To ask why people celebrate Halloween

[Flippetydip]

This is absolutely not a goady post but I just don't get Halloween at all. It seems like a celebration of everything that is horrible. Why do people do it?

I was driving across Southern Scotland last night around 7pm. A rural trip, my journey took me though 6 or 7 towns and villages,

The streets were jumping. Little witches, Wizards, sketeltons, every place I passed through ( including eventually my own town) had hoards of little ones with their parents going around the streets I saw several hundred kids in spooky costumes over an area of 30 miles.

Are you suggesting that didn't happen oliver?

Ah, so your experiences are 'right' and everyone else's are fabricated. That makes sense.

My children hadn’t, they’re 3 and 2. I had though.

I have never travelled on the Paris underground.

Does that fact I have never done that lead me to a correct conclusion that it doesn't exist?

No. It's a limitation of my experience.

Same with Oliver.

Oliversmumsarmy..... I did warn you!

It's November now. Maybe it's time to move on and start insisting that Irish posters are wrong to refer to Santa Claus, because only Americans call him Santa?

I am mystified that you have managed to escape any manifestations of Halloween Oliversmumsarmy.

DH and I saw loads of little children dressed up last night walking around our village. Even the pub had a bowl of sweets on the bar for trick or treaters.

oliver you really don't know any Irish people mystified by Halloween, it's a long standing tradition there.

Read the thread, educate yourself and stop talking absolute bollocks.

I am 33. I had approximately 15 groups of Trick or Treaters to my house last night. Much less than last year, actually. I didn’t go Trick or Treating as a child as my mum didn’t allow it but all my friends did. We’re in the East Midlands but I’ve lived in 8 counties as an adult and have had Trick or treaters in all of them, except when I lived 2 miles down a dirt track in a barn conversion in Warwickshire.

But obviously I must have imagined it all as Oliversmumsarmy has never experienced it

Yes we are all collective liars.

I don't know why I should educate myself on something I have never come across.

I was saying I had never come across a trick or treater. I know for some who have had 50 children knocking on their door this might be unbelievable because they feel everyone celebrates Halloween but we have never had a single trick or treater in our area. We have been here for 20 years.
Just because it is a tradition for some there are areas of the country that don't do anything.

Equally I know Scottish and Irish people who don't celebrate it but none of them live in their home country. They are spread across the world.

You have no interest in learning anything outside the narrow sphere of your own life? Let me guess, you voted Leave...

We had no trick or treaters either. We had guisers with songs, jokes, poems and dances they had practised. My DC have spent a fortnight practising.

Did I say that it didn't happen last night Speakout I was saying if you had driven through our area it wouldn't have.

As for Santa. I know many people who don't have Santa/Father Christmas in their house.

Just because it is advertised on T.V. I know loads of people who don't celebrate Christmas.

We had no trick or treaters either. We had guisers with songs, jokes, poems and dances they had practised. My DC have spent a fortnight practising

None of them either

But Oliversmumsarmy none of that is what you said in your earlier post. You said it wasn't traditional and that it had been imported from America.

And my point about Santa wasn't about whether or not people celebrate Christmas, it was about the fact that every year on mumsnet there will be posters who insist that the name Santa is a modern American term, despite the fact that he has always been called Santa in Ireland.

Does your personal experience stop it from being a tradition for an entire nation of people though? There are 5 million of us in Scotland. It's rather offensive to denigrate our culture in the way you have on this thread...without reading the fucking thread.

My Dad is fair bit older than you and recalls going guising. He was advising me on neep carving technique yesterday afternoon.

Just because there are people who don’t celebrate Christmas (of which I also know plenty), doesn’t mean it’s not a tradition in lots of places. Same with Halloween. Your argument was that it is not a tradition anywhere as you have never come across it, which is ridiculous.

It’s fine not to like it, but you do sound very sensitive and a bit of a killjoy. It’s just pretend.

Oliver

Thete are plenty people on this thread and the many other threads going at the monent who have heard of Samhain. They are the ones telling everyone else the origins if Halloween in Scotland and Ireland. How on earth do you deduce that none of us have heard of it before september?

Dont be so self important as to tell me my own cultural heritage please. We almost ran out of sweets last night. The kids were all fab, singing songs and telling jokes. Loads of them had home made costumes. Lovely night had by all.

@oliversmumsarmy

I don't know why I should educate myself on something I have never come across.

Hahahahaha classic! This^^ explains your earlier posts. Some friendly advice; if you don't know very much (or anything) about a subject and admit openly that you have no desire to educate yourself on that subject, you just sound a little silly when you try to speak with authority on that subject.

Can we stop with calling the 31st October a tradition.

^I never went trick or treating. No one I knew ever did. My kids have never been trick or treating.
It is just an American celebration that has been imported which retailers have jumped on to squeeze more money from people's pockets^

Even if you have no knowledge or experience of the TRADITION of all hallows eve / Halloween (which, whether you like it or not, does exist in your home country; the uk, as well as Ireland and elsewhere in the world), you could at least have the good grace to RTFT before you post an incorrect assertion like the above with a tone of utter authority.

I personally wouldn't choose to advertise my wilful ignorance as you just have on here.

Oliver
Are you my cousin? His favourite phrase is "I dont know anything about it but.." then proceeds to tell everyone its wrong, evil, doesnt happen, isnt possible etc.

oliver that's your limited experience.

Your extrapolation is not accurate.

I don't know why I should educate myself on something I have never come across.

Hahaha is that not the point?! And as to stopping calling it a tradition just because you havent came across it - the answer to that is No. Lots of things Im sure that I havent came across but if others were telling me of their experience I would be able to take that on board. What a small minded and arrogant attitude it is to think just because you havent seen something it isnt a traditon. Im 47 and in the West Scotland and remember guising since I was wee, streets are still just as busy here.