Halloween in Scotland
It’s spooky season! Traditionally in Scotland this has been the time of year for fires, fortune telling and folklore.
Halloween in Scotland is constantly evolving and the Halloween we see on the cold, shadowy streets of October 2022 is a little different from the beginnings of this ancient festival which marked the end of the season of plenty and the beginnings of the long, dark nights of winter.
Learning about Traditions
There are many traditions for All Hallows’ Eve, as it has been known in the past. Common ones include many fun ‘no hands’ party games like dookin’ for apples or trying to eat sticky scones on a string but as this was a time to think and hope about the new seasons ahead, fortune telling has also been a big part of traditional gatherings. Scotland has a wealth of foolproof ways to foresee whether relationships will blossom or are doomed to failure. From kale picking to nut burning to rummaging around for a surprise in a bowl of porridge, there are a variety of traditional techniques to answer any young person’s questions on the quest for long-lasting love. Twinkl has just the resources to help children learn about the legends of a truly Scottish Halloween, including the Samhuinn festival held every year in Edinburgh. These presentations will ignite the class’ curiosity and they will realise Halloween in Scotland is about much more than dressing up and collecting sweet treats.
This presentation is ideal for first level learners
and this one for second level.
Guising
Dressing up has been a key component of a child’s Halloween for many years. A generation ago we called it guising and to earn sweet rewards from the houses you visited, it was necessary to tell a joke, recite some poetry or even tell a short ghost story. This tradition is ideal to rekindle in the classroom. To prepare your class for their guising performance, use this guide to Scottish poetry or help children create an engaging ghost story using this story mountain. To prompt ghostly story themes, read on for tips to stir up some eerie tales.
Outdoor Learning
One thing every generation can agree on is that Halloween is best celebrated outdoors. Safety is the uppermost priority so follow our adult guide to making a fire outdoors and show children the Fire Safety at Halloween presentation. A fire is not only a great centrepiece but is also a fantastic way to cook up some yummy outdoor snacks. Bannocks were traditionally cooked on a stone on an open fire at this time of year and offered to the souls of ancestors.
Storytelling
No fireside Halloween is complete without the seasonal tradition of telling ghost stories, and Scotland has an abundance to choose from. Every corner of Scotland is bursting with tales of hauntings, witches and unexplained mysterious happenings. A good ghost story is often passed down the generations and so this is the perfect time of year to quiz older family members about local legends. If you had a granny from Port Glasgow, they may tell you of the unusual reports in 1864 of a ghost throwing potatoes from under a bed. If you have a grandpa from Aberdeenshire, he may tell you of the terrifying day in 1920 when bones were discovered in the walls of one of Scotland’s most haunted buildings, Fyvie Castle.
If you have a great uncle in Glasgow, he may whisper about the strange happenings in the old, narrow streets of the Gorbals when faces would appear in attic windows. Or, if you have a distant relative from Edinburgh, they may send shivers down your spine recounting the tale of the ghost monkey of North Edinburgh.
If no members of the older generations are available to pass down their spooky wisdom, stories are just waiting to be unearthed. Take Sir Walter Scott, who always said his home, Abbotsford House, was haunted. Just looking at his eerie, vacated study can trigger the appearance of ghostly figures and an abundance of bumps in the night.
Setting learners off on a quest to unearth spooky images and build a story is a great way to create a few more local legendary tales. Then, just like generations before, the class can settle around the fire and let the storytelling begin!
Halloween in the Classroom
If your celebrations are classroom bound, here are our top six Halloween classroom resources for all ages:
- It may all be about pumpkin carving these days but in the past Scottish children persevered to carve turnips.That is no easy feat! So, why not bring in some turnips and use these Pumpkin Faces to decorate some truly spooky neeps or use this Design a Neep Lantern Activity Sheet.
- Combine numeracy, art and Halloween with this super differentiated Spooky Fingerprints activity.
- Calling all witches and wizards! Set up this Potion Workshop in class and see the power of play in action.
- Halloween is all about games and fun. Challenge Second Level learners to a Halloween Words Dictionary Race Game.
- The traditional Celtic Samhuinn Fire Festival marks the transition of summer to winter through the battles between each season’s king. Revisit hot and cold colours and represent this festival through individual art or capture its spirit by completing this Sun and Moon activity.
- Keep fidgety fingers happy during Halloween storytelling with these Halloween Doodle Colouring Pages.
Whatever way your class chooses to enjoy a traditional All Hallows’ Eve, have a spook-tacular day!
There are plenty more fang-tastic resources for all levels to have hours of fun and learning.
Click here for Early Level, First Level and Second level.
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