Scotland’s left-separatist devolved government has said children should not be allowed to go door-to-door this Halloween, in case they somehow spread the Chinese coronavirus to their neighbours.
The Scottish government, headed by the Scottish National Party (SNP), is roughly equivalent to a U.S. state government, and has the power to impose coronavirus restrictions distinct from those set by the central government in London.
“Under the current restrictions it is not possible to meet up indoors or in large groups outdoors, so the safest thing to do this year is to stay at home,” said Deputy First Minister John Swinney.
“I know guising is a big part of Halloween and children will be sad to miss out, but as door-to-door guising brings an additional and avoidable risk of spreading the virus, our clear advice for families is to avoid it,” Swiney claimed.
“Children can still get dressed up and share jokes with their families,” he added, suggesting families might feel the need to seek the state’s permission before allowing their children to wear fancy dress in their own homes.
While Halloween is regarded by many in as an American cultural import, it does in fact have extremely deep roots in Britain, and in particular Scotland, where the custom of going door-to-door is called guising — after the disguises those going door-to-door wear — rather than trick-or-treating.
Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns, Scotland’s most famous poet, described many of the customs and traditions associated with the holiday in his poem Halloween, which was written in the 1700s.
The origins of the celebrations associated with Halloween, or Hallowe’en, are believed to be far older than even this, indeed older than the Christian festival of All Hallows Eve from which its name is taken, being drawn from the ancient Celtic pagan festival of Samhain, or Samhuinn.
The new instructions in Scotland come alongside similar new rules in England, where coronavirus hotspots — as designated by the government — have also seen children banned from going door-to-door.