Do many Scottish people dislike guising (Scottish trick or treating essentially)

[TwitTw00]

Trick or treating seems so contentious, MN anyway, in England yet pretty much the same thing has happened in Scotland for decades. Growing up I don't think I knew anyone who didn't go out guising. Children go from house to house dressed up. They do a turn (wee Halloween themed joke or song usually) and they get sweets, monkey nuts etc in return. Where I am, you only go to houses with a pumpkin out and these are generally neighbours you know anyway with children of their own. It always seemed pleasant enough to me but are there many Scottish folk who actually really don't like guising? Who disagree with it in principle? Or because there can't be accusations of Americanisation, which seems to be one of the biggest criticisms of trick or treating, is it okay?

I'm Scottish and nearly 38. It was always called guising. Yet when I went to doors it was "trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat" there was another one I can't remember.

As a kid it was guising or going out for your Halloween. Homemade outfits. We only went to neighbours we knew. And I loved it.

As an adult, generally I don't like it, especially kids who I don't know coming to the door, although it can be hard knowing who's who.
Once my kids outgrow it I doubt I will carry on with it

Another Glaswegian here. It was and is a big thing in my family. Mam always made brilliant home-made costumes and we guised around the local houses. Our house was decorated with home-made stuff and the door was open all night for dookin' for apples for anyone who fancied it. There were the usual parties (Brownies/ Cubs) but the main night was Halloween.

Now we decorate the house and had 25 or so kids calling (we're not on an estate, the estates seem to be super busy!). Smallest DC (1 went out with big brother (16 so just supervising) round the doors. Our local shop is fabulous- all decorated and gives out free sweets to the kids all day and night. Such a great time of year.

Oh, and always a turn. My fave tonight was 2 young teens who sang a Gaelic song. Gorgeous.

I'll be the lone voice then. I'm Scottish and dislike guising! DM said it was begging and we weren't allowed. I realise with hindsight we lived in a bit of a rough estate and she didn't want us out after dark. We did do plenty dressing up, carving neeps, dookin' for apples and DSis and I went to Halloween parties at brownies.

We lived in SE Asia for most of DC's lives so avoided it and just did pumpkins and costumes/parties, and now that we are back in Scotland have kept out of it and thankfully they don't expect it! I can't think of anything worse than going round people's doors in the rain, or having random kids come to the door. We are a lights off house! (Also DD2 has ASD and would hate it).

I'm not bah humbug about any other festivals but I just can't get on board with guising!

Central belt here and we do guising - my kids will practice their party piece for weeks before (usually a joke that I’m tired hearing by the time we get to the day). I didn’t give out sweets this year cos there’s a sickness bug in the house but all the kids who usually come will do a joke or a song. I love it.

Oh wow, violin is next level!

I'm another 99s Glasgow kid so have the same memories. Live down south now and mine like doing a turn but most people here just fling sweets at them regardless

I am in the north of Scotland and always went guising as a child. I loved it and had loads of fun. It’s definitely easier now though as houses that take guisers (trick or treaters as my kids insist on calling it) are always light up with pumpkins or decorated. We only ever go to them. I normally get about 40 to 50 kids. Dh man’s the door while I take the kids out.

I'm from Glasgow and went guising as a wean and absolutely loved it. We would dress up in home made stuff like putting a bit of net curtain on our heads and you were a bride. Grandpas' bunnet and jaicket and a drawn on moustache - An Old Man ! My dear wee mum used to say every year up to her death "Oh I hate Halloween". But as soon as it hit September, she would be getting me to buy lollipop sticks and paper fairy cake cases . Her house was famous for toffee apples ! My children loved guising as well and my husband who was a Navy brat and for some reason, didn't get to experience it when he was a child, absolutely loves it! My children are teenage and in their twenties now so don't go guising but down here in the South of England , we had around 70 odd children our door tonight trick or treating with their parents. All polite and respectful. I love it !👻🦇

I grew up in Edinburgh and went out guising, it was great fun.

Guising here in the very north. We’re rural so the kids get driven around in a minibus otherwise they’d be walking 20 miles. 😂 Everyone loves it and it’s a community event, but we have coffee mornings and lunches at the school for the whole community where everyone’s invited.

@soundsystem It went on forever too. Every time I thought it was done and started to say 'oh wow!' he burst into another verse. DH and I were trying so hard not to look at each other or we would have laughed

My granny thought it was begging and I was never allowed out guising. She opened the door to our neighbourhood children though, made them welcome and judged their parents!

Scottish here and love Halloween.

I did guising as a kid in Fife in the 70s but remember the Halloween parties more. Dressing up, turnip lantern competitions (I won with a double headed one once), dookin' for apples, doughnuts or treacle scones on a string that you had to eat with your hands behind your back. Hands in jelly to find spiders and eyeballs. And touch and feel boxes where you had to guess what was in them. Spooky stories with the lights off. Brownies did them so well, schools, youth groups even my grandads work put on a great one once.

