It's Halloween but not as you know it.

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Halloween is celebrated on October 31st worldwide, although one major exception to this autumnal event is in Kilmarnock. Instead, the people of Scotland’s 14th biggest settlement celebrate all things spooky on the final Friday of October (October 28th this year). This article will explore the many theories locals have as to why Kilmarnock has a spookily unique tradition.

The most common belief is that when Kilmarnock was a more industry-based town with whisky and carpets being manufactured there, Friday was often payday for the factory workers. Therefore they could afford to buy sweets to give out to guisers. However, many towns were similar to Kilmarnock in that sense, so it must be something else.

Another simple explanation believed by some is that teachers in the town objected to a lack of attendance in classes on November 1st. Therefore, they requested that it wasn’t celebrated on a school night, although it would seem unlikely that teachers would have that level of influence. It could certainly be argued that it makes more sense for Halloween to always fall on a Friday, making it easier for both parents and children.

Some people have come up with more complex reasons for this. One of these is that “Killieween”, as it is known locally, started because of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The festival marks the end of “harvest season” and the start of the “dark part of the year”. This may be one of the possible theories, albeit it is a little more difficult to explain. It has also been claimed that it’s since the clocks go back at the end of the month, this Sunday, hence it being the “dark part of the year”.

People from Kilmarnock are sometimes guilty of forgetting that everyone else goes trick or treating on the 31st, but others will make sure they remember in order to get a double helping.

Whatever you get up to this spooky season, it’s unlikely to be as unique as “Killieween”.