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Original poster

Not to know that Halloween is considered a big thing in Scotland?

91 replies

useruseruseruseruseruseruser · 31/10/2018 18:29

Scottish Highland born and bred, Scottish parents. We never did Halloween and nothing for it whatsoever. Christmas was big though.

I see people all over MN saying how big it was in Scotland? I seem to have missed it? Confused

I am talking 70s/80s here, for reference.

OP posts:
Original poster
useruseruseruseruseruseruser · 31/10/2018 18:29

Don't remember kids coming to school and talking about it the next day or anything!!!!

OP posts:
HirplesWithHaggis · 31/10/2018 18:30

Are/were your parents religious? Or did you live rurally, so nowhere to go guising?

BakedBeans47 · 31/10/2018 18:31

Not really. You’d maybe dress up and go out guising and have a turnip lantern but not a massive celebration

AgentProvocateur · 31/10/2018 18:31

It was a big thing in the Glasgow area in the 70s and 80s - parties at brownies/guides and dooking for apples and treacle scones on a string in my mums kitchen. And turnip lanterns.

RenaissanceBunny · 31/10/2018 18:32

Was a big thing for me in the central belt in the 90s. Were you very rural? Perhaps it was too awkward to go guising. Around my very boring Wimpy estate about 25% of houses were decorated and handing out sweets but you did have to do a turn - something the English don't seem to do which confuses me.

Mari50 · 31/10/2018 18:32

I grew up same era, was a pretty big thing where I’m from (central belt), most mums seemed to spend a fair amount of time planning the outfits too as you couldn’t buy stuff back then. I absolutely loved guising, it was all apples and monkey nuts though, very rarely a sweetie. We’d have the shits for days afterwards cause of all the nuts......

Original poster
useruseruseruseruseruseruser · 31/10/2018 18:32

Yeah, semi-rural, not in the big town where I bussed to school.

Parents not religious though. We weren't even christened.

OP posts:
Mari50 · 31/10/2018 18:33

And I remember the laborious efforts to carve a turnip- I’m amazed my dad had the patience.

Original poster
useruseruseruseruseruseruser · 31/10/2018 18:33

Maybe my parents kept it quiet 'cos they couldn't be bothered with us wanting to do stuff. Although Christmas was fine.

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Shampaincharly · 31/10/2018 18:34

In Dundee in 60s , 70s we used to go out guising.
You knocked on people’s doors and did a song or a party piece and they gave you money ( that the older children kept )
There were treacle scones ( on string) and dooking for apples .Halloween Grin

DoItForTheDucks · 31/10/2018 18:35

It was very big for me in Glasgow in the 90s. We had big Halloween parties at school. Everyone dressed up including the teachers. The shops were full of costumes(though not the fancy ones they have now) and accessories. I wasn't allowed to go trick or treating(My parents weren't against Halloween though) but we played Halloween games and watching spooky or Halloween themed movies.

Pikehau · 31/10/2018 18:36

Inwould sayit was a fun celebration / festiv in scotland. I was born and bred in NE Scotland. Went guising with my turnip latern, did my party piece, bobbed for Apple's etc got sweets, coins, fruit and nuts. 80's and 90's. Def did stuff at guides brownies etx and school. But it was never ever like the american movies.

Now in London and dealing with a crying 6.5 yr old as haven't organised anything as didn't think it was a thing here!

DoItForTheDucks · 31/10/2018 18:37

I say not the elaborate ones they have now but actually many of the children had good quality readymade costumes, including myself on occasion. You'd mostly have to go to a specialist shop though as they weren't generally sold in supermarkets as they are now.

AwkwardSquad · 31/10/2018 18:39

Quite big in Edinburgh in the 70s. Guising (going out in costume, doing a turn in exchange for a few pence), Halloween parties with dooking for apples and treacle pieces. Good fun.

Mari50 · 31/10/2018 18:39

When we went out for Halloween you were invited into peoples houses and expected to do a ‘turn’, a friend of mine took her violin with her one year. Jokes were looked upon as an easy get out. It was horrifically embarrassing but obviously we reckoned it was totally worth it.
If any poor household resorted to giving out cash instead of apples etc the news would spread like wildfire around the estate as well!!

AwkwardSquad · 31/10/2018 18:40

Oh yes, the swede lanterns. Nightmare to carve (our poor mums!) and honked when the candle inside started to burn them.

Original poster
useruseruseruseruseruseruser · 31/10/2018 18:41

If any poor household resorted to giving out cash instead of apples etc the news would spread like wildfire around the estate as well!!

I can imagine Grin

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Seniorcitizen1 · 31/10/2018 18:42

When I was a child in Yorkshire in 60s and 70s Halloween was not a thing - Bonfire Night was our highlight leading up to Christmad

Prink · 31/10/2018 18:46

This reply has been withdrawn

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Katedotness1963 · 31/10/2018 18:47

I’m from Caithness and we went guising when I was a bairn (55now). I moved back about 7 years ago and at Hallowe’en we had 3 bairns come to the door. I thought it had pretty much died out. Last year we were in Germany and over 50 kids came to the door. This year USA, no idea what to expect tonight....

DoAsYouWouldBeMumBy · 31/10/2018 18:47

It was a big deal in Lanarkshire in the 70s, yes. Guising, turnips, dooking for apples, slices of treacle bread hanging from string (no idea what that bit was about!)

We loved it, still do all that stuff with DC now. And it's definitely guising, the kids have to do a "turn" 

kaytee87 · 31/10/2018 18:50

Quite a big thing in Glasgow in the 90s when I was growing up. I remember guising and parties

Jammiebammie · 31/10/2018 18:51

Big-ish here (though I hate it!)

Younger years were carved turnip, bin bag costumes (extra points if you had rice crispies stuck to your face!)

Now it seems it’s grown. Soo many houses decorated outside (some really elaborate) millions of bairns guising, Halloween parties at all the primary schools, not to mention the ones at out of school clubs too.

Kids have to tell a joke, song a song before they get anything, they’re still singing the old favourite

Halloween's coming and the goose is getting fat,
Would you please put a penny in the old mans hat,
If you haven't got a penny a ha'penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha'penny then god bless you!

Halloween apparently originated from a Celtic festival, so possibly why it’s big in Scotland/Ireland (though not as big as in America)

FuzzyCustard · 31/10/2018 18:54

Today I asked my Glaswegian husband if he'd ever been guising, and he replied "what's that?" He'd never even heard of the term. (And he never went "trick or treating" either!)

Rogueone · 31/10/2018 18:59

I juat remember Halloween parties ,turnip lanterns, prizes for best costume which were home made. Treacle covered pancake type things hanging on strings and we would have our face covered in the black treacle. Dunking for apples too...would make your own costume and you had to do a joke or sing a song to get anything which would usually be an apple or a monkey nut. I am in London now and it’s big business. Decorations on the houses, pumpkins, no songs or jokes just treats though

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