In Scotland children have been going door to door for a lot longer than the 80s or 90s it's expected that they sing tell a joke or story in exchange for sweets, fruit or nuts. I'm 70 years old and remember going out with my big cousins aged around 5. It goes back generations it's not an American import.
Thanks for sharing that Sarah - it’s really interesting. I grew up in the south of England and we certainly didn’t do it there. I do remember apple bobbing though and trying to eat apples suspended on a string - impossible!
Sadly no. My grandfather was the photo taker in those days and when he died my gran didn't think anyone would be interested and she destroyed them all. I have photos of my boys when they were young of course but nothing digital. It's a messy game but lots of fun just remember to put down lots of protection for the floors!!
Same here, my mum remembers going out with her parents when she was kid and she's in her mid 80's. Like her we carved out a scary face on a "neep" and put a candle in it. Even today I hate the smell of burning turnip! 😆
My grandmother and various great aunts also told stories of them going out "guising" when we holidayed with them in the October Tattie Holidays. - ie disguised or dressed up as mentioned in the piece by Ms Cushion above.- so that pushes it back to the late 1800's or early 1900's in my family alone. (Tattie Holidays were when schools closed for a couple of weeks in October to allow families to make some extra cash helping farmers pick potatoes before mechanisation took over. The name still remains in some areas.)
As Sarah says it wasn't trick or treat, which is basically extortion with menaces, but you were expected to sing a song, tell a joke or do a performance of some sort, and then you'd be given a reward. It was more like busking in that sense. Sometimes things would be more organised and you'd go guising before meeting up at the local scout /church/ masonic hall for games like "dookin' for apples" eating treacle covered apples on a string, prizes for the scariest costume and food, often baked potatoes from the bonfire earlier.
When we lived in Macclesfield (1980s), children came round around Hallowe'en but before Guy Fawkes and sang songs in return for sweets. This was an old local custom. In York, there is less a tradition of Guy Fawkes, because he was from York, but there is Mischief Night on November 4th, when children play tricks such as egging cars, although the usual one was tying your gate up with string, which was a nuisance to untangle in the morning!
In Scotland children have been going door to door for a lot longer than the 80s or 90s it's expected that they sing tell a joke or story in exchange for sweets, fruit or nuts. I'm 70 years old and remember going out with my big cousins aged around 5. It goes back generations it's not an American import.
Thanks for sharing that Sarah - it’s really interesting. I grew up in the south of England and we certainly didn’t do it there. I do remember apple bobbing though and trying to eat apples suspended on a string - impossible!
You should try eating a scone covered in treacle suspended on a string with your hands behind your back one of my family favourites 😁
That sound fun - have you any photos?!
Sadly no. My grandfather was the photo taker in those days and when he died my gran didn't think anyone would be interested and she destroyed them all. I have photos of my boys when they were young of course but nothing digital. It's a messy game but lots of fun just remember to put down lots of protection for the floors!!
Same here, my mum remembers going out with her parents when she was kid and she's in her mid 80's. Like her we carved out a scary face on a "neep" and put a candle in it. Even today I hate the smell of burning turnip! 😆
My grandmother and various great aunts also told stories of them going out "guising" when we holidayed with them in the October Tattie Holidays. - ie disguised or dressed up as mentioned in the piece by Ms Cushion above.- so that pushes it back to the late 1800's or early 1900's in my family alone. (Tattie Holidays were when schools closed for a couple of weeks in October to allow families to make some extra cash helping farmers pick potatoes before mechanisation took over. The name still remains in some areas.)
As Sarah says it wasn't trick or treat, which is basically extortion with menaces, but you were expected to sing a song, tell a joke or do a performance of some sort, and then you'd be given a reward. It was more like busking in that sense. Sometimes things would be more organised and you'd go guising before meeting up at the local scout /church/ masonic hall for games like "dookin' for apples" eating treacle covered apples on a string, prizes for the scariest costume and food, often baked potatoes from the bonfire earlier.
When we lived in Macclesfield (1980s), children came round around Hallowe'en but before Guy Fawkes and sang songs in return for sweets. This was an old local custom. In York, there is less a tradition of Guy Fawkes, because he was from York, but there is Mischief Night on November 4th, when children play tricks such as egging cars, although the usual one was tying your gate up with string, which was a nuisance to untangle in the morning!