What's your Halloween plan for your kilt?

[Profane James]

Hi ! I may be my usual, which is a black cat..Basically just cat ears and tail and put cat features on my face.. BUT I will be a Scottish Kitty....I'm just torn on which kilt to wear..I may wear my Cameron Red and Black or my Moffat Clan or do all black My Dark Island Shadow on Black Tartan kilt. My Balmoral hat or my other wool knit hat it looks like a beret a pair of my Doc Martens with tights...I may add a lace bussel I saw at Spirit of Halloween but it goes on the outside ..A Gothic twist to it..That is my plan..Happy Halloween have fun...Angie

Curl the ears - Scottish Fold!

[Profane James]

I was completely unaware of that. I was raised in an environment where Halloween meant ghouls, monsters, devils and demons. I think maybe the "over the top sexually" is merely a reflection of a commerce based society, which well understands that sex sell.

I certainly agree with you.

[TRWXXA]

I was completely unaware of that. I was raised in an environment where Halloween meant ghouls, monsters, devils and demons. I think maybe the "over the top sexually" is merely a reflection of a commerce based society, which well understands that sex sell.

Unfortunately they market a lot of that stuff towards youngsters. I have seen "tweens" wearing some wildly inappropriate costumes.

Let's hear it for permissive parenting!

[OC Richard]

I will leave an offering of food and drink for my deceased ancestors... At this time of year the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. People used to wear masks so they wouldn't be recognised by the dead. Offerings were left out for the dead so they knew they were not forgotten.

Are these traditions which survive in Spain? Or are they things which have been revived in modern times?

I ask because I had an interesting conversation about these things with a person from Mexico, and the traditions he described were virtually identical to ones I had been told about by Irish people.

The Mexican said that food would be left on the table for your deceased relatives/ancestors, the front door left partly open. The living family would lock themselves in a back bedroom- "you want to honour them, but you don't want to see them!" he said.

In so many ways Mexican culture is Spanish culture, and I assume that these traditions were brought from Spain.

[Mel1721L]

Are these traditions which survive in Spain? Or are they things which have been revived in modern times?

I ask because I had an interesting conversation about these things with a person from Mexico, and the traditions he described were virtually identical to ones I had been told about by Irish people.

The Mexican said that food would be left on the table for your deceased relatives/ancestors, the front door left partly open. The living family would lock themselves in a back bedroom- "you want to honour them, but you don't want to see them!" he said.

In so many ways Mexican culture is Spanish culture, and I assume that these traditions were brought from Spain.

No, although the Spanish too have a "day of the Dead." Or so I believe, these are British or rather Celtic traditions. Ghosts were believed to be the dead, who were thought to live in their burial mounds, returning to the world. Some Norse sagas contain stories about this kind of thing and they were considered dangerous. The Celts migrated from Spain thousands of years ago and Northern Spain has a distinct Celtic culture. I don't know if these beliefs stem from there or not but Samhain (pronounced Soween) is British. Although many Brits are ignorant of it.

[Father Bill]

The original question was about the kilt and what we'd do with it for Hallowe'en and my first response was to think, "I'll leave it in my closet - it's no costume."

A second thought however, has ocurred to me: Perhaps I'll meet the young'uns at the door wearing it properly - no silliness and perhaps a mite understated.

For many of the children it will be their first time to see a kilted gentleman up close and in person, and (the retired teacher in me, now) it may fix in the wee bairns' minds a primary image of the kilt that is more correct than the nonsense they'll surely and sadly see in years to come such that they may say to themselves subcosciously, "That's not how I think of it."

What say ye?

Edited to add:

I should be clear that in at least my part of Canada, dressing up for Hallowe'en includes both the fantastical and the representative, and the former is extreme enough that it's pretty easy to tell which is which.

[Jock Scot]

I can see what you are trying to do Bill and education of children is never a bad thing. But, I do wonder if wearing the kilt on this particular time of year in front of children may be counter productive? Halloween, as far as I understand it anyway(we don't really do Halloween over here), is these days mainly a costume event and I do have concerns that the children will equate the kilt with costume, not something we ought to encourage in my view. Depending on the age of the children, visual learning will trump verbal learning every time. Just thinking aloud, nothing more.

[Father Bill]

I can see what you are trying to do Bill and education of children is never a bad thing. But, I do wonder if wearing the kilt on this particular time of year in front of children may be counter productive? Halloween, as far as I understand it anyway(we don't really do Halloween over here), is these days mainly a costume event and I do have concerns that the children will equate the kilt with costume, not something we ought to encourage in my view. Depending on the age of the children, visual learning will trump verbal learning every time. Just thinking aloud, nothing more.

I'm sensitive to that Jock, thus my first thoughts on the matter, but as noted, in this neck of the woods much of the "dress-up" is representative of something admired or recognized for its value.

Examples are youngsters dressing up in fairly accurate representations of a nurse or doctor because they respect those, or an similarly accurate representation of a barrister in the proper robes. The costumy stuff on the other hand, is wild, imaginative, clearly unrealistic, and inevitably accompanied by masks or fantastical make-up which of course, doesn't come with the more accurate portrayals.

I've seen white lab coats worn with a dog on leash by children of veterinarians, and yes, priestly robes worn with deep respect by children of religious families. Often the appearance is aspirational or reminiscent.

As noted, the difference is recognizeable immediately. Thus, I would be recognized by almost all as a "classical" Scot in understated kit. No pipes, no cromach, probably no bonnet, just plain and quiet Scottish kit.

And no white hose either!

[OC Richard]

Around here you'll see a variety of dress at a "Halloween party" ranging from actual Halloween costumes to ordinary dress.

I've worn Highland dress to such things a few times over the years. I don't think it's necessarily perceived to be a "costume" but more on the order of "fancy dress" which also is seen. For sure it can be perceived as a costume by some.

When people are dressing "in costume" it's usually a recognizable character from some movie or what have you, rather than the traditional witch/ghost/vampire sort of thing.

[Father Bill]

Richard demonstrates it well - regional variations in the observation of the evening's events.