Pumpkins and trick-or-treating — Halloween has become truly Americanised over the past couple of decades.
Pumpkins are for softies, so easy to carve, unlike a good old rock-hard turnips which often resulted in blood all over the kitchen, if not an actual trip to A&E.
You had to actually perform a bit when you were guising, and the rewards were much smaller. No huge bags of coloured sugar automatically forthcoming.
Costumes nowadays? Just buy something online.
A thousand ways with a bin liner has definitely had its day.
Dooking for apples? Ugh, wet! And the apples are real right, not made out of sugar? Ugh!
We’ve haunted the P&J archives to see what folk were getting up to for Hallowe’en over the past few decades.
Photo gallery: Halloween at Aberdeen schools in 60s, 70s and 80s
1976:Halloween fun for Bridge of Don girls: Members of the 13th Company (Bridge of Don) Girls’ Brigade gathered for a picture during the fun at their Halloween party in Scotstown Primary School. Image: DCT Thomson.
1978: Cornhill Youth Club weren’t afraid to get wet dooking for apples at their Halloween party. Image: DC Thomson
1977: A coven of witches, a gaggle of ghosts and a brace of Batmen were all present at Ferryhill primary school in Aberdeen. Image: DC Thomson
1986: Go binliners! Tillydrone mothers and toddlers celebrating Halloween at Aberdeen Lads’ Club, Dill Road. Image: DC Thomson.
1960: Impressive costumes from the Beechgrove Brownies, without even having recourse to the internet. How did they do it. Image: DC Thomson.
1984: The 1st Newtonhill Brownie Pack and 1st Guide Company joined in the fancy dress night. Back row (left to right): Joanne Lindsay (10), Nicola Gotts (9), Stephanie Arpe (7) and Claire Duthie (10). Front: Alison Watson (7) with, on the right Dawn Robertson (8). Image: DC Thomson.</p>
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1983: Properly scary. Members of the Queen’s Cross Church Women’s Guild enjoying their Halloween Party in the church hall. The four witches are (left to right) Ruth Thomson, Barbara Gibson, May Thomson, and Joyce Harman. Image: DC Thomson.
1988: Face painting at Banchory’s Celtic Cross Nursery, where playgroup youngsters were made up in a variety of guises for their Halloween party by fifth and sixth-year pupils from Banchory Academy. Here Claire Wheeler applies just the right amount of “grime” for a witch to a solemn three-year-old Helen Travers. Image: DC Thomson.
1988: More face painting at Banchory’s Celtic Cross nursery. Here, little Jack Mudie (4) becomes son of Dracula at the hands of Georgina Hamilton. Image: DC Thomson.</p>
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1988: Junior Chamber Aberdeen Wives Group at their annual Halloween party in the Chamber HQ, Lindsay Street, Aberdeen. Getting into the mood of the occasion was witch Pamela Burns on her broomstick with others who enjoyed the party. Image: DC Thomson.
1986: Celebrating top places in the lantern competition at a Halloween Fair in Aberdeen are winner Craig Ritchie (right) and runner-up Mark Johnston, both Aberdeen five-year-olds. Image: DC Thomson.
1986: The fun extended spilled out into an annual Hallowe’en event Woodend Hospital. Dancers and entertainers from Hazlehead Academy and Aberdeen Grammar pictured with patient Lilias Harvie at Glenburn Wing, Woodend Hospital. Image: DC Thomson
1983: Plenty of laughter round Donbank School when Tillydrone Community Centre’s junior youth club held their Halloween party. Successful dookers are (left to right): Lee Hutcheon (10), Elaine Lawson (9) and Stacey Mair (8).
1985: Brownies in fancy dress celebrate the 75th anniversary of Guiding at the 38th (Ferryhill South) and 16th (Ferryhill North) combined Halloween party in Ferryhill South Church Hall while (right) this trio of witches (left to right) Elizabeth Chapman, Lindsey Orchard and Claire Hunter duck for apples.
1986: Sophisticated costumes at the Westhill Inn Hallowe’en Disco. Sadly they were the only ones to dress up that year. Image: DC Thomson.
1986: What a neep. Celebrating Halloween at Glenburn wing of Woodend Hospital, Aberdeen, are 89 year old Agnes McAllan of Kemnay, with Dr John Scott and enrolled nurse Sheena Coutts of Mintlaw. They certainly got the better of that whooping turnip. Image: DC Thomson.
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Photos: Halloween at Aberdeen schools in 60s, 70s and 80s
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