Halloween

[The Low Country]

Re: Halloween

I don't ever remember doing Halloween - I'm sure it was more of an american thing that has caught on here over the years but no one did it in our area. We used to have a fab bonfire night though and always did penny for the guy!

[Trickyvee]

Re: Halloween

Bonfire night was always the bigger deal. Usually we'd have a box of fireworks to set off in the garden and sparklers. Once or twice we went to a big display.

One year in the late 70s the electricity board were striking and had a power cut on November 5th. Perfect for bonfire night you would think, but as a toddler I screamed the place down and the whole evening's entertainment was abandoned

[RetroAEROSMITH]

Re: Halloween

That 80s plastic mask description was sooooooooo spot on, breathing out through your nose caused the moisture to build up on the inside of the mask.
I dont think i ever or we ever said "trick or treat" it was always "Happy Halloween!" I dont remember any trouble or spitefulness during any of my halloween outings...as you passed each of your mates in the street or other groups you would compare and compliment masks and costumes and say how much so and so gave you or whatever.
I dont remember any gangs hanging around streets terrorising people either...id say it was round about 1982 - 1984 time

[tulip]

Re: Halloween

Ahhh,Halloween.I loved it.When I was really small we went down one side of the street and up the other with my mum.We had an old couple who lived at the bottom of the street who I don't think ever had kids.We used to go in and do our bit for "uncle" Archie and his wife would give us a bag full of homemade toffee!! I remember one year,my brother dressed up as Superman in his Superman Pj's.He had one of thoses blue machine guns that made a funny noise when you pulled the trigger.He aimed at the full moon and it moved behind a cloud.Did he get the fright of his life that night!

tulip

[Thunderbird2]

Re: Halloween

We never really did Halloween. I grew up in Yorkshire and we would have 'Mischief Night' on 4 Nov. It was basically 'trick or treat' without the treat option really . . . .

[George 1978]

Re: Halloween

I suppose it's that time of year again - at least as I live beyond a communal door, the little so-and-sos can't Trick or Treat the residents where I live - one of the best reasons why I moved here.

I was often prepared for them at my old place - no, I didn't come equipped with a full tin of Quality Street, but just like the Jehovah's Witnesses, I knew not to answer the front door on 31st October as I had more sense, and as the kids are on half term doesn't help much either. The door banged right up until 11.00 pm on some years, and then again with Bonfire Night a week later. I had often wished that my street had its own security guards.

Mischief Night was mentioned in the previous post - was that connected to Hallowe'en? I have to admit that I had never heard of Mischief Night until I was listening to one of the northern BBC local radio stations online where some presenters were talking about it a few years ago. I assume that no one south of Sheffield had heard of it - I had not. It does sound a lot worse, almost akin to the August 2011 riots but on a smaller scale.

I have never forgotten that controversial programme that the BBC put out in 1992 that had Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene present - I was surprised that Parkinson was involved with that to be quite honest.

Things that go bump in the night indeed.

[battyrat]

Re: Halloween

Did not exist as a celebration years ago. And should be banned today. We were always brought up not to take sweets from strangers and here are the kids today begging for sweets off strangers.

When I was a kid it was all Penny for the guy. You made your guy then carted him around on your go cart for penny's. Door knocking was out and never contemplated unless we knew the person very well. They say the custom had died out but I remember something about it being banned by some councils as it was seen as a form of begging. But we put a lot of effort into making the guy and carting the thing around with us. I can also remember parts of a couple of songs we sung when carting the guy around and when the fire was lit. The money we collected went back in for fire works.We also collected a lot of old wood in that way for our fire. Good times.

[staffslad]

Re: Halloween

We haven't had any trick or treaters for at least a decade, not that I miss them. Growing up, trick or treat just didn't exist around here. There were usually spooky shows and films on TV, and Halloween was a popular time for morning talk shows to discuss ghosts and the paranormal. Cake shops would sell spooky cakes and kids would sometimes wear costumes, but that was not often.

[tex]

Re: Halloween

We haven't had any trick or treaters for at least a decade, not that I miss them. Growing up, trick or treat just didn't exist around here. There were usually spooky shows and films on TV, and Halloween was a popular time for morning talk shows to discuss ghosts and the paranormal. Cake shops would sell spooky cakes and kids would sometimes wear costumes, but that was not often.

Same here, no callers....guess i'll have to eat all them sweets myself now...damn!