Halloween is here and the oncoming spooky season sees people take part in century old customs - but did you know some famous traditions began right here in Scotland?
The holiday we know and love is rooted deep in Celtic history, as its origins can be traced back to the ancient festival of Samhain, meaning "summer's end".
According to Historic UK, the pagan new year was determined by the changing seasons and this time marked the transition into the long dark winter. The Samhain festival "symbolised the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead".
From tumshie lanterns, to guising, some ancient Scottish Halloween customs are still practiced all over the world. There are others however, that people may not even know existed.
Here are six Scottish Halloween traditions you may not be aware of, compiled by the National Trust for Scotland.
1 - Neep Lanterns
In ancient times, communities would ignite huge bonfires to keep evil spirits away.
Similarly, Scots would carve scary faces into neeps, or turnips, transforming them into lanterns that would ward off ghouls. Due to America's influence, this tradition has evolved into pumpkin carving which are now as common as turnips in Scotland - and much easier to carve.
2 - Apple Dookin'
An ancient Celtic tradition, apple dookin' or bobbing for apples, is firm favourite at Halloween parties to this day.
Players are required to grab an apple out of a basin of water using only their teeth. Those with strong jaws are usually victorious as they can take a big decisive bite.
3 - Treacle Scones
Another game that saw ancient Scots play with no hands, this messy game challenges participants to take bites out of sticky treacle-covered scones dangling from string.
4 - Nut Burning
A Halloween tradition once common among recently engaged couples involved each person putting a nut in a fire. The outcome would determine if couples would have a happy marriage.
If the nuts burned quietly, the couple would live happily ever after. But if it made hissing and crackling noises, a rocky future lay ahead.
5 - Guising
Children who enjoy knocking on doors in spooky costumes in exchange for sweet treats have Scots to thank.
Scottish children would traditionally go "guising" around local streets while sporting scary costumes. They would pretend to be evil spirits and it was believed that by disguising themselves, they would remain undetected by other wandering spirts who could cause them harm.
After performing tricks or songs, guisers were given gifts to help ward off evil. Today, children go trick-or-treating and receive "treats" for simply showing that night.
6 - Kale Pulling
This hearty green vegetable is now a fashionable menu item but, once upon a time, kale stalks were used to predict your romantic future.
In his 1858 poem "Halloween", famed Scottish poet Robert Burns describes how people would pull stalks from the ground after dark with their eyes closed.
The length and shape of the stalk was said to represent your future lover’s height and figure, and the amount of soil around the roots represented wealth.
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