orangewingerFree Member<br />Being a Christian personally I don’t celebrate Halloween and I don’t mind other peoples decorations etc. But I do find body bags and bloody hand prints a bit odd with all that’s going on in the world recently. Maybe it’s just me but it seems quite insensitive or maybe it’s just what people are decorating around my village?
How do you feel about celebrating people being nailed to trees? Or crowned with thorns?
Hoi. Scotland wants a **** word. It’s a Gaelic tradition
Oidche shamhna
OP=troll?
Death and murder aren’t that recent so I think the distaste you have for Halloween is perhaps just you.
It’s a great festival day with a rich heritage. And much better now than it was back in the 80s.
Not sure it’s a holy day of obligation but those still seem to be around https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_day_of_obligation
I understand from a colleague in Southern California that in her area it’s now mostly Halloween parties and not so much trick or treating for kids. 😢
I've always enjoyed Halloween. In Derry when I was a child, pumpkins were not a thing, so we hollowed out and carved turnips!
We didn't trick or treat (that may be because we lived in the sticks) but there was always a bonfire, lots of nuts, apple bobbing etc.
Guy Fawkes night wasn't a thing either IIRC, but we saw English people do it on the telly. Private fireworks were banned (too many security concerns) but you could buy indoor fireworks (about 50% more exciting than watching an incense stick burn)
The best bit was when we were boozy teenagers - Haloween night in Derry is amazing! Thousands in fancy dress, bands in the street, underage drinkers in masks trying to get into pubs, a bouncer's nightmare!
Sorry, slight nostalgia tip there. Anyway, these days, plastic tat is kept in the loft when not in use, and as long as the more gory content isn't traumatising young kids, go for it.
weve got a good local loop, and all the primary aged kids get stuck in, I was amazed how restrained they were with the handfuls of jelly beans.
I do find they get taller as the evening goes on, and when they end up 14 ish wearing just a crappy scream mask as a token effort with backpacks full of loot and cigarettes, it loses its appeal and we wrap it up.
I miss the good old days when a gang of tracksuit yoofs (no masks or costumes) would knock on your door trick or treat mate.
When was that? I remember people getting dressed up and wearing masks in the 70s.
As a child born in the late 60's Halloween really wasn't a thing in the 70's (round our way anyway!).
Pushing a Guy in a wheelbarrow round the village in the week leading up to bonfire night was. Shouting 'PENNY FOR THE GUY!!'.
And as I grew into a yoof - newsagents would gladly sell you air-bomb repeaters and bangers. Then used for jolly japes popping them in peoples plant pots and milk bottles outside their front door.
My wife went out to check the letter box last night to be confronted by an 8' T-Rex which she found hilarious. Eventually. 😂
burning a religious terrorist at the stake…
Nothing quite as uncivilised as that.
Hanged, drawn, and quartered.
Where do you suppose the Americans got it from in the first place?
TV?
I've got an 8 year old daughter so Halloween is religiously observed. Its a nice neighbourhood event, despite the spooky theme I find it to be a more wholesome and friendly affair than bonfire night.
It was very different when I was a small child 30y ago in central Scotland, where it was guising rather than trick or treat and the whole point was to go round the houses of people you knew in disguise, rather than going round strangers houses.
Some daft woman on the village FB group asking where the best place to take her little one trick or treating was. How about her own street?
How about her own street?
I don't think there are any under 20yo in our street but we still get plenty of visitors 🙂 not quite sure where they all come from, obviously the lure of sweets is strong.
I bought a big box of Celebrations. We didn't get any trick-or-treaters. Imagine my disappointment at being stuck with the full tub.
Forget witches and ghouls, all the youngsters round my way last night appeared to have dressed as teenage Neds. Hundreds of the little scrotes roaming the streets.
there were a few groups of younger kids out last night as well, but they only went to houses with decorations outside, which is fair enough.
As someone without kids it’s not something I partake in anymore, but I use to enjoy it as a kid.
