How Is Halloween Celebrated In Scotland?

[Bugbear]

...for learning about how Lowland Scots celebrated All Hallow's Eve in days of yore is Robert Burns' Halloween:

http://www.electricscotland.com/burns/halloween.html

It is interesting to compare this work with a collection such as Vance Randolph's Ozarks Magic and Folklore, and once again note the contributions of the Scots to what we consider to be "traditional" American folklore.

T.

Thanks for posting that link, cajunscot.

From the end:

Wi' merry sangs, an' friendly cracks,
I wat they did na weary;
And unco tales, an' funnie jokes-
Their sports were cheap an' cheery:
Till butter'd sowens, (16) wi' fragrant lunt,
Set a' their gabs a-steerin;
Syne, wi' a social glass o' strunt,
They parted aff careerin
Fu' blythe that night.

(16) Sowens, with butter instead of milk to them, is always the Halloween Supper.-R.B.

* Not sure about some of what is being discussed in the passage, though.


And across the centuries:

the grub tends to be mostly stewed meat/sausage and sausage rolls... crisps also the usual vegetable soup peanuts etc. enough party food to fill a empty stomach that's for sure and well cider and blackcurrant...... hard to explain really its almost like drinking a softdrink nice strong drink with a pleasant after-taste, cordial blackcurrant is best used and any cider works at all ,i like my dry cider myself never been one for the sweeter scrumpy

oh and mind use the spare turnip for the veggie soup