Hallowe'en dying out?

Is it just me or does it seem that every year less and less is made of it? I've definately noticed the trick or treaters getting less and less. When I was young I remember always going out for Halloween and we always had lots of knocks on the door from kids.

Maybe it's just over here in Scotland but last night while I was training my wife said there was only 2 knocks on the door and we had one the night before that.

Not that I was complaining because it meant I didn't have to give away most of my tins of Celebrations and Quality Street :D

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Originally Posted by drinkfeckarse

Not that I was complaining because it meant I didn't have to give away most of my tins of Celebrations and Quality Street :D

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You've definitely been living in Scotland too long, ye mean so and so!!:D

If anything I think its getting bigger over here. Some houses actually have decorations up which was something we never went in for when I was a kid.

It's becoming more American trick or treat Halloween and much less songs and monkey nuts Irish Halloween.

Definitely not in Derry- it's a bit mental up here on Halloween night. :eek: Fireworks, 30,000 people in fancy dress , and last night a Cup semi final replay playing 2nd fiddle to it by kicking off at 9pm.

Very disappointed with it in Portarlington. Noticed that more houses were decorated, which was something I'd never noticed before. I live in a large housing estate and there was very few kids knocking around. We were away for 30 mins I reckon and there was 1 knock. We went to the neighbours who we know have kids and gave them goody bags. My wife was over zealous with the bags so we were left with about 60. No communal bonfire to give them away, so rather than waste them we brought them to the kids ward in Portlaoise hospital.

Halloween is dying out and I used to love it. Probably my favourite holiday when I was in school. Don't Americanise it please!

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

If anything I think its getting bigger over here. Some houses actually have decorations up which was something we never went in for when I was a kid.

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I'd encourage my lad to get right into it and enjoy getting dressed up but I wouldn't bother with decorations in the house myself.

I think its changing, but not dying out. Personally I've always loved the American way of going over the top for Halloween, with trick or treating being the main aspect of it. In Ireland I think its become more about setting off Roman Candles at someones door and legging it than actually enjoying the holiday.

That said television obviously doesn't think that much of Halloween anymore, I remember being a kid and there being tonnes of horror movies to choose from on the night, yesterday I think Channel 4 showed Halloween at half twelve and TG4 put on Carrie at around midnight and that was it

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Originally Posted by jebus

That said television obviously doesn't think that much of Halloween anymore, I remember being a kid and there being tonnes of horror movies to chose from on the night, yesterday I think Channel 4 showed Halloween at half twelve and TG4 put on Carrie at around midnight and that was it

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Ms Dodge was particularly upset at this bit.

Yeah really noticed it this year. only about 5 kids came around our road and most of them were eastern european. I think the Non-Nationals(Hate that term but cant think of a better one) really get into it cause they don't really have it in their country of origin.

The TV stations have really been paltry when it comes to showing horror flicks on Hallowe'en for a long time. I remember staying over at a mates gaff for it when we were 13 (12 years ago) and there was only one horror film on and that wasn't starting until well past midnight.

I'm not even a fan of horror films but reckon they should nearly own Hallowe'en tv schedules.

We'd a Halloween party down ours last night. Says a lot when the 'adults' do more for Halloween than the kids! no trick or treaters at all our way!

here is something i emailed my work colleagues over here in london this morning, funny how this thread was created...

I was walking round to the missus' flat yesterday and I noticed very few trick or treaters, but as I approached the turn off into her road, there was this little girl about 4 or 5 with her mother waiting outside a house gate, with a pram. The poor girl had a very empty bag and turned round to her mother and looked as to say why is no one answering mammy ( well she was english so it was prolly 'mummy' but anyhow…), she looked so sad, and she was only tiny, and her mother checked her watch as though "are we out too early?" or "maybe we should be getting home!" either way I felt so sorry for the poor little girl. The thing is the missus and her flatmate had sweeties and stuff bought for trick or treaters ( ok for me ) but I didn’t exactly want to go down the road chasing the poor girl and offering her sweeties, I leave that sort of thing to peadar

Point of the story? I don't really know, but are people that sceptical, mean, tight or scared, and do they just not open their doors anymore?

The poor little girl.

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If anything I think its getting bigger over here. Some houses actually have decorations up which was something we never went in for when I was a kid.

