Guising traditions; story of Shetland boys out at Halloween...

Original Track ID

SA1961.89.B72

Original Tape ID

SA1961.089

Summary

Guising traditions; story of Shetland boys out at Halloween who stole puddings by hooking them up the chimney.

Katie Laurenson relates guising practices at Halloween, Christmas and New Year. About a hundred years previously, guising was a great amusement. Amid the mischief a penny might be asked for, or more frequently "a corn a mael in me buggy [a little meal in my container]" was requested, as money was scarce.

One night a group of boys set out at Halloween to block a house lum [chimney] with a cabbage. Old Tammas had killed his pig and was boiling a kettle of puddings (intestines filled with meal, fat, seeds and pepper), and he and his wife were sleeping in their chairs at either side of the fire. The boys went away and fashioned a line and hook, then went back and hooked the puddings up the lum. Mrs Laurenson describes at length the conversation between the old couple when they discovered their kettle empty. They resolved to make do with what they had and boil some bursteen [rough corn meal] in the pudding broo [liquid]. "We'll sleep as soond upon the brose [oatmeal dish] as they'll sleep upon the pudeens," concluded the old couple in forgiving the boys.

Recording Location

Item Location

Language

Scots

Genre

Story Information

Collection

SoSS

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good