Happy Halloween everybody. Or happy Samhain.
(Samhain is a Gaelic festival which marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the “darker half” of the year.)
Dora says: “People sometimes think I am a bit bad tempered so i have decided to show my frivolous side and dress up for Halloween.”
In Scotland the traditions of Samhain carried on well into Christian times. November 1st was All Saints day. The night before was called the Eve of all Hallows. Hence – Halloween. In Scotland many old traditions and rituals survive. One example of this is that as All Hallows Eve was the night that the dead were free to roam, people left an empty chair and plate of food at the table. It is the time of year when days are short and nights were long and bonfires were lit to carry light into the dark nights. Turnips were carved to carry on the illumination into the night. Of course many people now carve pumpkins but that is because carving a turnip is incredibly difficult.
In the past Scottish children went “guising”. That is they dressed in old clothes to disguise them. It was believed that they would blend in with evil spirits and when they approached a house they would be given a gift to ward off evil.
Nowadays many people have parties on Halloween, often with bonfires, but always with games. Dooking for apples and eating treacle scones dangling on strings with hands behind backs are traditional activities.
Whatever you are going to do on Halloween – enjoy yourselves.
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