Without a doubt, Halloween is my second favorite holiday of the year. Only takes the top spot.

I’m going to share my personal experiences to illustrate how I celebrated Halloween while growing up near Toronto, Canada. These traditions may differ among individuals or regions, and it’s likely that in Quebec, they have their own unique ways of celebrating, so consider this just one perspective. Since Halloween in Canada and the USA are quite similar, I’ve named this section:

Observing Halloween in North America

Costumes & Gatherings

The key element of Halloween (unless you ask a Child, in which case they’ll probably say the candy) is the Costumes. Everyone Dresses Up. If you’re a youngster going Trick-or-Treating, you’ll select your outfit from a variety of options: Animals, Robots, Super Heroes, Movie Characters, or ‘Spooky’ figures like ghosts and bats. Spending the entire day in costume isn’t uncommon, as many schools promote dressing up (though masks are generally discouraged), and some even host Halloween parades or events. Many young girls opt to dress as their favorite Disney Princess, though this isn’t always the case:

Lydia’s first Halloween, 2015 (2nd from Left, Hot Dog)

In the 80s, all of my Costumes were handmade by my mother.
Left: around 1987 – Rainbow Brite, Right: 1989 Generic Fairy Princess (or perhaps a tooth fairy?)

 

These days, purchasing a costume is the norm, either online or at various big-box stores. Additionally, there are extensive Halloween Costume pop-up shops in the USA & Canada during September and October.

If you’re a teenager attending a house party, or an adult heading to a club, bar, or street party, Mean Girls provides an accurate portrayal of the Adult Costume scene. Men usually dress as some Super Hero, Athlete, or Movie Character, while women often wear ‘sexy’ versions of nearly anything. When October 31st lands on a weekend, schools generally hold their Halloween events the preceding Friday. For weekday Halloweens, adult parties tend to occur the prior weekend, unless it’s a Friday, in which case you might find yourself costumed on November 1st.

Parents accompanying their children for Trick-or-Treating may also dress up, but it’s not mandatory. Interestingly, you’ll likely see more individuals in costume handing out candy.

A peculiar sight in North America (which I’ve not come across since relocating to the UK) is dressing up pets. I’ve even attended a Halloween Costume Contest for pets. This practice is very common, and has become a thriving industry.

 

Trick-or-Treating

In suburban and even Urban/City areas, Trick-or-Treating is the main event for kids during Halloween. In residential neighborhoods, you can expect at least 50% of the houses to be decorated (with window ornaments, lights, or even music) and ready to hand out candy. Some homes have just a Jack-o-Lantern or two, while others go all out with decorating competitions, and a few become Halloween-crazy!

When Trick-or-Treating, you quickly learn that houses without a porch light on (especially if there are no decorations) aren’t handing out candy. Children rush from house to house, and if you’re in the right neighborhood, you’ll often not even get a chance to close your door before another group of costumed kids arrive with a loud ‘Trick-or-treat’ – which is purely rhetorical – because they’re after candy.

Traditionally, Trick-or-Treating involved roaming your neighborhood for about an hour. Nowadays, some areas experience a decline in the number of trick-or-treaters, while others see an increase. Here’s an intriguing article detailing this trend’s evolution over the past decade.

 

Halloween in England

The following is based on my limited experience of Halloween in my neighborhood of Islington, Central London. This area hosts various cultures, including many North American families and other international groups. I’m fortunate to be part of a community that acknowledges Halloween at all, as, outside major cities, where you find more expat influence, the tradition is less prevalent.

A question you’ll never hear in Canada/America is ‘Do you celebrate Halloween?’
I’ve been asked this numerous times (my accent revealing that I’m probably not British), and I always respond with something like ‘Duh!’. Most adults I’ve conversed with in the UK usually say: ‘I never did growing up, but we do it with the kids now.’

In fact – Halloween has European origins, closely tied to the UK’s Gaelic traditions, which are a primary influence behind Trick-or-Treating (more on this soon).

Still – it hasn’t been very popular in England until the last decade or so. Why? Partly because just a few days later they celebrate: Bonfire Night. Family-oriented gatherings featuring food, drink, and fireworks occur on November 5th to commemorate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot by Guy Fawkes. This traditional English event remains far more popular and widely celebrated than Halloween.

Increasing Popularity of Trick-or-Treating

However, in recent times, especially in communities with numerous North American residents, trick-or-treating is gaining traction. In my area of London, there are numerous streets and neighborhoods where nearly one-third of homes hand out candy. It can sometimes be difficult to know which doors to knock on, as the universal ‘lights out, no one home’ doesn’t always apply. People may have all their lights

Even with their porch light on and perhaps a couple of decorations in the window, some folks might still ignore the doorbell when little trick-or-treaters pay a visit.

It appears that the real indicator could simply be Jack-o-Lanterns. A glowing pumpkin on the porch or in the window typically signifies that it’s okay to knock (and cross your fingers).

