Halloween

The Origins of Halloween

The origins of Halloween go back very far, to the ancient Celts. The Celts lived in the British Isles during ancient times.

They were pagans. They believed in the

gods of nature.

There were two important festivals on the Celtic

calendar. One was called Beltane. It marked the

beginning of summer. The other was called Samhain.

It marked the end of summer, on October 31st.

Samhain was also the last day of the year on

the Celtic calendar.Samhain was the Celtic god of death. The Celts were afraid of winter.

They associared it with death and evil spirits.

The Druids were Celtic priests and teachers.

They were very important in Celtic society. Everyone

respected them. They practised magic and

religious rituals.

Samhain, October 31st, was an important day for

the druids. They made big fires to frighten the spirits of evil and death.

On October 31st, the Druids predicted the

future.

The Celtic people dressed in scary costumes to

frighten the evil spirits. They dressed as witches,

ghosts and skeletons. They also played games to bring good luck in the

new year.

The Celts believed that on the night of

October 31st, ghosts came out of

their tombs. The spirits of the dead returned to earth.

After the Roman invasion in 43AD, Samhain also

became a harvest festival. The Romans had a harvest festival

called Pomona. Pomona was the Roman goddess of gardens and orchards.

Nuts, fruits and apples were part of the Samhain ceremonies. Apples were

sacred and lucky! The colours of Halloween are orange and black. They represent the harvest

(orange) and death (black).

After the Roman invasion, Christian rites

substituted pagan rites.The first day of November

was the day of all saints for the Christians. It was

called All Hallows’Day (the day of all saints).

The evening of October 31st was All Hallows’

Eve. This was shortened to Halloween.

The Druid religion went on for a long time in Ireland and Scotland. Halloween

continued to be important in both places.

In the 19th century, Irish immigrants brought their Halloween customs to the

United States. Now Halloween is one of the biggest festivities in the

United States. The date is on every American

calendar!

The origins of Halloween go back

to the...•Romans

•Irish

•ancient Celts

The origins of Halloween go back

to the ancient Celts.

The two important festivals on the Celtic calendar

were...•Samhain and Beltane

•Pomona and the harvest

•spring and autumn

The two important festivals on the Celtic calendar were Samhain and Beltane.

October 31st was an important day for the Celtic people

because...•it was the day of the harvest

•it was the last day of the year on the Celtic calendar

•it was the beginning of summer

October 31st was an important day

for the Celtic people because it

was the last day of the year

on the Celtic calendar.

The Druids were...

•gods of nature

•Celtic teachers and priests

•Roman priests

The Druids were Celtic teachers

and priests.

On Samhain the Druids predicted the

future and...•the Celts went to the mountains

•the Celts dressed in scary costumes and played games

•the Celts threw animals and crops into the fire

On Samhain the Druids predicted

the future and the Celts dressed in scary costumes

and played games.

Pomona was...•the Roman goddess of gardens and orchards

•a Celtic goddess

•the first day on the Celtic calendar

Pomona was the Roman goddess of gardens and

orchards.

The word Halloween comes from...

•All Hallows’ Day

•the harvest festival

•All Hallows’ Eve

The word Halloween comes

from All Hallows’ Day.

Halloween Day

Halloween Day is a big event in the U.S.A. and Britain. Who celebrates Halloween in the United

States? Almost everyone! Children, teenagers and many adults dress up in

costumes with masks.Some costumes are scary, and others aren’t. Let’s see what happens!

Halloween at school is an exciting day. Schools are decorated with ghosts, witches, bats, spiders

and pumpkins. On Halloween morning,

smaller children go to school dressed in their

costumes.

Older children bring their costumes to

school. They also bring sweets and other party food. After lunch, they put on their costumes. Some teachers put on

a costume too.

There is a Halloween party in the afternoon.

Typical Halloween food is nuts, popcorn, pumpkin pie, liquorice,

sweets and candied apples. The Halloween

drink is apple cider.

There are many Halloween games. An exciting game

is called “bobbing for apples.” There are many apples in a big basin. The big basin is full of water. Children try to catch an apple with their mouth and teeth. They cannot

use their hands!

After the school party, everyone helps to clean up. Teenagers in middle school and high school have a Halloween party

and dance. The party is in the evening in the school

gymnasium. Everyone goes to the party with a

costume and mask. There is a prize for the best

costume!

Who celebrates Halloween in the

U.S.A.?•Only children

•Only adults

•Almost everyone

Who celebrates Halloween in the

U.S.A.? Almost everyone.

Halloween at school is...

•a normal day

•an exciting day

•a holiday

Halloween at school

is an exciting day.

At school, there is a Halloween party...

•in the morning

•in the afternoon

•at night

At school, there is a

Halloween party in the afternoon.

“Bobbing for apples” is...

•a game

•lucky

•a costume

“Bobbing for

apples” is a game.

Teenagers usually have a...

•Halloween game

•Halloween contest

•Halloween party and dance

Teenagers usually

have a Halloween party and

dance.

After the school party...

•everyone dances

•everyone helps to clean up

•everyone puts on a costume

After the school party

everyone helps to clean up.

A Halloween Party

Do you want to have a Halloween party? Here

is what you need:1.A room in your house

that you can decorate.2. Halloween invitations

to give to your friends.

3. Halloween decorations you can make: ghosts, bats, skeletons, jack

o’lanterns.4. A big basin full of water. A lot of red apples for the

“bobbing for apples” game. A prize for the

winner.

5. Party food and drink.6. Some scary ghost stories to tell your friends. When you tell the stories, remember to turn off the lights. You can light a candle, or turn on a torch!

7. Turn on your favourite music and have fun!

8. Don’t forget to clean up after the party.

Halloween Night

Halloween night is fun for everyone. Children play

trick-or-treat on Halloween night. They

dress up in their costumes and masks. Then they go

around their neighbourhood and ring

their neighbours’ doorbells. When the door opens, the children say

“Trick-or-treat!”

The neighbour usually gives a treat: sweets,

biscuits, fruit or money. If the neighbour doesn’t give a treat, the children often

play a trick. Typical Halloween tricks are: writing on doors with

coloured pens, writing on windows with soap, and

spraying shaving cream on cars and people!

The Irish introduced the custom of trick-or-treat hundreds of years ago.On Halloween night, almost every home in

America has a jack o’lantern. It is put in

front of a window. It is of Celtic origin.

It is fun to be scared on Halloween. Most towns

or neighbourhoods have an old, haunted house. Children like

walking near the hounted house when it is dark. It can be scary.

Many young people make their costumes and

masks. Others buy them. Teenagers spray their hair

green, purple, orange, blue, white, gold or silver!

The most popular costumes are the ghost, skeleton, witch, vampire,

monster and alien.

How to make a Jack o’Lantern

1.Buy a big, orange pumpkin.

2.Cut off the top of the pumpkin.

3.Now scoop out all the flesh of the pumpkin.

4.With a pen, draw the eyes, nose and mouth on the pumpkin.

5. With a knife, make the eyes, nose and mouth. Be careful!

6. Put a candle or a small torch inside the pumpkin.

7. Put the jack o’lantern in front of a window, or on your terrace.

Marga Renedo Gómez