Samhain Stories and Scottish Traditions at October's Members' Gathering

By Izzy Adams

On Saturday, October 10, nine members of the Scottish Society of Ottawa gathered at the Royal Oak in Centrepointe for an afternoon of conversation, laughter and memories of Halloween traditions. Despite the Thanksgiving long weekend, we enjoyed a lovely turnout for our Samhain-themed members' get-together.

Samhain, an ancient Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, provided the perfect starting point for a lively discussion about Scottish customs, folklore and how Halloween celebrations have changed over the generations.

Two of our members, Norma, originally from Edinburgh, and Marion, from Glasgow, shared wonderful childhood memories of Halloween in Scotland. Norma recalled going guising, dressing up and visiting neighbours' homes, where children were expected to sing a song or perform before receiving a few pennies. Accompanied by a friend playing the mouth organ, she remembered doing rather well for herself!

Marion shared memories of traditional Halloween games, including dookin' for apples and attempting to catch apples suspended on strings, a game that could prove surprisingly challenging!

Our table featured a carved turnip lantern, or tumshie, complete with a flickering candle, and a basket of apples representing some of these old traditions. Shawn also treated everyone to homemade Irish barmbrack, a fruit bread traditionally associated with Halloween, served with butter and enthusiastically sampled by those attending.