Halloween (Samhain)

Red_Doe

Had a quick look and couldn`t see a thread on this.
Do you do anything special for Halloween?
When I was a wee girl, we used to go guising. This meant dressing up (much as kids do today but from home made costumes, not bought) and going round your neighbours homes. Where I lived, this meant a trek on foot of many miles!
You knocked the door and because your face was blacked, the homeowner had to try to guess who you were.
In return for sweets, you had to perform..a poem, or song or dance.
There was no tricking! This seems to be an American thing.
You also had bonfires, a precurser to November fifth (which was more of an English than Scots thing, to be honest) where food was made and eaten...hot soup, toffee apples, cakes etc.
This was also the night for scrying...in bowls of water you poured ink and deciphered the patterns. Or peeled and threw apple peel over your shoulder and whatever shape of letter it fell in, that`d be the initial of your future husband/wife.
Ghost stories were told round a campfire, lovely shivery tales to chill the blood.
On a more pagan note, lamps were kept lit throughout the night to ward off wandering spirits or drows.
Animals were gaurded in the byres with sprigs of rowan or other charms to stop them being hag ridden through the night, resulting in exhaustion and death.
The fire was kept lit all through the night.
If the Cailleach came knocking (the Old Woman), you were obliged to let her in, to deny her meant being cursed forever. :eek:

What do you do at Halloween?

hurricanewyn

I grew up in Dublin and we had a lot of the same customs as you. We would dress up for Hallowe'en and go door to door (I grew up in the suburbs, so it wasn't quite the same trek you had!), chanting "Help the Hallowe'en party" and we would get fruit rather than sweets.
We also had bonfires - I think the tradition behind them was to ward off the spirits who might return on Hallowe'en which is also All Souls Night. We'd also have fireworks there, which are actually illegal in Ireland so the people who had them had usually bought them off dodgy market stalls, so they were probably quite dangerous!!
We also had things like the apple peel and ghost stories, but a few other traditions I haven't seen outside Ireland - Barm Brack, which was a tea bread with various things baked into it - a ring - which if you found meant you'd be lucky in love, a thimble - never be married, coin - be wealthy, rag - poor.
We also had Colcannon, which was mashed potato with Kale (Curly Kale my mam called it, but it might just have been her!) with coins hidden in it that we'd find in our dinner.
I felt ever so homesick my first Hallowe'en here - it's completely different here and it was the first time I properly felt like I'd moved "abroad" if that makes sense.

bravobeastie

we used to just go trick or treating and I always remember The Worst Witch (the film not the tv series) being on on Halloween and later in the evening The Fog would be shown lol.

Nowadays there are hardly any films on to create the atmosphere and memories. I take my children to The Black Country Museum, it's lovely there on Halloween, all gas lit lamps and quite eerie. Plus we have The Worst Witch on dvd so they always watch that too.

hurricanewyn

I'd forgotten the Worst Witch - that was fab. I'll have to have a dig around and see if I can pick it up for my two. Thanks for that!