Crap halloween givers

[WashingAt30]

It's nice when someone opens the door to you, and they at least smile, and maybe have a little chat about the DC's costumes. My god, some people don't even look happy, just shove a bag of sweets at you as close the door! I wouldn't be surprised if one creepy man we met was on some kind of offenders register. Why bother if you're not going to get into the spirt?!

Was Halloween completely unknown in England? Of course not. You had it widely celebrated on your northern border and across the Irish sea for one. Its an historic autumnal event. Agatha Christie wrote Hallowe'en Party in 1969 (just been adapted to film by Kenneth Branagh).

Getting the odd mention doesn't alter the low status it held in England.

It’s just nice when people get involved at all tbh, I don’t expect them to sing and dance as they hand the sweets over.

I recall when I was 18 onwards in late 80s/early 90s most of us had Halloween parties to go to. One year at 22 or so my best friend had her 2 boys who were 3 and 1 and she took them trick or treating. There was one very memorable Halloween party with the group of friends I used to go clubbing with and some new friends, some had a party and one girl was dressed as a pumpkin (big orange costume), this was mid 80s. In my earlier teens, yes, I probably didn’t go trick or treating because you go through that phase of it’s not cool to do it!

Most shopping centres definitely had costumes. There was no way I’d be making a witches hat!

and look what I’ve found here:-

https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/retro/15-wicked-blackpool-scenes-of-halloween-nights-out-at-blackpool-bars-and-clubs-in-the-90s-and-00s-3899372

ooh another one, in Teesside and featuring children.

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/nostalgia/gallery/15-spooky-photos-teesside-childrens-25230874.amp

I think this and despite not providing any sources I'm going to keep stamping my feet and saying it

And if you provide your own lived experience I will demand sources

And if you provide sources I will say there aren't enough sources

And I will say my one lived experience is more important than any of your multiple lived experiences and sources that you provide.

Whatever you say @DeeCee77

If it's an Americanism... So what?

Are we not allowed to change as a culture? Not allowed to adopt fun/nice traditions from other cultures? We've done that for centuries.

@DeeCee77

Yes it does. Loads of celluloid has been lost because it was never digitised. The internet wasn’t even invented until 1994 so your Google Search of 80/90s tv is just not valid.

I specifically used England rather than British because many people from Scotland/Wales/N Ireland want to be recognised as Scottish/Welsh/Irish rather than British and I’m absolutely ok with that.

And tbh, you banging on about HWeen not being celebrated in the UK in the same way as Ireland is really feckin’ winding me up. I was at Uni in Manchester in the 90s and tbh HWeen just wasn’t as fashionable (or commercial) then as it is now and was largely seen as a kids thing.

We were too busy listening to 8O8 State and going to the Ritz and thank God there wasn’t any social media!

Glad to see you've rowed back on "Halloween was hardly ever celebrated in England" given the amount of people who made you look silly, Dee. Now it's just "low status".

"Children have been dressing up for Halloween for centuries, and Teesside kids are no exception."

Is that so? We have someone here who thinks she knows better.

Ah the Ritz ..🤣

We had an autumn wreath out and pumpkins and I bought Haribo sweets to give out so I was actively and willingly participating but when I opened the door I just said “Hi” and handed them each a bag of sweets. I then repeated this 50 times. Sorry but I didn’t feel the need to have a conversation every time, compliment their costumes etc etc

Surely the fact these people even answered their doors and gave your children FREE sweets is the main thing, it’s not like they answered the door and told them to go away.

At least you are acknowledging Wales exists which is more than a certain poster who keep banging on about Ireland and Scotland with absolutely zero mention of Nos Galan Gaeaf, which is Welsh Halloween which for centuries has included tradition of going round the houses to collect food etc (trick or treating), wearing masks (dressing up) and playing tricks or pranks.

But apparently its all about Ireland and Scotland 🙄

In England it is an "americanism" insofar as they exported this Irish/Scottish cultural event to England. Very similar to Germany and other places that have adopted the Irish/Scottish custom. The only american thing about Halloween is the pumpkin (I've no qualms on that as the turnip (which I only ever got to use) is much harder to carve and it doesn't look as good).

Go back to my original posts. I never stated "nobody in England celebrated Halloween". Nor did I was it was "unknown".

Anecdotal examples of people who did doesn't alter its status as something celebrated by a tiny fraction of the English populous, many of whom were of Irish ancestry/live near the Scottish borders.

Still awaiting all these Halloween TV specials prior to the 2000s (shedloads since of course, give that's when Halloween took off in England).

I'm going by what is in the literature. There's no mention of Wales in regards to Halloween.

Anecdotal examples of people who did doesn't alter its status as something celebrated by a tiny fraction of the English populous, many of whom were of Irish ancestry/live near the Scottish borders.

Its not a tiny fraction. I lived on the South Coast and it was celebrated widely in schools and by everyone I grew up with and around. Many others here say exactly the same and it’s fair to assume this is representative of general reality. You wouldn’t know because you didn’t even live in England! Yet you seem to think you are the expert on how children in England lived in the 70s, 80s and 90s. It’s bizarre.

You also keep banging on about TV even though you’ve been given examples of Halloween programming (which you’ve ignored) and it’s also been pointed out how different TV in the 70s and 80s was compared to post-2000 programming, so of course it won’t be the same (which you’ve also ignored). TV is not a sole measure of culture and history.

Actually if TV specials are such an important signifier, I’d be really interested in the details of TV programming in Ireland in the 70s and 80s.

To that Welsh contributor, from BBC Wales:

"The influence of American traditions is particularly striking, such as decorating one’s house or going trick-or-treating. When it comes to the human emotions linked to Halloween however, anticipation, fear and excitement to name but three, these are truly timeless and eternal.”

In sharp contrast, from The Irish News in 2014:

"Scotland and Ireland started tricking: A few decades later a practice called 'guising' was in full swing in Scotland and Ireland. Short for 'disguising', children would go out from door to door dressed in costume and rather than pledging to pray, they would tell a joke, sing a song or perform another sort of "trick" in exchange for food or money. The expression trick or treat has only been used at front doors for the last 10 to 15 years. Before that "Help the Halloween Party" seems to have been the most popular phrase to holler.”

See the difference?

But it’s wrong though, or are all the thousands of children who went trick or treating in the 80s in some kind of fever dream 😂

Maybe it was English children who led the way on this, and Scottish and Irish children only adopted the phrase more recently?

It's just desperate now from that poster.

Nos Galon Gaeaf has been recorded in literature as far back as the 10th century and probably existed in oral tradition prior to that.

Just because you haven't read the literature that talks about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

You are coming across as incredibly uneducated at this point.

Yes yes yes! 😁
thanks for reviving that childhood memory.
I’d forgotten all about turnips on a string on bonfire night.
good old days

Have you got the Blue Peter Halloween special on this period please?

How about you post Halloween programming from.Ireland ,in the 70,s 80,sand 90,s
People have already posted stuff from.England from that period which you have largely ignored.

It's only one (albeit a big one).

Can't think of a bigger indicator than schools being off for Halloween, which has been the case here for as long as I know.