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when the kids come knocking on your door, do you make them share out all their sweets with all of you and your family.....;)

If anything its getting bigger in Monaghan. Over the last few years the town council have finally taken things on board and the Neighbourhood Youth Project kids make and parade in the shopping centre in costumes, then there is a samba band playing and its all rounded off with a wicked fireworks display outside the shopping centre. Its over by half 8 and thats when most kids do their trick or treating. Every year my sons dress up and I drive them around the area my parents live in (country side) and they get s**t loads of stuff. This year they are with their dad so couldnt do that and I had a meeting anyway. I got loads of sweets and popcorn and left it at my parents house for my bro to give out to any kids coming round....when I got home I saw stuff was mostly eaten....by my bro and his friends...turns out no1 came to the house coz they thought no1 was home!

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turns out no1 came to the house coz they thought no1 was home!

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oh your one of them!!!!!! :P

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

oh your one of them!!!!!! :P

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Ha ha...no! I was out...just dumbass brother & his mates were in the basement so u couldnt tell there was anyone home from the front of the house.

I love it....I usually dress up & make them root through a bin bag with spagehtti & ketchup and peeled grapes (telling them its guts, blood and eyeballs) to get their treats!

Love having halloween parties too. I vaguely remember Halloween in Canada so always tried to recreate the big event here. Its my fav time of year other than Christmas.

Had about 30 kids at our door last night and wasn't long till the goodies ran out... Still had them calling at about 10 o'clock so had to turn off the lights and pretend no one was home....Bomb fires are not as big anymore...I remember we used to collect for a month before Halloween, fires used to be huge....

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just dumbass brother & his mates were in the basement

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hmm, our basement must be very diferent to your basement!! :D

what ages is your brother is he really young or something? our basement is literally under the house, we don't have anyone living down there....well not that i know of anyhow

we never had bonfires at helloween, we had them the 23rd of june, was that only a west of ireland thing, cos I really can't remember ever seeing it any further, actually any further than roscommon......plus the collecting for a month beforehand meant you got loads because you were off school!! always thought the helloween one was for the prodies guy fawkes thing ( i know he wasnt proddie either )

reminds me of the really big last one we had, years and years ago, you dont see them at home anymore either. it was about 200 feet from the railway line, but the bastids from the fire brigade put it out saying that the chemicals could react with it and create a huge explosion, waited till they left and just started it again!! it took them a good half hour to put it out and all, thats how good our bonfire was:D

My dad loves to embarrase my bro (he's 23) by chatting nice lookin girls up for him and saying "he would be a great man for ya....he has his own car and the run of the basement!" His bedroom is down here (so is the office where am rite now)

I grew up beside a Scania garage and boy did we love knickin tyres from there for our fire! We would start collecting in Sept and have a kick ass fire for Halloween. I rem one year we poured petrol across our road and set it on fire and a neighbour chased us across the fields! Mad fun.

It's just an excuse to blow up stuff and not get arrested. It is therefore quite popular in Dundalk.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

we never had bonfires at helloween, we had them the 23rd of june, was that only a west of ireland thing, cos I really can't remember ever seeing it any further, actually any further than roscommon......plus the collecting for a month beforehand meant you got loads because you were off school!! always thought the helloween one was for the prodies guy fawkes thing ( i know he wasnt proddie either )

reminds me of the really big last one we had, years and years ago, you dont see them at home anymore either. it was about 200 feet from the railway line, but the bastids from the fire brigade put it out saying that the chemicals could react with it and create a huge explosion, waited till they left and just started it again!! it took them a good half hour to put it out and all, thats how good our bonfire was:D

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Yep, Saint John's night in June. Big bonfire night!

Here in the US, it's a big holiday for the kids getting dressed up and going trick or treating. It's fun for them. we had about 30 callers to the door last night. Plus some older kids asking for eggs which we refused (don't want that crap on my car!).

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Originally Posted by jebus

I think its changing, but not dying out. Personally I've always loved the American way of going over the top for Halloween, with trick or treating being the main aspect of it. In Ireland I think its become more about setting off Roman Candles at someones door and legging it than actually enjoying the holiday.

