Halloween!! :D

I'm going to a costume party this year (albeit with a bunch of Americans!) but I am really excited! No trick or treaters or anything last year. Well, two 16 year olds who were vaguely pissed and weren't even wearing costumes. I wouldn't call them trick or treaters, really! But then, I can remember my last Halloween in America, I had to chase a kid down on the opposite side of the street to give him some candy since I had so much and no trick or treaters. LOL. I think I did scare him, actually. He probably wondered why the hell this crazy lady was chasing him. Haha.

You're always entitled to your own opinion.

Not on UKY, I'm not! 

I wish Guy Fawkes Day was a bigger deal here. I was looking forward to a new holiday to celebrate last year and it was just my nephew burning a bit of brush on the beach. 
No fireworks or anything. So, I guess I will take Halloween back. 

  People would sometimes carve Swedes (rutabagas) instead of pumpkins and don't ask me why they didn't slice all their fingers off because those things are HARD! 

Call them thing neeps up here. Tried carving one once, thought about getting the old chainsaw out but gave up and got a pumpkin instead.

But did halloween not originate here as I am sure the Celtic people used to dress up and wore masks and paid some sort of tribute some dead people or gods or something of the sort? I don't think they had the candy so couldn't really go door-to-door. But I do remember my father telling me how they used to go guising as a kid and they did go door-to-door.


And Q-G -  keep your opinions coming. Some I agree with, some I don't but it all goes to feed the old grey matter in helping to learn things.

But did halloween not originate here as I am sure the Celtic people used to dress up and wore masks and paid some sort of tribute some dead people or gods or something of the sort? I don't think they had the candy so couldn't really go door-to-door. But I do remember my father telling me how they used to go guising as a kid and they did go door-to-door.

Dont know if it originated here or not, but i remember hearing about kids going guising... they used to do an actual 'trick'... some sort of party turn, like singing a song or reciting a poem, in exchange for some sort of treat... was it a clementine or a thrup'ny bit or something?

I've asked a few of my neighbours about what Halloween is like around here. Most of them say it's getting to be more popular and that I better make sure to have some candy ready for the trick or treaters. I'm even invited to a Halloween party just down the street (and I'm going). As far as decorations go I still haven't seen any of the neighbours put them out (yet anyway). Not even the couple who is throwing the party! I wouldn't mind putting some out my self but don't have the money for it this year. I'll probably just do a pumpkin for now.

You're always entitled to your own opinion.

I just happen to be a huge Halloween fan, and even though I'm moving to a new country that may not have the exact same culture, I don't want to give up the things I love.   Still going to watch American football, have turkey on Thanksgiving, and celebrate Halloween.  Because those are some of the things that make me, me.  I want to enjoy my new country and new culture, while still keeping some of my own.

I agree that if you want to celebrate it, go for it.  I'm most likely going to be the only one in my entire village having Thanksgiving dinner also, but that's not going to stop me.  As others have said before, you're allowed to do it "just because"...you don't need a reason!

One of the main reasons I am going to continue to make things a big deal and not leave things the way they are (as far as *not* "Americanizing" England) is because my daughter is American.  Yes, we are moving to a new country with a new culture and customs...and I am very excited to learn about all of those things and share them with my daughter...but I think it is extremely important for me to keep American traditions alive (in England even) for her sake.  I can't speak for other parts of the country, but where I live, Halloween is HUGE!  The entire mall turns into a big trick-or-treat fest where all the employees stand at the doors passing out candy, there are haunted houses everywhere, hay rides, corn mazes, etc.  The fact that my daughter is already going to be missing out on all of that, makes me strive even harder to make it a big deal in our household.  The good thing is that my MIL has a huge family and they all live in the same village as us (along with most of my hubbies friends) so we will have plenty of houses that WILL (I'll make sure they do!) have lots of candy for her.  

But in the last 20+ years, I have seen Britain getting more and more Americanised (changing in other ways too; and not for the better)... to the extent that it's barely anything like what it was when I arrived and fell in love with the place.

I hate seeing cultures get overinduated with American businesses- KFC and Starbucks and Pizza Hut and the GAP and Wal-mart (uggh) etc...

I think its fun to have my American celebrations of Thanksgiving and Halloween (to a lesser extent) but I have them on my own and invite my friends for a giggle- and I would really hate to see those kind of things get engrained in the local culture. I will celebrate for me, but definitely not to have others have to do it.   

