Tag: traditions

Aldi calls on Edinburgh residents to revive Halloween guising

More than one third of local shoppers fear children are missing out on the once beloved tradition 

Aldi is calling on Scots to bring the magic of traditional Halloween guising back to their neighbourhoods, after new research revealed that 60 per cent of people from Edinburgh believe fewer people take part in the tradition now than when they were children. 

The research, carried out by ScotPulse, Scotland’s largest research panel, and commissioned by Aldi Scotland, also found that more than one third of people from Edinburgh (38%) believe children are missing out on the traditional Halloween experience.  

Less than half of people from Edinburgh (39%) will be opening their door to entertain guisers this spooky season, and less than one-third (29%) of adults from Edinburgh with children or grandchildren aged 11 and under plan to take them trick or treating.  

A third of people surveyed from Edinburgh (33%) say they are less likely to answer the door to guisers than they were five years ago.  

In response, Aldi Scotland is encouraging families to keep the much-loved tradition alive by dressing up and going guising this Halloween. To add a treat to the trick, the supermarket will give a £10 voucher to ten lucky children who visit an Aldi store in costume and are selected as ‘best-dressed’ winners on Aldi Scotland social channels.

Tom Brearey, Regional Managing Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “Halloween is such a special time for children, and guising is a big part of what makes it memorable. It’s about more than just collecting sweets; it’s an opportunity for children to get dressed up, have fun and feel part of their local community. 

“With our research suggesting that fewer people are taking part in guising, we’re encouraging communities to rally together this year to help keep the tradition alive. Whether that’s getting the costumes ready, stocking up on treats for little visitors or heading out guising with the family, everyone can play a part in making Halloween special for children.” 

For those heading out, the research has revealed that a good joke remains the way to win over the neighbours. More than half of Scots (56%) would expect a child to tell a joke when guising, making it by far the most popular performance, ahead of singing a song (11%) or reciting a poem (2%). 

Aldi is also encouraging households to prepare for Halloween by stocking up on treats for visiting guisers. While pumpkins have become a familiar fixture of the season, families can also embrace Scotland’s Halloween heritage by carving a neep (a swede), as generations did before pumpkins became commonplace. 

  • Carving pumpkins from £1.69  
  • Swede from £0.62 
  • Sweets from £0.45 

Aldi Scotland is giving ten of its best-dressed guisers a £10 voucher to treat themselves this Halloween.  

To be in with a chance of winning, parents and guardians should share a photo of their little guiser in spooktacular fancy dress inside or outside one of Aldi’s Scottish stores between 26 and 31 October, tagging @AldiScotland on Instagram or Facebook.  

You can find your nearest Aldi store here. 

Terms and conditions can be found at: https://www.aldi.co.uk/scotland/terms-and-conditions/competitions  

Scottish traditions to be formally recognised as UK joins UNESCO Convention

Public encouraged to propose festive traditions, such as Christmas pantomime and Hogmanay, for formal recognition alongside other mainstays of UK culture

Communities across Scotland will be able to nominate their most cherished traditions to be included in a new register of cultural heritage in the UK. 

Festive favourites, such as pantomime, Hogmanay and pagan Yuletide traditions could all be formally recognised. 

Seasonal celebrations taking place at St Andrew’s Day, Burns Night, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Up Helly Aa in the Shetlands could also be included. 

Traditions that are central to Scottish culture, identity and communities, from Highland dancing to bagpipe playing, cèilidhs and commons riding are expected to also be put forward for a UK-wide official inventory. 

Artisanal crafts such as kilt-making, tweed-weaving and the art of making the perfect haggis, together with the practitioners of these traditions, will also be considered. 

The selected Scottish traditions will sit alongside valued traditions from across the rest of the UK, from the male voice choirs of the Welsh Valleys to cheese-rolling and the art of basket-weaving. 

It comes as the UK Government has confirmed its intention to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which seeks to protect the crafts, practices, and traditions which are recognised as being key part of national life and providing a sense of identity to communities. 

These practices are often also referred to as ‘intangible cultural heritage’ or ‘living heritage’ and are inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants.

Arts and Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “The UK is rich in traditions which have been passed down from generation to generation, and so many of those which are best known around the world – from bagpipe-playing to the Highland games – are Scottish.

“These crafts, customs, and celebrations have helped to shape our communities and bring people together, who continue to shape them in turn. 

“By ratifying this Convention, we will be able to celebrate treasured traditions from every corner of the country, support the people who practise them, and ensure that they are passed down for future generations to enjoy.”

By ratifying the Convention, the UK Government will be able to recognise Scotland’s most important crafts and traditions in the same way as we have considered physical heritage sites such as New Lanark, Edinburgh Old Town, and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney. 

UK Government minister for Scotland, John Lamont, said: “Hogmanay, Burns Night and ceilidh dancing are Scottish traditions celebrated across the world and now we will be able to give them recognition alongside those from around the UK as part of this international convention.

“I encourage communities across the country to nominate their local traditions that will be ratified and help to preserve them for generations to come.”

As intangible cultural heritage can only be considered as such when it is recognised by the communities, groups or individuals that create, maintain and share it, it will be these groups and people from across Scotland who will be able to nominate the UK’s favourite traditions to be formally recognised. 

A public consultation launched today will seek the public’s views on the UK Government’s proposed approach to implementing the Convention across the UK to safeguard valued traditions. This will include the approach to how people will be able to nominate traditions, how they will be adjudicated, and any criteria that the nominated practices will need to meet before they are considered. 

The UK Government has been working closely with the Devolved Administrations, the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories in the run up to this decision and will continue to do so in order to implement the Convention and collate the UK-wide inventory, which is expected to launch for nominations next year.