Scottish Halloween - Guising

Halloween is fast becoming one of the biggest celebrations of the year worldwide. It's enjoyed by little 'uns as well as older and drunker humans as an excuse for revelries, especially of the night for the latter. For many of the rest of us it's the small bastion we hold on to before all the people who'd have Christmas all year round if they could, force us to live with Christmas through November (sorry if you're one of "those" people - I don't hate Christmas I just believe it belongs in December and any excessive celebration ahead of time just makes me enjoy it less). 

As a Swede I didn't really grow up with Halloween being much of a thing. We dress up as witches for Easter but that's for another post and for us the 1st of November is a bigger tradition. It is known as "Allhelgona afton" - All Saint's eve - and is a day for remembering our lost loved ones. Lights are lit everywhere in our deep Nordic autumn darkness, but in particular at graveyards. You'll usually make a trip to the graves of those who've left you behind and leave them a light lit. It's quite a sight as it is so magnificently dark out.

Because of the countries we lived in when I was little trick 'n' treating was not something I experienced even if Halloween had been bigger in Sweden (I believe it has become increasingly popular there since the nineties though!). There were of course school discos annually to mark the occasion and like everyone else I loved the excuse to party and get dressed up. As I became a teenager it turned into a reason to go out a party a bit harder - I spent my formative years in Belgium where drinking restrictions are much more lenient than in many countries in the world. 

Through adulthood I've cared less and less mostly because I worked in bars and so naturally had to work while others got dressed up and since I've generally been pregnant and or looking after a kid(s). We also lived more rurally the last few years and when you've got many miles to your next neighbour's house it's difficult to go door knocking. For me it's always been a quinticentally American tradition before moving here, it's after all in their movies I have witnessed the tradition of getting dressed up and knocking on people's doors.

Turns out it's a pretty big deal in my adopted country though. Of course I always knew that settlers will have brought the notion over from Europe to the US but I hadn't realised that it had continued to be celebrated here in more of its own form. I thought that the idea of knocking on peoples doors for treats must've been from the other side of the pond.

But no here in Scotland they have their own trick or treating, but it's known as "guising" (I think you can easily make the jump from "disguising" linguistically). Guising to the Scots is so much more than just getting dressed up and getting treats to placate threats of tricks. Children would traditionally get dressed up as ghoulish creatures to blend in with the evil spirits on all Hallow's Eve, treats would be given out as protective tokens so ward off evil. The treats weren't given freely however, when out guising you must earn your gift. Of course you have to dress up as ghoulishly as you can still, but when you go knock on people's doors you also can't come empty handed. Your job is to have some sort of show number that you've practiced. It can be a joke, a poem, a song or dance - use your imagination - but the person who lives in the house you've visited has to feel you earn what they have to give.

Now in our village they did not do this in halves when we were out last year. It seemed that all the kids at the school were there (they don't all live in or even near the village as our small rural school takes kids from a large area). So many households seemed to have had a great time decorating their homes and at every door you knocked at you were either asked to tell your joke at the door or invited into the warmth to do your performance. And as if the extreme community feel wasn't enough the local pub/hotel had a free party set up for the kids too; with treats and arts and crafts set up. If you want an amazing Halloween experience then Kirkmichael is the place to be (except this year!).

Obviously we won't be able to enjoy this Scottish tradition the same way this year. Guising is not advisable due to Coronavirus cases increasing again. The kids are of course disappointed (they've genuinely talked about this event the WHOLE year) but we have promised to do some Halloween things at home instead. 

Today they've been allowed to go to school in Halloween costumes (eldest is usually in school uniform) and this is how they all looked this morning. Youngest was feeling left out when I had done the girls' faces so he got some make up on too. It was IMPOSSIBLE to get a photo of them as they were all too excited and busy doing evil laughs at me so these are literally the only photos I got where they're not ridiculously blurry. We've planned a wee hunt for treats in the garden in place of the guising and will light a fire in the garden tonight (weather is set to be horrible tomorrow apparently). Tomorrow will hopefully be filled with pumpkin carving (couldn't find any decent sized turnips), crafts and baking. Fingers crossed we can all go out guising in the village next year instead!