I know cultures change over time from influx and influence, like Britians love for a good curry and American culture has lots of Mexican/Latin American traditions now.

But for me there's no point to go somewhere new if places start to have the same cultures or traditions as everywhere else. More than half the fun is to experience the new stuff!!!! 

My local real ale pub, haggis, Scottish Beer, flapjacks, rugby, ceilidh music and dancing...etc... a few of my favourite things! 
 

Dont know if it originated here or not, but i remember hearing about kids going guising... they used to do an actual 'trick'... some sort of party turn, like singing a song or reciting a poem, in exchange for some sort of treat... was it a clementine or a thrup'ny bit or something?

Yes they did a trick, it wasn't just turnip (haha) and get a treat. In saying that the ones I have had rattle my door have always given a joke or a poem and asked 'a penny for the guy'

Yes they did a trick, it wasn't just turnip (haha) and get a treat. In saying that the ones I have had rattle my door have always given a joke or a poem and asked 'a penny for the guy'

I've only had the 'penny for the guy' in the pub... kids coming round a few nights before Bonfire night.

But did halloween not originate here as I am sure the Celtic people used to dress up and wore masks and paid some sort of tribute some dead people or gods or something of the sort? I don't think they had the candy so couldn't really go door-to-door. But I do remember my father telling me how they used to go guising as a kid and they did go door-to-door.

I'd heard that Halloween was of Scottish origination and was celebrated more there, but I don't know for sure.
When my mother was a girl (this was in the US although she was of Scotch-Irish parentage) Halloween was a bit more rambunctious.  The older kids used to go around playing "tricks"  -everything from rubbing soap on people's windows to knocking over privies (probably with Grandpa sitting in there  )  The younger kids would dress up and go to parties -- not so much the door to door thing.

 I'm most likely going to be the only one in my entire village having Thanksgiving dinner also, but that's not going to stop me.  As others have said before, you're allowed to do it "just because"...you don't need a reason!

One of the main reasons I am going to continue to make things a big deal and not leave things the way they are (as far as *not* "Americanizing" England) is because my daughter is American.  

Yep I dare say you'll be the only house doing the bird day. We celebrated a few of the American traditions, only so my kids were exposed to it but my grown up kids certainly don't what it's like to be an American kid, and I did give them snippets of history that all Americans know (ya know Columbus  , Washington, reasons for the stars & stripes etc etc) but ask them anything like that now and it's a blank stare. They're Scottish first and then British and then American.

Easter is another one that isn't really done here like back home. My kids used to love going across at Easter cuz my sister organises really big egg hunts (she's good at that sort thing being one of these southen belle Marti gras krewe types). She made sure everything was 'just' right.

I hate seeing cultures get overinduated with American businesses- KFC and Starbucks and Pizza Hut and the GAP and Wal-mart (uggh) etc...

Unfortunately that seems to be a world wide phenomenon. Progress 
Speaking of progress, had to explain to my boy why he is off on tattie holidays...mechanisation

My local real ale pub, haggis, Scottish Beer, flapjacks, rugby, ceilidh music and dancing...etc... a few of my favourite things! 

you forgot the deep fried Mars bar. Now that is only something that a Glaswegian could come up with 

The older kids used to go around playing "tricks"  -everything from rubbing soap on people's windows to knocking over privies (probably with Grandpa sitting in there  ) 

 

yea I think it has origins in the Celtic days but I'm too bug-eyed to go trolling through the web any more today. Is Cait still around? She was pretty knowledgeable of Celtic things (I think it was her).

So since Halloween (and obviously Thanksgiving) are not widely celebrated or that popular in the UK, I'm assuming the possibility of finding decorations is fairly low.  Are there any websites that you can order "American" holiday decorations and have things delivered in the UK?  Or is this something I'll have to coordinate with my US fam to ship to me? 

I was just out shopping yesterday in Lincoln and found a few Halloween decorations. My husband found a super cool website for party decorations (he threw me a big 4th of July party and got most of the stuff from them). He's not home at the mo so I'll ask him what it is and post it here in a while. As for Thanksgiving I saw a few things that I would consider Thanksgiving decorations but others might just think of them as Fall decor. You're best off checking it out at your local shops when you get over to see what you can find.