Guising refers to the Scottish and northern English tradition of disguising oneself in costumes, often with masks, and visiting people's homes around Halloween. This practice has its origins in medieval traditions where people would go door-to-door performing plays in exchange for food or drink. The modern practice of trick-or-treating on Halloween may have developed from the belief that spirits roamed the earth on this night and needed to be appeased with food or gifts. Records show guising was practiced in Scotland in the 16th century and other parts of Britain and Ireland in the late 18th and 19th centuries, with people singing songs or reciting verses in exchange for food, money, or other treats.

1. GUISING IN
HALLOWEEN
Class: PET | Teacher: Dina Branco
Castelo Branco, 31st October 2015

2. guising
1. (Theatre) (in Scotland and Northern England)
the practice or custom of disguising oneself in
fancy dress, often with a mask, and visiting
people's houses, especially at Halloween.
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/guising

3. Since the Middle Ages
there had been a
tradition of mumming on
certain holidays. It
involved going door-to-
door in costume,
performing short plays in
exchange for food or
drink.

4. The custom of trick-or-treating at Halloween may
come from the belief that supernatural beings, or
the souls of the dead, roamed the earth at this
time and needed to be appeased.

5. The wearing of costumes, or "guising", at
Hallowmas (All Saints), had been recorded in
Scotland in the 16th century and was later
recorded in other parts of Britain and Ireland.
There are many references to mumming,
guising or souling at Halloween in Britain and
Ireland during the late 18th century and the
19th century.

6. In parts of southern Ireland, a man
dressed as a Láir Bhán (white mare) led
youths house-to-house reciting verses—
some of which had pagan overtones—in
exchange for food. If the household
donated food it could expect good
fortune from the 'Muck Olla'; not doing so
would bring misfortune.

8. According to one 19th century English writer
"parties of children, dressed up in fantastic
costume […] went round to the farm houses and
cottages, signing a song
song, and begging for
cakes (spoken of as
"soal-cakes"), apples,
money, or anything
that the goodwives
would give them".

9. Guising at Halloween in Scotland is recorded in
1895, where masqueraders in disguise carrying
lanterns made out of scooped out turnips, visit
homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money.
The practice of Guising at Halloween in North
America is first recorded in 1911, where a
newspaper in Kingston, Ontario reported children
going "guising" around the neighborhood

11. http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/guising
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/10/how-the-tradition-of-trick-or-treating-got-started/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick-or-treating
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-trick-or-treating