HALLOWEEN
People
often think
that Halloween is an American holiday.
But in
fact,
it comes from the Celts of Ireland.
Today, people don't do the
same
as
the old Celts: they don't have a big good meal before winter and
don't leave their houses cold and without
light for the night, so spirits
don't want to live there. This day, the souls
of dead
people can come back if
they find
a person to stay in his or her body. However,
wearing scary
masks and costumes – to make the spirits go away – is an old
Celtic tradition.
Today, people
and especially children enjoy Halloween costume parties. They dress
up as witches,
vampires and ghosts,
but also heroes.
Children in
masks go from house to house and when the door open, they say: Trick
or treat!
If they don't get sweets, they do something bad, for example throw
eggs at the house.
Typical
symbols of the holiday are horror characters: spiders, black cats,
witches and ghosts, but also big orange autumn vegetables: pumpkins.
You can cook excellent pumpkin soup or bake a pie, and make a lantern
from the peel.
Great Britain
and the USA celebrate
Halloween every year on the last October day.
True or false?
- Halloween is an American holiday.
- The tradition of costume parties comes from the Celts.
- People celebrate Halloween in winter.
- Children say Trick or treat! to get pumpkins.
- If spirits see scary masks, they go away.
- Spirits can stay here if they find a flat.
Answer the questions:
- What three things can you make from a pumpkin?
- What bad thing can children do to people who don't give them sweets?
- What are the symbols of Halloween?
- Do you know other American or British traditions?
- Do you believe in ghosts?
