Lesson
Halloween is thought to have originated among the ancient Celtic Druids. The Druids believed that on that evening, October 31 - the day preceding the Christian feat of All Saints Day, Saman, the lord of the dead, called forth evil spirits.
In modern times, Halloween has become a fun-filled secular holiday which focuses on ghoulish things like skeletons, cemeteries, warlocks, goblins and more. It is celebrated on October 31 in some English speaking countries including the USA and Canada. Some favorite Halloween traditions include children who go trick-or-treating. Young children dress-up in costumes as ghosts, witches, monsters and other imaginative things and go door-to-door saying "Trick or Treat". In other words, either you give me a treat or I play a trick on you. Of course, this is just tradition, and adults all hand out a treat to the children. Treats are usually little pieces of candy or candy bars.
Adults also like having wild parties on Halloween. Many times these parties are costume parties with some people wearing pretty strange costumes! One of the favorite activities at these parties is "bobbing for apples" - a game during which participants try to fetch apples out of a container of water using only their mouths.
In the United States, most homes also have a carved pumpkin, called a Jack-o-lantern, in front of the house. These pumpkins are usually hollow with a funny or frightening face carved into the pumpkin and lighted from inside by candle.
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Now take a look at these words and try the quiz that follows:
Adjective - An evil, wild, otherworldly laughing sound
Verb - (regular: carve - carved - carved) to cut with a knive, in the context of a pumpkin to cut a face into the pumpkin.
Very bad behaviour with cruel intent.
Location containing evil spirits or ghosts, usually a house or castle.
Noun - the spirit of a dead person which appears again. Ghosts at Halloween are usually dressed in white sheets.
Adjective - Something so ugly you cannot look at it.
Adjective - very frightened, afraid or scared.
Noun - A carved pumpkin usually with a candle burning inside to illuminate the pumpkin.
Noun - A large, orange vegetable in the squash family associated with Halloween.
Noun - The bone structure of a body without the flesh.
Saying - Used by children when going from house to house asking for candy. The phrase also means that if you don't give me a treat I will play a trick on you!
Adjective - the same as evil.
Noun - A woman with magic powers (usually evil).
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
The __ made a horrible __ laugh before she flew off on her broom.
Let's go buy a __ and __ a funny face on it.
Don't be afraid of that __ . After all, it's just made of bones and can't hurt you!
Tom won the award for the best carved __ at the school Halloween fair.
If I hear one more child say __ tonight I think I'll go crazy!
Take of that __ mask! I can't stand to look at you, it's so repelling!
Not all monsters are __ . Some are just misunderstood by the local population - think of Frankenstein.
I was __ by that horror film on TV last night. I know it was a Halloween film, but there was just too much blood and violence for me.
I dare you to open the door and go into that __ house up on the hill!
I have to go change my costume. I got all wet __ .
Answers:
1 witch, cackling 2 pumpkin, carve 3 skeleton 4 Jack-o-lantern 5 "Trick or Treat" 6 hideous 7 evil OR wicked 8 horrified 9 haunted 10 bobbing for apples
