BS: Trick 'r Treat...

Subject: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Bobert
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 07:37 PM

Well???

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Lighter
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 07:54 PM

MSNBC two minutes ago:

"37% of voters say zombies would do a better job of running the country than current politicians."

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 07:57 PM

In the UK in 2012, a 79 year old woman answered the door to some kids who asked "Trick or Treat"? and she said 'Trick'.... and immediately soaked them with a discharge from her water pistol......... they disappeared quickly and she was not troubled again! mmmmmmm not even for revenge!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 07:59 PM

Prepared for 100+ T or T ers. Rain, Wind.
14 bags of candy going to the office tomorrow.

SIGH

But the five who braved the storm filled their bags. LOL.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Don Firth
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 08:23 PM

Theological question:

Can a Jewish zombie eat the brain of Kevin Bacon?

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Ebbie
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 08:53 PM

Sins, isn't the idea that everything is postponed until tomorrow when the weather is better? Better hang to those bags!

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Bobert
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 08:55 PM

Well, if I find Kevin Bacon's brain in my trick 'r treat sack, I ain't gonna so much as nibble on it...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 10:09 PM

"37% of voters say zombies would do a better job of running the country than current politicians."

You mean they don't? ? ? ? ?

John

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Rapparee
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 10:12 PM

Ever since the teen crowd came and they started trucking the t'n'ters in from WAY outside the immediate neighborhood we've just turned out the lights and ignored it. Any damage I'd call vandalism and call the cops.

(You want some venison? I shot eight reindeer last Christmas and a big rabbit on Easter.)

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 02:12 AM

Had a pack of chocci-bix ready by the front door last night, but nobody came trick-or-treating.

When did this custom catch on in UK anyhow? It was an import from US about 20-ish years ago, is my impression; probably thru tv influence? Before that we were all concentrated on Guy Fawkes Day [5 Nov], as the focus for children to have fun soliciting for their creative efforts. Haven't noticed many doing that recently either; can't recall when last saw children with a guy or being asked for a penny [haha] for it. Probably becoz t-or-t has taken over...

Whose impressions are similar?

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 03:45 AM

Deep breath. I agree with MtheGM. I therefore disapprove of the custom. It does however allow one briefly to explain Samhain to parties with older kids in and some seem interested.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 05:07 AM

but nobody came trick-or-treating.
Perhaps with all the publicity about paedophiles over the last year some parents have decided that teaching kids to go to strangers houses to ask for sweets is not a good idea.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 08:08 AM

There were hordes of ToT-ers in my locality, mostly accompanied by similarly-garbed adults.

Another deep breath.....I agree with MtheGM and RB. It's not a significant part of our tradition or history, it's another import from the USA, and it's something that our resident GROLIES' "Corporate Bastards" have latched on to as a means of swelling their already-generously-loaded coffers.

But.....it gives the young 'uns a fair amount of fun, and it doesn't involve brainless tossers setting off fireworks at all hours of the day and night, so I suppose we shouldn't moan too much.

IMHO, YMMV.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: G-Force
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 08:11 AM

When did this custom catch on in UK anyhow? It was an import from US about 20-ish years ago, is my impression;

I may be wrong here (I usually am) but I'm pretty sure Trick or Treat featured heavily in an old film (Meet me in St. Louis???)which was shown on UK TV about 20-25 years ago, and it sort of caught on from then on.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 08:12 AM

When did this custom catch on in UK anyhow? It was an import from US about 20-ish years ago, is my impression; probably thru tv influence? Before that we were all concentrated on Guy Fawkes Day [5 Nov], as the focus for children to have fun soliciting for their creative efforts. Haven't noticed many doing that recently either; can't recall when last saw children with a guy or being asked for a penny [haha] for it. Probably becoz t-or-t has taken over...

Whose impressions are similar?


I thought we'd just re-imported it from the States, where they'd received it from England and Scotland where 'Guising' & 'Souling' had covered much of the same antics.
Unfortunately by the time we re-imported it it had obtained American overtones.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 09:04 AM

I first noticed the American habit of Trick or Treat in Britain about 20 years ago, when an American neighbour in West London told us of how, when a team of them called, she hastily raided her childrens' sweets tin for packets of Smarties and toffees; she was told in no uncertain terms where to put them "We want money".
This morning, our local newsagent told us that this was a regular occurrence in his shop.
Entrepreneurial or what??
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 09:14 AM

In my childhood in Minnesota, I never heard of Trick or Treat. I certainly didn't become aware of it until the late 40s or so, and then it was as sort of a curiosity.

