Neighbours all gave money, not sweets on Halloween in 80s

[ofwarren]

I was born and brought up in a working class town in Lancashire and on Halloween I'd always be a witch. My mum would dress me in a bin bag with a witches hat and I'd take out a swede (which they called a turnip) with a face carved in and a candle inside.

We would go door to door, usually only a few streets where my mum knew people and we were not given sweets, everyone gave money!

These days everyone gives sweets there but I'm just wondering if giving money was normal where you grew up?

80s here we got cash generally. Satsumas and monkey nuts too.

Swede Jack O Lanterns, bin bags and plastic masks that left elastic marks on the sides of your face

we sang

Hallowe'ens coming halloweens coming, witches will be after you

Big black hats and big black cats

Woo hoohoohoo HOO

Grew up in london and was always sweets , got the odd 20 p when people had forgot sweets , born 75 only when i was about 10/11 people started trick or treat not done when we were little really
Now in SW and always sweets etc since my kids done last 15 years or so

Mo songs in london either and wasn't a huge thing

I remember when residents said 'trick' and you had to play a trick, tell a joke etc.

Kids these days just look blankly if you say it and think they just get sweets regardless.

Southeast. We'd do Halloween type games like apple bobbing at bonfire parties but not trick or treating or dressing up. It was also associated with yobs intimidating people and vandalising houses although I never saw it happen. you were more likely to get the police called on you for trick or treating than get any goodies!

I'm Manx so back in the day for us it was home-carved turnip** lanterns (of which we were exceptionally proud) and a song, in exchange for money. Different parts of the Isle of Man - despite its small size - had different versions of the Hop Tu Naa (Hallowe'en) song.

The song I learned was:

Hop Tu Naa
Hop Tu Naa
Me mother's gone away
And she won't be back until the morning
Jinny the witch flew over the house
To get the stick to ladder the mouse
Hop Tu Naa
Hop Tu Naa
Me father's gone away
And he won't be back until the morning

<I love the equal opps witching>

We wore our own ordinary clothes, wrapped up warm, and were given money on doorsteps - halfpennies, pennies and sometimes a thruppeny bit. We used it to buy sweets the next day in the corner shop. Late 60s and early 70s.

I remember the smell of coal fire chimney smoke in the dark air, and trying to keep my candle alight. We were allowed matches, even at a young age!

**I think English people call them swedes. The big orange swedish turnips anyway. DP (English) argues incessantly with me about it from the 30th October until I threaten the patio treatment.