My girls are 14 now and were worried they were getting a bit too old, but ended up getting into the swing of things. Daughter (the one who is having the horrible migraines if you follow my other thread) on the left, her friend in the middle and our foster placement on the right wielding a baseball bat. They were about to go over the road to where our other daughter was at a Hallowe'en party to sneak into the garden and scare them all 🙂
Cougar
I bought a big box of Celebrations. We didn’t get any trick-or-treaters. Imagine my disappointment at being stuck with the full tub.
Did you have a lit pumpkin outside, or any other decoration?
It's pretty much an unwritten rule near us, that you can knock on any door with an obvious Halloween decoration, but leave any other houses well alone.
I took my daughter round the block last night - there was a massive range of decoration, from one lonely pumpkin (like we had) to full front gardens decorated. There was even a severed head hanging from a road sign - pretty sure it was fake.
One local house had a motion-sensing hanging zombie that caused both of us to almost soil ourselves when it started up. Very funny.
We had a 6foot inflatable unicorn turn up just as we got back to the house. Highly amusing, but I struggle to see the Halloween connection. Apparently it was very warm in the suit & she kept having to de-mist the viewing window.
Our kids love it, we got cleared out in an hour. Loads of families out having fun, I'm sure it's not just you OP but we put up with church bells early every Sunday morning. 😉
All our decorations last for years but most are home made. Particularly fond of the ghosts the Mrs knocked up this year.
Our village usually have a few kids out 'n about, with parents in tow. The local rule is to only knock on houses with a pumpkin out the front.
That said my house is almost impossible to see from the road. PITA when DPD etc can't find us, but quite useful on Halloween. We haven't had any kids finding us for years, despite having a pumpkin out by the road in the past. I think they all went to my neighbour by mistake!🎃
Its a load of meaningless yank cringe horse sh!t. Adults who 'celebrate' it need their laptops/phone checking by the police. Hideous fake people.
What did Alan Partridge say that's applicable to Halloween, it was something along the lines of:
"Yet another example of America tightening its grip around the neck of British culture with little to no resistance"
Johnny Vegas said his dad called it a "blasphemous celebration of evil".
Did you have a lit pumpkin outside, or any other decoration?
It’s pretty much an unwritten rule near us, that you can knock on any door with an obvious Halloween decoration, but leave any other houses well alone.
We didn't, though we do have twinkly lights which I thought might attract them. Maybe I'm confusing them with moths.
Honestly, it's pretty much the first year I've thought "eh, why not." Historically (as I touched on earlier) it was more the "give us some money mister, or we'll egg your car" brand of trick or treating that I'm used to seeing. I wasn't really expecting any, just figured I'd get some chocs on the off-chance.
Maybe next year.
a “blasphemous celebration of evil”.
If I'd known that I'd definitely have put some pumpkins out.
(Also, learn some history.)
I understand from a colleague in Southern California that in her area it’s now mostly Halloween parties and not so much trick or treating for kids. 😢
Again that’s been around for a long time too, I can recall going to them as a kid and certainly in my 20s for other people’s kids. Now I have little choice as my youngest was born in the 31st October.
As a child born in the late 60’s Halloween really wasn’t a thing in the 70’s (round our way anyway!).
It’s been a thing for a very long time, my parents both did it.
Now I have little choice as my youngest was born in the 31st October.
Username checks out.
It's not just you.
For reasons best known to themselves some "youths" decided to egg our house at about 9pm last night.
So that was ****ing fun sorting last night and this morning.
I have been in the US at Halloween and we are crap at it in comparison. You also don't tend to get groups of 14 year old Purge wannabes wandering the streets until god knows when, can't imagine why...
I'm Roman Catholic by birth, and really couldn't care less about religion any more - it seems to cause a lot of death and destruction all in the name of what religion people are. No thanks. Nice to see lots of kids out last night having fun !
the 'no decorations, no knock' is pretty much a universal rule
Penny for the guy won't work any more - so few coins in circulation in a cashless society - it also used to be that the smallest kid in the family/friend group would get dressed up in all kinds of old clothes and get barrowed, haven't seen a 'guy' in years
Hah, that reminds me. A few years back I had,
ding dong
"Penny for the Guy!"
"Uh... where's your Guy?"
"... what?"