I guess I should confess that "my childhood" (relevant to the trick or treat age range) in the previous paragraph would cover the 30s and early 40s.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Becca72
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 09:27 AM

Ebbie - this is Maine..we don't postpone T or T for bad weather.
When I was a kid (in the 70s) you had to make sure your costume fit over a snow suit should the need arise...and it often did!

I spend Halloween (my favorite holiday, btw) at my sister's. They usually get upwards of 100 kids. There were probably about half that last night.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Lighter
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 09:48 AM

For the American Halloween custom, see my post a few minutes back on the "thinning veil" thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 10:37 AM

I first heard of it, pre 'Meet Me In St Louis', I think, in a Disney Donald Duck & His Nephews short, late-1940s-ish. It was, according to wiki, a newish US custom then, Dave. Wiki states with precision that "trick-or-treating has been a customary Halloween tradition since the late 1940s, starting in Anoka, Minnesota": tho of course it relates it to the former British & Irish guising & souling traditions. Not sure how accurate this precise origin in Minnesota may be.

~M~

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 12:06 PM

When I lived in Edinburgh the Guisers came round, children wearing simple home-made costumes and always with burnt-cork-blackened faces. They were expected to sing or perform a 'turn' for a treat. This was donkeys' years ago, long before Hallowe'en came to England. We had 15 groups last night, of all ages. Super costumes and all of the children polite and sweet. My husband had to run down to the shop to buy more sweets as we started to run out. I always carve one or two pumpkins and light them at our door, to show we're up for a visit. I adore it, I really do. But a sour note:- a policeman came on Wednesday to our tiny village shop with a poster saying "No flour or eggs will be sold to anyone under 18 yrs of age." The shopkeeper refused to put it up, as we never ever have any silliness here with that sort of nonsense. But the copper said there'd been a lot of trouble in Norwich and surrounding districts last year. Sad really.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Penny S.
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 12:32 PM

I'm afraid I put up a little notice asking people not to call.

Especially as my window got egged on no particular night earlier in the year with no door knocking beforehand.

Many years ago, a small boy moved across town in Dover and started up a protection racket in his new street, not at this time of year. Basically, give me money or else (probably toilet paper all over the garden). To his shock, one of the doors opened to reveal... one of the teachers from his old school. The racket stopped.

Must go down and remove the notice.

Penny

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Lighter
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 12:51 PM

Anoka's first "Halloween Parade" appears to have been in 1920:

http://anokahalloween.com/pages/History/

It was apparently unique in its day.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Lighter
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 01:11 PM

1920 must have been a banner year. According to "The State," a newspaper of Columbia, SC (pretty durned far from Minnesota in so many ways)(Nov. 2, 1920, p. 12):

"Young people of Columbia had the time of their lives at the Halloween party and parade last night. The girls and boys, dressed in various spooky and fantastic costumes, gathered at the State House about 6 o'clock and marched through Main street blowing horns and making all sorts of racket.

"The parade was led by Boy Scouts riding bicycles who were followed by a ghost band and the rest of the fantastic crowd."

At the ensuing party, held as a fund-raiser for city playgrounds,

"Witches and cats and all sorts of Halloweenish things decorated the walls and windows and doors and almost seemed to jump out at the costumed and masked joy makers."

Interestingly, the roughly 500 wd article makes no mention of "trick or treat."

Nor does another report of a Halloween "costume party" held in the Philadelphia area in 1916. Early 20th century mentions of parties, parades, etc., generally emphasize them being organized to avert childish vandalism, which looks like the traditional American way of celebrating Halloween.

(Now the vandals often cut loose on Oct. 30, known in various places as "Devil's Night.")

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 05:35 PM

When I was a Tawny Owl, we used to do bobbing for apples with the Brownies, and also made toffee apples. You don't hear much about that nowadays, which is a shame as apples are plentiful at this season.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 01 Nov 13 - 07:04 PM

As kids, we never celebrated halloween.

we did, however, have "Mischief Night" which was 4th November. We'd do around lifting people's gates off and carting them on our "bogie" carts to somewhere like the nearest crossroads or pub. Or we'd tie a whole row of terraced houses' front doorknobs together with clothesline. Or fish scarves out from hall coat-stands through letterboxes. Lots of other evil little tricks that'd come back to me if I thought long enough.

It seems to have been largely confined to "up north" though. Whenever I've mentioned it to people since moving to Kent I've been met with blank looks.

Anyone else have "Mischief Night"?

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 02 Nov 13 - 04:12 AM

Yep, all of the above stunts! Knocking on doors and hiding, pissing our pants laughing as the residents looked up and down the strett to see who'd been there......right little barstards, we were!

