Does your community celebrate Halloween and Bonfire night in a special way? The Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen are asking local people to learn how to record their traditions and then send them their footage.
The Elphinstone Institute ran a workshop on how to go about recording these family and community traditions and then invited people to send in their footage which will then be screened at the Belmont Filmhouse on November 23.
Dr Thomas McKean, Director of the Elphinstone Institute, said: “We’re interested in how people celebrate these popular and important occasion, do you carve a pumpkin or neepie lantern? Dook for apples? Go guising or trick or treating? Do you tell a joke, sing a song, or recite a rhyme at the door? Do you build a bonfire or go to someone else’s? Do you have fireworks? We want to hear about all the different ways you celebrate this significant time.
“People have been guising, building bonfires, and marking the turning of the seasons for longer than anyone knows, so these are important occasions for individuals, for families, and for communities. Perhaps you go out yourself or maybe you take your little brother or sister out. Maybe it’s a family affair. Everyone will have a different way of celebrating and we want to hear your story, see what your community does, and hear what you think about it and what it sounds like.”
People who take part can then join fellow contributors for a public film night at the Belmont Filmhouse on November 23, where all the contributions will be gathered together and presented, along with some historical background, into a rich collage of how we pass the time on the old Celtic New Year.
Film Night 6:30–7:30pm, 23 November 2014
Belmont Filmhouse, Belmont Street, Aberdeen
Thomas A. McKean / Alison Sharman
For more information, contact the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, 01224 272996, elphinstone@abdn.ac.uk