For reasons best known to themselves some “youths” decided to egg our house at about 9pm last night.
Yeah we had that last year. It took literally seconds to clean off.
I was always forbidden to trick or treat by my mother who said it was a form of begging.
it also used to be that the smallest kid in the family/friend group would get dressed up in all kinds of old clothes and get barrowed, haven’t seen a ‘guy’ in years
How did that go when the guy was thrown on the bonfire, which is the whole point of the guy? 😀
Halloween is great, it was well attended last night. Loads of kids dressed up going round the houses and having a great time. The local church did a good job too. Not many decs (🤣) but an open door, kids everywhere, ‘treasure trail’ round the property, hot chocolate, sweeties, a cheery reverend and some other friendly church faces too. A bit of propaganda heading out the door and job’s a good ‘un. I’m not religious at all but great to see them getting involved with the community.
I CBA with it all, but to be fair had a good time at a Halloween fancy dress party at the weekend so its a good excuse for a piss up if nothing else. Only got one group of 3 young kids last night so loads of Haribo left!
Halloween and trick or treat weren’t really
a thing when I was a kid. Early 80’s in my bit of West Yorkshire. We knew Halloween existed and that was about it. Mischief night and penny for the guy were the done things. Mischief night would have some of you miserable bastards dying of impotent rage if it was still a thing.
Loving the poster taking life advice from Alan Partridge, a character created to be creepy, and Johnny Vegas, a comedy character. Keep up the good work.
The local rule is to only knock on houses with a pumpkin out the front.
That's been our street's rule although this year it wasn't very well observed, probably kids from a new housing estate which has appeared at the end of the street and not on our street's WA group, which lays down the rules...
Not having kids, I had absolutely no idea it was Halloween until a bunch knocked on the door....
Living on a street governed by WhatsApp sounds awful. A street with rules and WhatsApp sounds even worse. Is this genuinely a thing? I can’t imagine anything more ****ing bizarre. I’m close friends with a fair few neighbours but street rules is one step away from that American lawn standards bollocks.
It's not street rules, everyone down here 'knows' that the houses with decorations are the ones with sweets. It's urban lore as opposed to a set of rules.
Where do you suppose the Americans got it from in the first place?<br />TV?<br /><br />
Did you miss the bit about it coming from Gaelic tradition? And did you cover the Clearances in your history lessons? How about huge St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Chicago and New York?
I’m not in the slightest bit interested in the goings on, and never have been. Joey was all over putting various decorations out, and bowls of sweets, but I was usually at work when the kids came round.
FFWD to now, and I was out last night, so no idea if many people were about. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant evening, so there may not have been as many as usual.
Loving the poster taking life advice from Alan Partridge
He was right about Kate Bush though.
It’s not street rules, everyone down here ‘knows’ that the houses with decorations are the ones with sweets. It’s urban lore as opposed to a set of rules.
There’s a WhatsApp group and street rules up there ^
Urban lore 😂 this thread just keeps on giving.
Did you miss the bit about it coming from Gaelic tradition?
I was talking about society/culture generally in response to "we're becoming more American" rather than about Halloween specifically. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
I guess the point was really, "so what?" We're becoming more American, more Indian, more Polish, more French... Our alphabet is Latin, our numbers are Arabic. Meanwhile, other countries are becoming more British.
This is what has always happened when people move around and today we've gone from migration to wars to television and Hollywood influence to being able to mingle at the speed of thought.
Because, you're absolutely right. It's what we do, and we're really good at it.
And did you cover the Clearances in your history lessons?
Nope. First I've heard that term.
How about huge St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Chicago and New York?
Chicago I was a few weeks off.
Not having kids, I had absolutely no idea it was Halloween until a bunch knocked on the door….
Yeah I mean it’s not Christmas so happens on the same date every year.
People have WhatsApp groups for their streets and lay down rules? Are these rules shared with other streets so they are aware of them?
Not WhatsApp rules, but a sensible post on our village FB page from an incomer just checking that Halloween decs outside meant that kids could call, no decs meant do not disturb.
Seems to have become standard system all over. Doesn’t stop some older kids being dicks, of course. We were all young and dumb once.