We'd also have dookin' for apples at home or at family's houses with a bit of guising and enjoying giving out monkey nuts, satsumas, penny sweets, sometimes a penny to visiting guisers. Had to tell a joke or do a song. Great fun. I was only allowed to go in to houses of well known neighbours, mostly we stood outside like now.

(We were never allowed to do penny for the guy though around the same time, there was always someone who came round with a 'guy' on a gutty ? or kutty? I can't remember the name. (handmade go kart) asking for a penny for the guy for bonfire night. Bonfire night was also a massive thing with parties and the bonfire.)

I did the parties with my older children more than guising but did let them go out sometimes especially round our tenement stairs. That was in ths city centre.

Live very ruraly now so miss having the kids knock on the door but my youngest went into the village with his pal and the houses had made a huge effort. They had a ball.

First year I haven't done a pumpkin lantern or turnip lantern purely because I was so busy this weekend and forgot.

I also love going up to Edinburgh to watch the Sahmain fire festival from the Beltaine Society but it's a bit late and far on a school night yet for my youngest so maybe when he's older.

Oh...and it's NEVER trick or treating. Guising only. I don't ever remember it being a thing to do a trick if they didn't give you something though.

I think the modern idea of only going to houses if they have a lantern or are decorated is a great idea.

My DCs grew up in the NE, and every year went out guising - only to the decorated houses and always with a selection of jokes to tell. Now we’re in England the kids (whilst dressed up with gruesome make up) just shout “trick or treat” and wait for the sweeties. They’re quite baffled when I ask them to tell a joke.

Grew up in Fife, and living back there now. It was always guising, and you only went to houses you knew (usually the mums of the other kids round about). We did grow up on a Naval base for most of our childhood, so you knew most of the families round about.
You always had to do a joke/song/turn, or there was no 'prize' - usually a FunSize sweetie, apple, orange, monkey nuts. We did dookin' for apples, turnip lanterns, and the treacle scones hanging from the ceiling with string! 😆

I live in a flat now, so not as much passing trade. I did buy some chocolate in preparation, though, which I will have to eat most of now. 😜
I did get a neighbour who I'd spoken to the other day come with her two small children, a tiny vampire, and wee pudding of a pumpkin. They were very sweet!

I'm in the borders and its incredibly popular here.

Turnip lanterns when I was a kid but pumpkins now. They still dook for apples too.

In my Edinburgh youth we went guising in home-made costumes and usually got sweets and pennies. Now just outside Edinburgh and am happy to see the little ones still guising and happy to give sweets and candy. Only saw home-made costumes this year, not necessarily spooky ones.

One year we had a group of girls about 16 or so, who came "trick-or-treating", first time anyone has said this to me, and seemed a bit pissed off to get a wee packets of jelly tots each. Served them right as they were far too old to be doing it!

I notice there's the beginnings of a backlash against the Americanism this year, with more people than ever sharing images of neeps rather than pumpkins, and instilling guising into their children rather than trick-or-treat. Good to claim our own customs back, I think.

just outside glasgow! lots of trick or treating here, not guiding. Also grew up in Ayrshire and was the same there.
we did used to get sweets and monkey nuts but, luckily, monkey nuts seem to have gone now!

I'm Scottish, early 30s, so grew up in the 90s. I loved Halloween as a kid. I'd plan my outfit in the summer holidays 🤣 it was great fun.
I now live in an EU country where Halloween has come across from America recently, so it's very much "trick or treating" and so on but I don't mind, I was just happy to be able to take my 2 year old to a toddler Halloween party and then go door to door (also with the rule, a pumpkin outside means you can knock - we didn't have that rule growing up in Scotland - you just knocked at every door).

Also have to add, I majorly got monkey nuts, sweets, chocolate and some coins, plus it was a mix of pumpkins and turnips at the time.

Loved guising as a child. Always had to prepare and practice my turn, normally a short routine from my highland dance or my flute! We were always given monkey nuts and a tangerine, maybe some chocolate coins if we were lucky. Only really went to family and friends houses though, and known neighbours.

My own children are not impressed I won't let them go "trick or treating", I insisted they learn a poem or a few jokes. Have to earn the treats 😁

I grew up in Scotland and never went guising. It really wasn't for our family.

Grew up in Glasgow in the late 60's early 70s and it was guising - but only to houses of people we knew. Mum didnt approve of knocking strangers doors . We lived up a close so did our close and the closes of friends and extended family.

Homemade costumes and had t do a "turn".

I'm grateful for the new "only knock at doors with pumpkins" rule, as it clarifies that no, you won't get sweeties here. I really appreciate this development.