All-Hallows Eve, 31st October. In the nineteenth century, Walter Gregor tells us in Notes on the Folk-Lore of the North-East of Scotland (1881):
During the burning of the [Halloween] fire and the scattering of the ashes, the half-yearly servants on the farm, if they intended changing masters, sang: – This is Hallaeven, The morn is Halladay; Nine free nichts till Martinmas, As soon they’ll wear away.
Halloween is a favourite time for children but in Scotland, their traditional activities are guising (rather than trick-or-treating), and a sensible householder will demand a song, a poem or a joke before nuts, fruit, sweets or money are handed over. The guisers carry a turnip lantern (made from a large swede) and at a Halloween party they will expect to take part in games like dookin (ducking) for aipples and eating treacle scones suspended above their heads and to be tackled with hands behind the back.