’en with an apostrophe!

For me, it was about disguising ourselves from the evil spirits that roamed about on All Hallow’s Eve. Guising, wearing ‘false faces’ which were often home-made, home-made costumes, doing our party piece in exchange for a few sweeties or nuts in their shells. Party games which included dooking for apples, with or without a fork, keeping your hands behind your back to eat syrup covered pancakes hanging from a pulley - with someone shoogling the pulley so it wasn’t too easy! And the smell of warm turnip from lanterns lit with candles!

And it was one night - not weeks on end! No plastic tat, no trick or treating, no pumpkins.