How Traveller children celebrated Halloween in Inveraray bet...

Original Track ID

SA1976.208.A6

Original Tape ID

SA1976.208

Summary

How Traveller children celebrated Halloween in Inveraray between the wars.

At Halloween, when Duncan Williamson was young, the Traveller children blackened their faces with coal and put on their jackets back to front or dressed up, sometimes with a sheep's wool moustache. It was important that people did not recognise the guisers. They went round the houses in the village, and were asked in. This was the only time Traveller children were in people's houses.

There would be ducking for apples and they had to try to bite a treacle scone which was hung up on a string. They had to sing a song, for which they disguised their voices, and in return got nuts, apples, oranges, and pennies. Often they ended up with a pillow case full. Sometimes the black on their faces and their false moustaches got washed off when they were ducking for apples, and their faces got covered in treacle from the scone. They would identify themselves only as they were leaving a house.

Recording Location

Item Location

Language

Scots

Genre

Information

Collection

SoSS

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good