Costume Parties

I’m unsure if Halloween falls under the term ‘Costume Parties,’ but generally, any event or gathering that involves wearing costumes is referred to as such (possibly it’s used for adult costumes?). Regarding Halloween – English children are often more inclined towards ‘Halloweeny’ costumes compared to their American peers, frequently dressing as bats, witches, ghosts, vampires, etc., though superheroes and princesses are also becoming more popular. Since kids here prefer more traditional spooky costumes, the issue of ‘cultural appropriation’ during Halloween is less of a concern in England than in North America, in my experience.

It’s not guaranteed that schools will participate in Halloween activities or even permit costumes (in fact, some may forbid it).

Festivities and Events

Being completely transparent, since I’m past my days of attending clubs and bars, I’m not familiar with the Halloween ‘party scene’ for adults and college students in England. My guess is that any parties, raves, or concerts happening that weekend might adopt a Halloween theme. A quick Google search for Halloween parties in London shows a few options, though none seem to match the intensity or scale of events in Toronto.

 

This next section is generously contributed by Jenny from The Bear and the Fox:

Celebrating Hallowe’en the Scottish Way

Hallowe’en is a beloved holiday in our household! Every year, we try to extend the festivities a bit more, and this year, our decorations went up on October 1st. Some people argue that Hallowe’en is “just another American import,” but many don’t realize that Hallowe’en actually originates from Ireland and Scotland.

Many modern Hallowe’en practices – such as using candle-lit lanterns and dressing up as supernatural beings – have their roots in the Celtic New Year celebration. This falls on November 1st, with Hallowe’en effectively being the Celtic New Year’s Eve. The Celtic calendar is divided into two halves: light and dark. The dark half and the new cycle begin with the Celtic New Year, marked by Samhain on November 1st.

Nighttime was always considered a moment when the veil between the human and spirit worlds was at its thinnest, with Samhain being one of the nights when this veil was nearly non-existent. It was believed that both humans and spirits could pass through the threshold on that night. Contrary to the Hollywood portrayal of Satanic Hallowe’en, Samhain rituals celebrated and thanked the gods for a successful harvest, commemorated the dead, and sought protection from evil spirits for homes, livestock, and families during the harsh winter months.

In Edinburgh, where we live, people don’t decorate as elaborately as in the US, but as Hallowe’en approaches, you’ll see pumpkins appear in windows or by front doors to welcome trick-or-treating children. Despite the influx of American customs like the love for pumpkins, we still celebrate Hallowe’en somewhat differently in Scotland.

Guising

In Scotland, you have to earn your treats. When I was a child in Edinburgh, about thirty years ago, we didn’t go trick-or-treating; we went ‘guising.’ Simply shouting ‘trick or treat’ wouldn’t get you candy. We had to perform – for instance, a song, poem, or joke – to receive our sweets. Even though children today increasingly call it ‘Trick or Treat,’ the tradition of guising still prevails, albeit under a different name. If you knock on someone’s door on Hallowe’en night, they’ll likely expect you to perform. So, my boys always have something prepared and spend weeks perfecting it. Two years ago, my eldest performed a magic trick, and last year, he practiced three verses of a spooky song – most kids just tell jokes, so his song recital earned him extra sweets for impressing people. I really like the tradition of guising because it doesn’t feel like begging; the kids are giving something in return, and people enjoy the performance.

The tradition of donning ghoulish costumes also dates back to ancient customs and the belief that spirits crossed into the human world. Costumes weren’t meant to scare people but to allow safe passage among the evil spirits thought to roam that night without being recognized. Although you might see the occasional princess, pirate, or superhero out guising on Hallowe’en, spooky supernatural costumes are still the most popular in Scotland.

Turnip Lanterns

It’s hard to think of Hallowe’en without pumpkins nowadays, but they are a relatively new addition to Scottish festivities. Traditionally, turnips were carved into eerie lanterns and placed near doorways to ward off evil spirits. This custom originates from an Irish folktale about a man named Jack, who tried to trick the Devil and ended up cursed to wander the earth with only a burning coal inside a hollowed-out turnip. That’s where the name ‘jack-o’-lantern’ comes from. Immigrants who brought this tradition to America quickly realized pumpkins were MUCH easier to carve. Having experienced numerous turnip-carving injuries, I appreciate the introduction of pumpkins to Scottish Hallowe’en, though I have also taught my boys the traditional art of turnip carving.

Hallowe’en Games

Though these games aren’t exclusive to Scotland, they were a staple at any Hallowe’en party I attended as a child in Edinburgh. First, there’s ‘Dookin’ for Apples,’ where you attempt to grab a floating apple with your teeth, hands-free. Another game involved eating a treacle scone hanging from a rope without using your hands – quite a messy endeavor. Similarly, there was a game where you had to pick up a coin balanced atop a heap of flour using only your teeth, also without using your hands. You might notice a trend here… While I’m hesitant to create a mess with treacle and flour in our small apartment, I’ve introduced my boys to apple dookin’, and they look forward to it every year.

How do you celebrate Hallowe’en, if at all? Would you fancy experiencing a Scottish Hallowe’en?

About the Guest Author
Jenni resides in Edinburgh with her husband and two young sons. She blogs at The Bear & The Fox (https://www.thebearandthefox.com/).