By Taylor Breckles

As jack o’ lanterns appear on doorsteps and miniaturized candy packs stock the shelves, you might begin to think about the origins of the Halloween practices that are so beloved today. Why do we carve pumpkins, hand out candy, and dress up? Why do we celebrate ghosts and ghouls? Scotland provides the answers! The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain—a day in which ghouls and spirits come to our realm—is the celebration from which Halloween evolved.

For instance, the original jack o’ lanterns were not pumpkins at all. Instead, people would use hollowed ‘neeps (or turnips, if you’re not fluent in Scots) to warn away evil spirits. These root vegetables were eventually cast aside in favour of pumpkins, but if you want to be traditional this year you can always scour your pantry for a turnip.

Our friend Robert Burns also talks about some of these Scottish Halloween traditions in his poem, “Halloween.” For example, you might recognize this practice: “The very wee things, todlin’, rin, / Wi’ stocks out owre their shouther; / And gif the custoc’s sweet or sour.” That’s right, this is Burnsian portrayal of the beloved trick-or-treating! These kids, however, weren’t originally trolling for candy, but rather for food offerings for Samhain feasts to appease the spirits that could potentially run rampant on October 31st. Candy and sweets became more popular, so as kids went “galoshin” or “guising” (trick-or-treating) they would go door to door and sing or tell jokes for a sweet treat. They would also dress as spirits so as to avoid unwanted supernatural attention.

Burns also mentions a practice that isn’t as widely known nowadays, but was used to predict the future happiness of engaged couples. At house parties, “well-hoordit nits, / Are round and round divided, / And monie lads’ and lasses’ fates / Are there that night decided.” But how would nuts predict happiness? Well, “Some kindle coothie, side by side, / And burn thegither trimly; / Some start awa, wi’ saucy pride, / And jump out-owre the chimlie” (meaning that two nuts would be tossed into the fireplace and if they kindled together calmly then the couple would be happy, but if the nuts jumped out of the fire then they would have some troubles).

This isn’t the only tradition that predicts one’s love life; far from it, actually. Some traditions involve sneaking outside alone with hemp and chanting, others involve eating an apple and looking into a mirror, and others still involve three bowls. This last tradition is the most easily accessible considering our current quarantine situation, so here are the rules: “In order, on the clean hearth-stane, / The luggies three are ranged; / An’ ev’ry time great care is ta’en / To see them duly changed.” After you have arranged your three bowls on the hearth (one filled with clean water, one with dirty water, and one completely empty), you must blindfold whomever is playing and have them put their hand into one of the bowls. This is repeated three times, though remember they must be “duly changed,” meaning that they are shuffled after each time. The clean water means that your spouse will be pure; the dirty water, a widow; the empty dish, no marriage at all.

Of course, Samhain isn’t all fun and games. There are also spirits to be wary of and spooks to be had, hence the need for precautionary ‘neeps. To avoid spirits that might be a bit mischievous, one must follow Burns’s example and make sure to surround oneself with friends, “Wi’ merry sangs, an’ friendly cracks, … And unco tales, an’ funnie jokes” all the while enjoying some sowens (fermented oats) prepared with butter specially for Halloween.

These are but examples of the traditional practices of Samhain. If you would like to read more about Samhain and how it evolved into Halloween (and you want some more detail than Burns provides), you can read Treat or Trick?: Halloween in a Gobalising World, edited by Malcolm Foley and Hugh O’Donnell or Scottish Customs from Cradle to Grave by Margaret Bennet. If, perhaps, you crave some more Burns, the complete poem and footnotes explaining the traditions can be found here.