"Trick or treat"

corblimey · 03-11-2008 11:13AM #1

Had a discussion over the weekend about this whole hallowe'en business. I remember going out dressed up and getting sweets and stuff ("apples? sonofa...") but I'm pretty sure we didn't say 'trick or treat' when people answered the door. I believe this is a recent adoption in this country, coming over from the colonies. However, I cannot remember what we did say, "Happy Halloween"? Anyone remember?

Jip · 03-11-2008 11:19AM

"Help the Halloween Party" was the saying in my locale.

murphym7 · 03-11-2008 11:30AM

I'm 31 and said "Trick ot treat" back in the day.

stovelid · 03-11-2008 11:37AM

+1 for Help the Halloween Party in the early 80s.

lord lucan · 03-11-2008 10:28PM

stovelid wrote: »

+1 for Help the Halloween Party in the early 80s.

same here. no fancy costumes then,just a rubbish sack and a mask if you were lucky:D

Ann22 · 04-11-2008 12:04AM

We used to say 'Hallowe'en's coming and the geese are getting fat, will you please put a penny in the old man's hat. If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do. If you haven't got a ha'penny, God bless you' ('and your family too' optional line):) We'd hold our hands out to collect whatever change we'd be given. It was never sweets. We called it 'mumming'. Some didn't have masks or a costume so they'd just put their hoods down over their faces. Then other times, we'd just rap doors and run away:D. 'Thunder and Lightning' we called that game.:o

stovelid · 04-11-2008 12:38AM

lord lucan wrote: »

same here. no fancy costumes then,just a rubbish sack and a mask if you were lucky:D

And foraging desperately through all the tangerines and monkey nuts in the hope that some mars bars had slipped in too.

robtri · 04-11-2008 09:51AM

Help the halloween party as well here

luckat · 04-11-2008 09:57AM

The 'trick or treat' thing came in from America in the 1960s. Before that it was "Any apples or nuts" - though you'd be as likely to get sweets.

Kids went around with an adult, dressed as ghosts, usually, and with a bag, and only to friends and neighbours.

If there were Hallowe'en parties, in the country they'd involve unhygienic games of trying to grab an apple out of a basin of water with your teeth after everyone else had done the same.

Barm brack was made at home (in which case it would contain a ring (for the next to be married), a stick (your spouse will beat you) a coin (you'll be rich) - and so on. Or it was bought in Bewley's (yum), from where it'd only have the ring.

There were often bonfires at crossroads in the country, as at Oíche Shin Sheáin in the summer; they could be wild affairs with boys throwing in bottles of paraffin to explode, or more sedate, with people baking eggs and potatoes in the ashes.

corblimey · 04-11-2008 03:54PM

lord lucan wrote: »

same here. no fancy costumes then,just a rubbish sack and a mask if you were lucky:D

Oh god, I'd forgotten about those plasticky masks with the elastic which would always break about half way around the estate nearly taking out your eye. I remember one year going out with my brother and we both wore gas masks my mother had found in her parent's place and we thought we were brilliant cos we didn't have crappy masks on.

freddyf · 04-11-2008 04:41PM

I always said help the halloween party and i never ever got sweets, Only apples and oranges and nuts.

Always had a big fight with the fruit at the end of the night.

Stupid adults giving out bags of fruit to kids.

GAAman · 06-11-2008 09:14PM

Help the halloween party here as well

In fact one year i remember panacking when askin myself would people stop givin you stuff if they realised there was no party it was just you goin back to the house and stuffin yer face

zilog_jones · 08-11-2008 08:10PM

luckat wrote: »

If there were Hallowe'en parties, in the country they'd involve unhygienic games of trying to grab an apple out of a basin of water with your teeth after everyone else had done the same.

This still happens in my family. Also, an apple hung on a string and something involving flour...

rubadub · 08-11-2008 11:34PM

freddyf wrote: »

Stupid adults giving out bags of fruit to kids.

Yeah, we would always know the "good" houses, we used to keep it secret at the time but would have a few masks so go back 10mins later and get scoffs again. Bars are cheaper than apples nowadays anyway.

It was always "happy halloween", never "trick or treat", in fact I remember some lad saying trick or treat and being told "shut up you american idiot" by the other lads. I remember the phrase becoming more popular and cringing. One lads mother told us not to say "trick or treat" since it's a threat! and some auld one might never have heard it before.

mollydolly271 · 09-11-2008 01:04AM

yea help the halloween party was our line too

Bearhunter · 09-11-2008 09:41AM

Around my way the cry was "Have yez an'thin for Hallowe'en?" and we'd get nuts, fruit (very ocvcasionally) sweets or even more rarely a few coppers. But we'd always knock on Mr H******'s door, cos he was a moiserable ould get and would chase us, which was nearly as much fun. Or blowing up turnips outside the chapel and watching the old ones sh***ing themselves. happy days...:D

gipi · 09-11-2008 07:49PM

"Any apples or nuts" was the cry in my day - for the couple of houses we were allowed to call on that is!

"Trick or treat"

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