On the afternoon of Halloween 31st October, 2.30pm to 4pm, we invite children of the community to spend a little time with us in a circle of traditional storytelling, sharing old songs and stories in ceilidh fashion.
Start Halloween in costume together. Guising is a very old tradition for Halloween with its deep roots in the ancient festival of Samhain. Not only in the local Edinburgh history, but in the wider Gaidhealtachd of the Highlands and Islands, children wear disguises and carry lanterns carved from turnips to ward of the dark, so that when doorbells ring, it is not merely a request for treats, but more the long standing practice of sharing neighbourly warmth and hospitality, face to face, heart to heart, mind to mind.
The old Gaelic Festival Samhain marks the turning of the year towards winter. For Celtic peoples it is the New Year, which begins in darkness - a threshold season: the harvest is gathered, the nights grow long and we turn towards the warmth of the hearth and one another.
Traditionally, this was also a time for remembering those who had gone before, a season in which the boundary between the past and present, the living and the dead, becomes thin.
On the 31st October, members of Blackford & Grange Parish Church, are inviting children and parents, and others, for an afternoon of stories, riddles, ballads and live music to pass on the memories of those who came before us; by singing their songs and telling their stories, ancestors remain among us, allowing memories to travel from one generation to another, with voices carrying what might otherwise be lost.