It was much more fun than Bonfire Night.

On the Halloween topic, I was in my twenties before I ever heard of Halloween - back in the '50s and '60s it was virtually unheard of out here in the Backwoods.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Pete Jennings
Date: 02 Nov 13 - 06:52 AM

I'm with Eliza in that I think it is great fun. We too put out a pumpkin, which I carve, with a light in it and this year we got quite a few kids all of whom (or their mums!) and made an effort to dress up to look scary. They were all good natured, having fun.

Import or not, we like it.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Firecat
Date: 02 Nov 13 - 04:15 PM

We didn't get any trick or treaters - even though I bought bags of sweeties! Oh well, more for me.

When I was at Uni, the shop put a "No eggs sold to children" sign up. Didn't stop the little sods egging the bus my husband (fiance at the time) and I were coming back from lectures on! I ended up panicking.

I didn't really do trick or treat when I was a kid though. I did Penny For The Lantern, and all money raised was donated to Children In Need a couple of weeks later. I think the most I ever managed was about £15.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 02 Nov 13 - 04:58 PM

We used to love Penny For The Guy when we were small. My poor old Dad was persuaded to let us have an old pair of trousers and shirt (the poor chap didn't have many clothes anyway) which we stuffed with newspaper, then painted a home-made cardboard mask to tie on the guy. We'd sit this effigy outside a shop, wheeled there in my little sister's old pram. We did get quite a few coins, and bought a packet of sparklers for Bonfire Night. The Guy was burned on the bonfire. These Autumn days bring back all those lovely memories.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 04:06 AM

As other have said it wasn't imported from the US to the UK about 20 or so years ago. Actually I'd say that here in the Scottish Borders it is less of a to do now that in was when I was bairn. We called it 'guising' and you got dressed up and went from door to door doing songs or telling jokes in return for treats. We also dooked for apples in bowls of water and toffee apples were hung from the ceiling for you to eat without using your hands. I think the change from calling it "guising" to "trick or treating" happened after the film ET. Even here they call the actual guising 'trick or treating' now but they still actually mostly do the jokes or songs too. A change in name for the most part. Kids still dook for apples but the toffee apples seems to be a thing of the past now - at least here. Fair do in that the parts of the UK which had no real Halloween tradition (would that be more parts of England and Wales?) may think the tradition is American.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 04:14 AM

Oh the other change here in our neck of the woods if change from turnip lanterns to pumpkin lanterns. Much easier it is too

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 04:24 AM

Never heard of 'michief night'. It is really interesting how different areas of the UK differ. Our big things were Halloween and Bonfire Night. Nowadays the bonfires here seem to more big officially organised things where they used to be more localised. Up until about the early 1990s we still had one on waste ground at the back of our house here in Kelso. All the neighbours used to bring out tatties to cook and some of the women made soup etc. It was really good for folk getting together. In jedburgh in the 1970s there were two main bonfires. One at the top of the town and one at the bottom. Young lads used to post guards in the days leading up to it as those from the other fire made it their business to try and burn the opposing bonie down before the big day. Sounds worse than it is as there was no violence etc. We were all mates and for the most part it was the threat of it ebing burned only. It was just seen as part of the fun - and your mother or gran would say things like "mind dinnae let thae buggers burn it doun". I often feel that our modern sanitised life has sucked the fun away for the kids of today to enjoy.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Lighter
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 08:04 AM

I recently met a Scottish woman in her late twenties who still called it "guising."

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 12:15 PM

Trick or treating is more acceptable to me than penny for the guy which seemed like begging with a tragically stuffed figure in an old pram

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Elmore
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 08:25 PM

Managed to live where the little buggers weren't since 1983.

Subject: RE: BS: Trick 'r Treat...
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 08:27 PM

From: GUEST,Allan Conn - PM
Date: 03 Nov 13 - 04:14 AM
Oh the other change here in our neck of the woods if change from turnip lanterns to pumpkin lanterns. Much easier it is too
Here in South Wales it was a swede that was used. Harder to carve than a pumpkin, and a worse smell when a candle was lit inside!
Usually the top was sliced off the swede, making it easier to hollow it out. Once it had been hollowed out a face was carved into the front, a lighted candle placed inside, and the top (previously sliced off) replaced.

'Bobbing for apples' (trying to eat an apple floating at the top of a barrel of water) and 'swinging for apples' (trying to eat an apple suspended, by the stalk, from a length of string) were the norm, at least until approx. mid 1960s