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?

[Anotherducker]

I love it, but I’m a bit sad that Bonfire night seems to be so overshadowed by it.

[AdultHumanFemale]

Absolutely nothing, and if it was never celebrated again, I wouldn't miss it.

[noideaatallreally]

@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!

Again, you appear to be making assumptions. I also dislike those aspects of Christmas, but the OP was asking for opinions on Halloween.

[Qwenzo]

Born in the 60s and always did ‘halloweening’ (trick or treating) as a child. For sweets and money.
Have always done it for my kids, we’ve made a big thing of it. Not for any religious significance but because it’s a fun thing to do in autumn. For me it’s part of the lead up to Christmas.
Love the American celebrations and have visited the US at Halloween where it’s a lovely fun thing to do. Children like fun - where’s the harm in it?

[Limpid]

It's baffling to me that people are decrying the demise of Guy Fawkes/Fifth of November, which is tasteless, jingoistic and sectarian.

[catlovingdoctor]

A commercialised Americanism

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

We’re in Tier 3. Dh has just read something out about Halloween being banned in Tier 3

[OnceUponAnEnzyme]

Not much. This year we (a house of adults) will watch a spooky movie with treats - but that's mostly because it falls on a Saturday night and there's nothing much else happening these days...

[SurreyHillsGirl]

Well as well as being my wonderful gran's birthday.. I love Halloween, so does DH. We usually throw a fancy dress party for friends and decorate the house. This year I have carved pumpkins and decorated on a fairly low scale, we will watch scary movies next weekend and dress the dogs up! It's a bit of fun and I guess we are both young at heart (we are mid forties and child free!) [thIsmile]

[SurreyHillsGirl]

halloween smile didn't work

[lazylinguist]

Again, you appear to be making assumptions

Not really. Don't like Halloween because it's a money-making exercise and puts plastic in landfills. Do like Christmas even though it does the same. Either festival can be done by spending lots of money and filling landfills with plastic... or without, so it just doesn't seem a very good reason for disliking Halloween.

I don't spend anything on Halloween apart from buying 2 pumpkins to carve and some sweets to give to trick-or-treaters. The dc make their own costumes from stuff they already own. No plastic tat, all pretty low key.

I absolutely love Christmas, but it's pretty expensive buying presents for dc and extended family, even though we don't go OTT. Plus wrapping, decorations and the expense of either feeding extra people or travelling to stay with other people.

[lazylinguist]

It's baffling to me that people are decrying the demise of Guy Fawkes/Fifth of November, which is tasteless, jingoistic and sectarian.

Probably because hardly anyone is particularly interested in what it's about, it's just an opportunity to go and watch some lovely fireworks and stand round a bonfire in the autumn chill, eating nice things.

[Ignacious]

Nothing

[Oblomov20]

Nothing. It never had the hype it does these days, years ago, when my ds's were young.

I put up decs and give out sweets locally. I used to enjoy putting up the decs and buying the sweets. But this year I've questioned why did I actually enjoy it?

I don't know why I fucking bothered. Glad I don't have to, to be honest. Covid has done me a favour this year.

[Taytocrisps]

I'm Irish so Hallowe'en has always been a really big occasion/celebration. As kids we learnt that the veil between the human world and the world of the spirits thinned on Oíche Shamhna (31st October) and so ghosts and witches etc. were free to roam the earth. People dressed up on that night as a protective mechanism - to confuse the spirits and trick them into thinking that humans are their own kind.

In the days leading up to Hallowe'en, the shops would stock up on monkey nuts, mixed nuts and other exotic items like wine apples and coconuts. At school we'd do arts and crafts relating to Hallowe'en - we'd paint Hallowe'en pictures to hang in the windows of our houses and we'd make witches hats etc. All the talk would be about what you were dressing up as for Hallowe'en. The teenage boys would spend days gathering material for bonfires in local fields and parks.

On Hallowe'en itself we'd have a special dinner of colcannon served with meat or fish. Colcannon consists of potatoes, kale and onion mashed together with butter. Mam would slip coins wrapped in foil into the colcannon on each plate - that made dinner extra exciting.
After dinner we'd put our costumes together. They were simple, home made costumes. The girls were invariably witches because it was such an easy costume - the witches' hats we'd made at school and a refuse sack. And maybe a broom if we had one in the kitchen. My older brother would do something revolving around Dad's work boots. One year he was a coalman - soot on his face and Dad's work boots. Another year he was robber - a woolly hat, soot on his face and Dad's work boots. And another year I think he was a farmer - dungarees and Dad's work boots....... For a bit of variety, we'd rip a hole in a sheet and make a ghost costume ("Don't tell Mam").

We'd knock on doors and chant 'Help the Hallowe'en party'. The disgruntled home owners would reward us with nuts, a few grapes, a mandarin and sometimes some coins. The air would be thick would smoke from the bonfires and fireworks would light up the sky.

After knocking on doors, we'd come home and eat our nuts/fruit and play party games. We'd do bobbing for apples and play games involving a plate of flour and a grape - each participant had to cut a 'slice' of flour until the grape fell off. Whoever knocked the grape off, had to eat the grape with their hands behind their back, and then the others would push their face into the flour. Dad would attempt to break open the hard nuts with a hammer and they'd go bouncing all over the room. The coconut was a big disappointment and tasted nothing like Bounty bars. At some point Mam would serve up tea and slices of barm brack slathered in butter. The brack contained a ring and whoever got the ring was guaranteed to get married.

Hallowe'en has obviously changed a bit since I was a kid. Pumpkins didn't feature at all in our celebration of Hallowe'en but now they're everywhere. The home made costumes have been replaced by expensive costumes. The hand drawn/painted Hallowe'en pictures we painted in school and hung in our windows have been replaced by fancy decorations from shops. Instead of chanting 'Help the Hallowe'en party', the kids chant 'Trick or Treat'. Does that bother me? You might expect me to say "Yes", but actually I'm just relieved that the traditions of Hallowe'en haven't died out. Some details have changed (the same can be said of Christmas btw - I mean, there were no Christmas trees or crackers or Santa Claus in the stable at Bethlehem) but the essence of it remains the same. My DD absolutely loves Hallowe'en and I hope my grandkids do too.

[Taytocrisps]

@catlovingdoctor

A commercialised Americanism

@catlovingdoctor I suggest you read my post and then try and tell me it's an Americanism

[Frdd]

@Taytocrisps northern or southern? 😜

[Taytocrisps]

@Frdd southern. I'm very partial to a Tayto cheese and onion sandwich. It has to be on batch loaf slathered in Kerrygold.

[Frdd]

Heresy! The only true tayto are yellow northern tayto. 😂

[Frdd]

And Dromona. Please.

With you on the batch though. Can’t beat it. 😍

[Taytocrisps]

I have to be careful not to eat it too late at night now, or it gives me heartburn. The joys of middle age.

[Frdd]

Some poor wee man in Belfast got a fine for selling southern tayto not that long ago my auntie was telling me 😂😂😂

[Taytocrisps]

So good they're smuggling it across the border

[Frdd]

😉

[Bikingbear]

I've two questions - what's tayto?

What's the difference between bob and dook for apples?