How Is Halloween Celebrated In Scotland?

[be da veva]

And the parents would always bogart and steal all the good candy when they went through your stash looking for dangers.

Yeah, My parents did that... Plus, I'm the last of six, so the older sibblings always had to check to make sure the parents didn't miss anything...

But I'm a parent now.....

[Bugbear]

Thanks, Pleater.

And thanks everyone else.

Do you all eat pumpkins in Scotland/UK?

[Bugbear]

Thanks, skauwt, that's interesting.

[Bugbear]

Thanks for adding that, Pleater, very interesting.

[Bugbear]

I've been debating whether I should post this link, but I might as well. Here is a recipe for Scottish pumpkin pie using haggis:
http://www.thehaggis.com/pumpkin.html

That's from Stahly Quality Foods.

I had asked if pumpkin is eaten in the UK.

[Irish Jack O'Brian]

I always understood that the pronounciation was closer to "sow-an", or "sow-in", with long O sounds.

I've always pronounced it sah-win http://www.collegewicca.com/sounds/samhain.wav

[Ryan Ross]

I've always pronounced it sah-win http://www.collegewicca.com/sounds/samhain.wav

Sounds good to me.

[Jock Scot]

I have no idea of the religious connotations of Halloween,or its roots, but I have, rightly or wrongly, assumed that the whole idea is an American thing. It most certainly was not heard of up in this part of Scotland in its present form until about 20/30 years ago. "Trick or treating" happened before then in a minor way, but I can't honestly remember if that happened at the end of October, but I think not. I think these days, Halloween is a minor event reserved mainly for young children, but I suspect that the "any excuse for a party" type reasoning is starting to take hold.

[The Thing]

In Ireland as a kid, Halloween would almost be as big as Christmas. The boys of the area would gather tyres, pallets and anything else that would burn for some weeks before the big night and make a bonfire.
You would go out collecting Hazel nuts and gather sloes and wild plums for making wine. The old farmers would have the hedges cut and make a bonfire out of it.
Come Halloween night everyone would all dress up and go trick or treating and then go back to our houses and have a party. The party would consist of the usual games, bobbing apples, hanging apples, telling ghost stories etc.
Instead of Jack o laterns we'd use bull rushes dipped in pariffin and keep them lit for hours.
Then later in the night the mischief would start, nothing too bad; turning street signs around, knocking on doors and throwing water baloons and eggs at people.

[Downunder Kilt]

I have no idea of the religious connotations of Halloween,or its roots, but I have, rightly or wrongly, assumed that the whole idea is an American thing. It most certainly was not heard of up in this part of Scotland in its present form until about 20/30 years ago. "Trick or treating" happened before then in a minor way, but I can't honestly remember if that happened at the end of October, but I think not. I think these days, Halloween is a minor event reserved mainly for young children, but I suspect that the "any excuse for a party" type reasoning is starting to take hold.

Exactly as I remember it in my part of downunder Jock. Up until about 25 years ago the only mention of Halloween here was in the cartoons and sitcoms that came from the US. Now we have every party shop, craft shop, and hotel listing the lastest in halloween costumes and parties.

Someone has mentioned(I think pleater) bonfire night, Is this the same as Guy Fawkes night or as we called it as kids "cracker night". Now that was a night, now banned because fireworks are too dangerous for the kids of today.

Memories