THE American love for pumpkins and trick-or-treating seems to have taken over many of the traditional Cumbrian ways of celebrating Halloween but dressing up and having fun is still very much in fashion.

Many readers will remember bobbing for apples in a bucket of water, enjoying toffee apples and pestering an adult to carve the insides out of a turnip to make a lantern lit by a candle.

Our modern fun events look back to All Hallows Eve – the start of a Christian three-day remembrance of the dead, including saints and religious martyrs.

Halloween may have a more pagan origin — adapted from a Celtic festival to celebrate the harvest — and it has certainly inspired Hollywood’s love of scary movies.

Carlisle’s 2000-year history has given rise to many claims about haunted buildings and their spooky occupants.

A young soldier on duty at the 11th century Carlisle castle in 1823 was said to be terrified by a phantom lady.

He attacked the ghostly intruder with his bayonet but it passed right through her.

The soldier is said to have fainted and died of shock the next day.

The 500-year-old Dalston Hall, on the outskirts of the city, appeared on Living TV’s Most Haunted series in 2005.

Its many sightings over the years have included a ghostly lady, a phantom handyman and a snarling dog.

It is reported that Victorian railway workers heard strange noises while in underground passages at Carlisle’s Citadel railway station.

And a headless man is said to have patrolled one of the station platforms for many years.

Some less scary aspects of Halloween were noted in Furness by The Mail, on Tuesday, November 1, in 1994.

It described an unusual choice of meals at Barrow’s paper tissue mill.

It noted: “A menu of pumpkin soup, devilled chicken, death by chocolate, black bat jelly and green witches’ brew greeted Scott’s workers in their Barrow canteen yesterday.

“Canteen manager Bev Morris with staff Cath Barker, Beverley Brown, Beverley Bateman, Lynn Rose, Margaret Winder and Dave Gaskell dressed as witches and warlocks for a themed day.

“Greengate Street celebrated All Hallows Eve by spooking around the area before ending up with a disco at the Central Methodist Church Hall.”

The Mail, on Wednesday, November 1, in 1995, noted: “Bobbing for apples on strings was the order of the day at Barrow Workingmen’s Club.

“Staff at Forum 28 in Barrow gathered with family and friends for a fancy dress party.

“In an old annexe behind Ulverston library, poet and writer Maggie Norton told spooky tales to children having Halloween fun.”