The Guise

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

Repeat twice.

(Dance crib compiled by the devisers, Maggie and Duncan Keppie)

Dance Information

Guising, short for disguising, involved children dressing in costumes and going from house to house at Halloween. Instead of simply asking for gifts, they were expected to perform something in return, such as reciting a rhyme, singing a song, or telling a joke, before being rewarded with food, fruit, or coins. This practice is documented in Scotland as far back as the sixteenth century, and by the nineteenth century it was firmly established as part of Halloween celebrations. Children often carried lanterns made from hollowed-out turnips, and masks, known locally as "false faces", were a common feature of their disguises.

In Scotland, guising was not limited to Halloween alone, as records also show it taking place at New Year. Early accounts describe groups of young people with painted or blackened faces, sometimes threatening mischief if they were not welcomed, though the emphasis was usually on performance rather than menace. By the late nineteenth century, descriptions of guisers in towns such as Ayr and Elgin mention turnip lanterns and the expectation of small gifts, while in the twentieth century the custom spread into wealthier areas, with children sometimes receiving money as well as food. The requirement to perform a "party piece" before receiving a reward remained central to the Scottish version of the tradition.

Although guising shares similarities with the North American custom of trick-or-treating, the phrase "trick or treat" itself was not traditionally used in Scotland or Ireland. Instead, children would often say phrases such as "help the Halloween party" when calling at doors. It was only in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, influenced by American popular culture, that the expression "trick or treat" became common in Scotland. Despite this, the older form of guising, with its emphasis on performance and disguise, continues to be recognised as the distinctive Scottish contribution to the development of modern Halloween customs.

The Scottish tradition of guising illustrates how Halloween practices evolved from localised rituals into a broader international phenomenon. While the modern version often centres on collecting sweets, the historical record shows that in Scotland the custom was rooted in performance, disguise, and community interaction, elements that remain an important part of its cultural identity.

Ready To Fight, Halloween Costumes, Scotland

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