"This is Halloween! This is Halloween!...

Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright."
(Nightmare Before Christmas - This Is Halloween.)

We've had no guisers at the door as we live in flats, and I don't think there are any children in our block. Even if we did, I would sort of feel let down giving out sweets to older kids as when I was little I had to learn jokes and songs to earn the sweets and pennies I was given. Saying that it was 10mins of entertainment for the neighbours who had known me and my friends since I was born, and I lived in a small town.

The Official Gateway to Scotland website http://www.scotland.org/features/item/halloween-traditions/ details the traditions of Halloween in Scotland as

"Until recently trick or treat was unknown in Scotland. Instead children here dressed up in old clothes, blackened their faces or pretended to be evil spirits and went guising. The custom traces back to a time when it was thought that by disguising children in this way they would blend in with the spirits that went abroad that night. Any such child who approached a house would be given an offering to ward off evil. These days children who knock on their neighbours doors have to sing for their supper. Or tell stories for a gift of sweets or money."

However,

The modern world has had an effect on some of these customs. Pumpkins are now as common as turnips for lanterns. Children turn up shouting trick or treat and expect gifts without having to perform, and traditional songs and games are dying out in some areas."

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!