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not dying out, no way,
im home this year for halloween, first time in years, 6 knocks to the door, usual ratio
but when i was a young lad.....halloween was all about letting off roman candles and terrorising your neighbours, or at least fighting with the other guys the other side of town, you were allowed to be a naughty little shi t in halloween, thats whats its all about! none of that american dressing up sh ite

Its never been a big deal where i am in London - no one i know ever went trick or treating (alot of it was a safety thing supposedly)! Was in Derry for the weekend and I was gutted not to be able to stay on for halloween. It is the best place for it - completely mad and so much fun. Bonfire night is a big deal for some over here - one of the biggest displays in London is round the corner from me (ally pally), but doubt I will head out for it.

Bonfire Night can refer to a number of occasions:

Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November in the UK
St. John's Eve, on 23 June in Ireland
Bonfire Night on 11 July in Northern Ireland, precursor to The Twelfth


ah ya, so the one we celebrated was the proper IRISH one, not the proddy north or uk one.....so why do people on here go on about any other than the 23rd?

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On the evening of June 23, St. John's Eve (or Bonfire Night) is celebrated in many parts of rural Ireland with the lighting of bonfires.

This ancient custom has its roots in pre-Christian Irish society when the Celts honoured the Goddess Áine, the Celtic equivalent of Venus and Aphrodite. She was the Goddess Queen of Munster and Christianised rituals in her honour (as Naomh Áine) took place until the nineteenth century on Knockainy, (Cnoc Áine - the Hill of Áine) on Co. Limerick.

Similar festivities take place in Spain. Bonfires are lit and effigees burned on the evening of June 23. People jump over the bonfires to prove their courage. Traditionally, three jumps cleanses one from sin and disease. Public celebrations have begun cordoning off the fires for safety reasons. One of the centers of the festival is in Ciutadella. Many different cities and towns have their own unique traditions associated with the festival. Historically, this date has been venerated in the practice of Voodoo. The famous Voodoo priestess, Marie Laveau, was said to have held ceremonies involving Voodoo ritual on the Bayou St. John in New Orleans, commemorating St. John's Eve. Modern day practioners of Voodoo have kept the tradition alive.

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Not one robbed car

No bonfire

Explosions ending at ten

No one on the roads drinking

It aint what it used to be :( :p

Echoing Jebus' sentiments.

halloween down here is changing but not for the better.

There's more decorations and better costumes (though fewer home made which is a pity) but far fewer kids trick-or-treating because their parents think, with some justification, that it's too feckin dangerous to let them out mainly due to (only slightly) older, freckle faced, sticky headed slitty eyed gluesniffer *****s laden with eggs and setting off what I suspect is decomishioned RA ordinace from early til late.

Limerick sounded like Beirut this year and I'd be surprised if the story isn't similar elsewhere. If they'd only calibrate it to set them off at one time it'd be colourful and spectacular but for lots of these little cnuts it has nothing to do with celebration but rather intimidation and making a general nuisance of themselves.

We have relatively few Halloween bonfires down here as we let that particular little bit of sociopathy rip on April 30th -The "traditional May Eve bonfires":rolleyes: ) which are now used as a cover for grand scale, orchestrated illegal dumping.

To think I used laugh at a mates Dad when he used say "y'know time was when you'd have one good overseas war every 20 years to thin out their ranks a bit".

Anyone think of anyone we can declare war on?

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

To think I used laugh at a mates Dad when he used say "y'know time was when you'd have one good overseas war every 20 years to thin out their ranks a bit".

Anyone think of anyone we can declare war on?

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Mayo, they never win anything.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

we never had bonfires at helloween, we had them the 23rd of june, was that only a west of ireland thing, cos I really can't remember ever seeing it any further, actually any further than roscommon

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And even they are dying out!!

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Originally Posted by Magicme

If anything its getting bigger in Monaghan. Over the last few years the town council have finally taken things on board and the Neighbourhood Youth Project kids make and parade in the shopping centre in costumes, then there is a samba band playing and its all rounded off with a wicked fireworks display outside the shopping centre. Its over by half 8 and thats when most kids do their trick or treating.

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I guess everything is a party with parades and fireworks displays in Monaghan.

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Originally Posted by Thunderblaster

I guess everything is a party with parades and fireworks displays in Monaghan.

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After last nites victory over Dundalk....you betcha!