“Spooky season” is well underway. Halloween decorations are starting to appear, costumes are filling the shops and I am starting my annual binge of horror movies. It got me thinking though…what are the traditions for Samhain in Scotland and why do we do them?
Guising
I can always remember doing this as a child. This is essentially the Scottish version of Trick or Treating. We would dress up and go around homes, performing a song or telling a joke in exchange for sweets (or often an apple and handful of “monkey nuts”). This stemmed from the past, where parents would disguise their children so that the roaming spirits and fairies would not recognise and steal them. We didnt have elaborate costumes like now…the black bin liner was often the basis for your costume
Another one that I remember is the lantern. Never a pumpkin. We carved turnips and oh my it was hard! Carving the face into the turnip and placing a candle inside was said to ward off evil spirits. We called them Tumshie Lanterns. Now of course, it is more common to use pumpkins.
This often involved a large bowl of water with apples floating. Your head was “dooked” underwater you had to try and bite into an apple or grab it by the stem with your teeth. We were always told it represented the witches being dunked in water but not sure on how accurate that is.
This involves lighting a small bonfire. Couples each placed a nut in the fire. If they gently and evenly burned, then your relationship was strong, if they hissed then you would face issues in your relationship.
This involved going into a kale field at night. With your eyes closed/blindfolded you pull out a single stalk. The length and shape indicated your future partners height and body shape. The amount of soil gave an idea of wealth…lots of soil meant prosperous times while a bare root meant poor times ahead.
In New Mexico, we pretty much follow Day of the Dead practices outlined in the movies Book of Life and Coco. Kids have a costume parade, where everyone dresses like an ancestor or a sugar skull.
What @Cosmic_Curiosity called “apple dookin” is more commonly referred to as “bobbing for apples” in the US. But it’s the same process, and you’ll likely get your face wet!
Costumes used to be pretty basic when I was a kid - a cut up sheet for a ghost, or wearing adult cast-offs and dirtying up your face to be a “bum,” or a tramp. They’re wildly complicated and expensive now - probably not as much fun.
There’s something really fun about making a costume from household materials - I love seeing the bin liner costume creativity!
I don’t think I’ve ever tried to carve a turnip, but I peeled and cut a butternut squash for dinner the other night, so I can empathize. Some of the root veggies are really tough to work with!
Not much other than trick-or-treating! We have some orchards nearby, so there’s apple picking and apple cider treats, but that’s probably more seasonal than specifically Samhain. Over in Poland, my partner’s family celebrates All Saint’s Day, which involves going to cemeteries, cleaning, and lighting lots of lanterns. There’s also Dziady for those who practice the old traditions.
I loved learning about Scottish traditions - thank you so much for sharing, @Cosmic_Curiosity!
We actually used swedes, not turnips ( for some reason in Scotland we call a swede a turnip, a turnip a turnip, and both are referred to as neeps ). Inside is almost solid. When I was younger I can actually remember my grandpa using a chisel!
Totally agree. We used to wear black clothes, put a hole in a bin liner and put it over our heads. We would finish it off with a hat and mask (or “false face” as my gran would call it). Those were the days
I remember one year being away from home as trick or treating began. The people we were with pulled out odd, brightly colored clothes and scarves. I was called a gypsy and sent out with their kids. It was fun, though I don’t remember anything until watching the gore start during a movie watched in the dark and the boy laughing about it. I ran to my mother, and we left after a too long day.
So many root veggie words - this will be my fun fact for the day
I won’t be complaining about butternut squash anymore - at least they’re hollow inside! A solid core would definitely make for a challenging carve, especially if one wanted to put a candle inside after making the face. Props to your grandpa, it sounds like he was both talented and serious about this tradition!
I’ll have to keep thinking on it.
). Inside is almost solid. When I was younger I can actually remember my grandpa using a chisel!
