Home» Word of the Month» October 2008

Scots Word for October

Halloween

spooky house
The last day of October brings with it the spooky festival of Halloween. Look up Hallow in the Dictionary of the Scots Language and it will tell you that Halloween is the eve of All Saints' Day, in the old Celtic calendar the last day of the year and the first of winter, when witches and the powers of darkness were supposed to hold revels; subsequently the night on which bonfires and various traditional rites of divination were held as described in Burns's poem Halloween.

At the time when this entry was complied, the editor was able to state with confidence 'The evening is now celebrated mainly by children who dress up as guisers, and go about with turnip lanterns begging for money, nuts and apples'. Traditionalists among us are fighting a rearguard action against the pumpkin and the trick-or-treating that seems to be ousting Scottish tradition. Dookin for aipples is still popular, though.

Halloween bonfires were once popular, although for some unaccountable reason November the fifth seems to have taken over as bonfire night. (Can anyone tell me why the Scots celebrate Guy Fawkes' failure to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605?) The Folk-Lore Journal (1883) makes reference to the Halloween blaze: "After the Hallow-Fires were consumed, . . . some were in the habit of gathering together the ashes, and covering them up — "ristin the halla-fire'" — and placing in the ashes a small stone to represent each member of the household. If the stone which represented a member was not found, that member would be removed by death before the next Hallow-Fire was kindled".

Fae ghoulies and ghaisties and lang-leggitie baesties, may the guid Lord deliver us.

The Scots column is written by Christine Robinson. You can contact her with any questions.