Folklore of Scotland

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1 to 22 of 22 entries in October

21 October, not tied to the day

31 October

Folklore from the old calendars

Ale for Shony No longer kept Outer HebridesAt Hallowtide the people of Lewis met at the church of St Mulvay, each family bringing malt that was brewed into ale.
Born on Hallowe’en Lore and belief ScotlandIt was popularly believed that a child born on Hallowe'en had strange gifts.
Burning the Nuts Lore and belief England, Ireland, ScotlandOn Hallowe'en a pair of nuts was named for a lad and a lass and laid in the fire.
Fathoming the Stack No longer kept ScotlandAnother Scottish Hallowe'en charm from Burns was to slip out unnoticed to a stack of barley, called a bear stack, and measure round it three times with outstretched arms.
Hallowe’en fires in the White Cart at Paisley No longer kept RenfrewshireOn Hallowe'en the boys of Paisley built round hearths of clay walled with stones and sods out in the shallows of the river White Cart and lit bonfires on them.
Pulling the Kail Stocks No longer kept ScotlandThe first rite of a Scottish Hallowe'en was to go out hand in hand, eyes shut, into the kailyard and each pull the first cabbage stalk they touched.
Saining the boats in Orkney No longer kept OrkneyJohn Brand, describing Orkney at the end of the seventeenth century, found that sick cattle were sprinkled with a charmed water called forespoken water, and so were boats that had no luck at the fishing.
Sowens for the Hallowe’en Supper No longer kept ScotlandSowens was a thin dish made by steeping oat husks and meal in water until it soured, and in many parts of Scotland it was the proper supper for Hallowe'en.
Sowing Hemp-seed No longer kept Ireland, ScotlandOn Hallowe'en a girl crept out unseen and sowed a handful of hemp-seed, dragging something behind her to harrow it in, and saying a rhyme over and over.
The Apple and the Looking-Glass Lore and belief ScotlandA girl who wanted to see her future husband went alone with a candle to a looking-glass on Hallowe'en and ate an apple in front of it, some said while combing her hair.
The Blue Clue No longer kept Ireland, ScotlandOne of the Hallowe'en spells Burns described among the country people of the west of Scotland had to be tried alone and in the dark.
The Buchan Hallow Fire No longer kept Aberdeenshire, MorayIn Buchan a Hallow Eve fire was lit on rising ground, and in Moray the eve of 1 November had been kept as a thanksgiving for the safe gathering of the harvest.
The Callander Stones No longer kept PerthshireAt Callander a bonfire was lit in every village on All Saints' Eve.
The Eastwood woman rebuked for a Hallowe’en charm No longer kept RenfrewshireA woman of Eastwood was brought before the kirk session for using charms at Hallowe'en.
The Gyar-Carlins Lore and belief ScotlandRobert Heron, travelling through Scotland in the 1790s, found the fairies thought of as little beings, sometimes kind and sometimes spiteful.
The Logierait Faggots No longer kept PerthshireThe minister of Logierait in Perthshire described the chief ceremony of Hallowe'en, kept there on 31 October by the old style calendar.
The Queen’s Hallowe’en at Balmoral No longer kept AberdeenshireAt Balmoral the estate people kept Hallowe'en with a torchlight procession of up to two hundred torch-bearers, and the torches were then heaped into a bonfire in view of the castle.
The St Kilda Hallowe’en Cake No longer kept Outer HebridesMartin's account of the Western Isles, quoted by Hone, recorded that the people of St Kilda baked a special cake on Hallowe'en.
The Three Luggies No longer kept ScotlandThree dishes, or luggies, were set on the hearth at Hallowe'en, one with clean water, one with foul water and one empty.
The Wet Sark Sleeve No longer kept Ireland, ScotlandIn the Scottish form of this Hallowe'en spell the seeker dipped the left shirt sleeve in a south-running burn where the lands of three lairds met.
Winnowing Three Wechts No longer kept ScotlandTo win three wechts of naething, a Scottish spell for Hallowe'en, the seeker went alone to the barn and opened both doors, taking them off their hinges if possible.

21 October, not tied to the day

31 October

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