Ideas to replace Halloween

[stressedandunimpressed]

We dont celebrate Halloween in our household, nothing to make a fuss of. It's just not a big holiday to us and we find it quite boring. Neither of my boys like going out in the dark and knocking on people's doors for sweets - They get sweets all year round and they're not into dressing up much. They prefer their video games to be honest.

I'm looking for some fun ideas to do instead of the usual Halloween things, I've got one or two ideas but I'm lacking in inspiration.

My parents didn't agree with trick or treating so we did a family night on Halloween.
Scary menu, scary films, games, pumpkins etc. Was just good fun!

"A turnip is NOT a Swede! Different vegetable. As All Hallows’ Eve, of course it was known about. But it wasn’t celebrated at all. Certainly nothing like the over the top stuff we see today. In fact the Church, which guided the majority in the past, celebrated All Saints Day on 1 November."

Right. And what does any of that have to do with Guy Fawkes?

I'm thinking, OP, that you are looking for alternative activities to do over half term that are related to Halloween? Tbh I'm not sure why - I love Halloween, I think it's fun to explore the darker elements of our past, but if you're dead set against there should be plenty of autumnal activities around too.
Try NT places for autumn trails, STEM activities like potion making, etc.

We've never done trick or treating.

We do themed baking/cooking and then watch scary movies and a pumpkin pie though it's usually now a cheesecake having done some historical recopies and found a lovely crust free cheesecake. We do carve pumpkins and occasionally turnips - then light then in garden.

They may or may not dress up - and I do have a few Halloween decorations bought when they were young they like to have up even as teens.

Our DP have commented Halloween wasn't a big thing and we did little with it as children - not even doing pumpkins every year.

We also try and do fireworks on 5 November - it got harder when we moved here to find displays and had more travel involved- and since covid we do fire pit food - and sparklers and few quiet one like fountains - as we and next door have pets.

The teens seem happy and have asked us not to cut back on things - though last year baking got to much so will scale back get pizza and pop in and watch more films I think.

I don't know if that's the kind of thing you were thinking about.

You know the history behind thanksgiving?

And have a nice culinary experience to celebrate the genocide of my people?

Sounds great 🙄

Halloween is on a Monday this year. Just do whatever you would normally do on a Monday. Why are you kicking up such a fuss about it?

You're wrong. In Northern Ireland what you call a swede we call a turnip. Which is why I said that.

Just because you're English doesn't make you right you know.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga as in Canadian English, Irish English and Manx English.

More ignorance 🙄

Strangely I found out few years ago turnip and swedes mean different veg across the UK.

Turnip to me is white vegetable with purple on bottom - hard to carve and with candle in gives off a blueish light. While a swede in orange in colour and can be added to mash potato and never tried carving one. In some parts of UK this is reversed. How that works these days with supermarket distribution is unclear to me - but this is apparently a thing.

Halloween definitely existed in Scotland and Ireland. We did turnips not pumpkins (what you'd call a swede).

Exactly what I said at 09.42 this morning. For the record.

Don't you mean the Church, in the past, tried to quash or ban, or if that didn't work, assimilate & repurpose existing Pagan festivals like the Winter Solistice, All Hallows' Eve, Easter etc?

The smell from a carved turnip when you light a candle in it is awesome. Smells of Halloween.

They were hard to carve and looked dead creepy.

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-people-carved-turnips-instead-of-pumpkins-for-halloween-180978922/

Throw “Samhain” into Google and you’ll find the distinctly un-American origins of Halloween (which IMO are vastly more fascinating than Guy Fawkes).

Check local places for events. We're off to a circus (Halloween themed but still something different)

the irony of certain people complaining about other people's lack of general knowledge...

There was a Halloween pantomime locally a few years ago - though we didn't end up going - and children disco at school and later at a youth center.

Some of the historical sites sometime have autumn craft events - and some do ghost walks and events.

So good idea see if there is something different locally.

Wow, so much Halloween hate!
Halloween is fucking awesome, it celebrates the turning of the seasons, it’s spooky, lots of sweets (CANDY!), remembrance of ancestors. Pumpkins, apples, dead leaves, wonderful!
Guy Fawkes night is an ugly sectarian thing, and for the pearl clutching “traditionalist” Halloween Haterz on this thread, when I was a kid it wasn’t uncommon for an effigy of the Pope to be burned along with poor old Guy. Which is pretty tucked up.

*fucked up

A swede is a turnip for lots of Scotland too!

Thanks pico1 - I was hoping Samhain would be pointed out. I'm making BarmBrack this year for the first time in an age - I've a ring ready to pop in it.

Swede, rutabaga, mangold, wurzel, mangelwurzel are all different names for different varieties of turnip.

Not according to Wikipedia.

Oh no. How dare a person from the UK celebrate MY culture!
Can't Mexican people not have anything for themselves anymore? And from a MOVIE?!

I'm only kidding.

I'm Mexican American and it's nice to me that someone so far away has taken on board something wonderful from my culture. Btw, I loved "Coco" especially as my father was a professional mariachi for 50 years.

The American in me has taken a Scottish/Irish tradition and celebrate it on the 31st of October and I take my own on November 1st and 2nd. It's all good.

Sorry, yes I see mangolds/wurzels are beets.

Wikipedia is written by knaves and dolts.