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Top 10 US Holidays: Halloween

18 English
Vocabulary
Cultural Insight
2
2
3
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English
Top 10 US Halloween
Holidays

Halloween is typically celebrated in the United States by children dressing up in various

costumes and going from house to house collecting candy. A door knock is answered with a
cheerful "Trick or treat!" The holiday falls on October 31 every year, and children aren't the
only ones celebrating. Adults also enjoy going to costume parties.

The history of the name dates back to the Scottish, and it translates to "All Hallows Eve."
The holiday is a mix of Celtic practices and also Roman Catholic rituals. In many cultures,
Halloween is the day when the dead are allowed to return to earth, although in the United
States this is mostly expressed only through the spookiness of the holiday. Halloween is a
time to be scared and to frighten others, usually through ghoulish pranks.

The way Americans celebrate Halloween can be traced all the way back to its roots in Celtic
and Roman times. Bonfires were a hallmark of the celebration, just as they are today. In the
United States, it is common for children and their parents to carve faces into pumpkins,
which are known as jack-o-lanterns. This custom dates back to the Irish and Scottish practice
of carving turnips, which was meant to be done in remembrance of those who were in
purgatory.

Dressing up in costumes and going door to door also dates to the Middle Ages, during which
2 the poor would go around to the doors of various residents on this holiday to ask for food. In
return, they would pray for the dead.

Vocabulary

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English Definition Class

trick action taken to deceive somebody noun
treat source of happiness or joy that is noun
often unexpected
Celtic related to the Celts, a tribe of adjective
people in Europe and Asia before
the Roman Empire
costume set of clothes for a specific noun
occasion, possibly meant to make
the wearer look like someone or
something else
dead no longer alive; as a noun, people adjective
who are no longer living
turnip white root eaten as a vegetable noun
bonfire big outdoor fire used for noun
celebrations and to burn trash
scared filled with fear adjective

Vocabulary Sample Sentences

I played a trick on him the other day, and it turned out better than I thought.
It was such a treat to see my grandchildren this weekend.
Back in Celtic days, the world was a very different place.
3 Costumes offer a very entertaining time, no matter what time of year.
Having a fear of the dead is very common in today's world.
Turnips are a root vegetable not many people like to eat.
A bonfire is a great way to keep warm during a campout.
Children are often scared of a great many things until they learn about them.

Cultural Insight
Fun Facts about Halloween

One of the most well-known movies about Halloween is the 1978 film Halloween. Many Americans

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enjoy watching this movie around the time of the holiday. If you take the time to look closely at the
mask the monster is wearing in the movie, you will notice that it bears a striking resemblance to
William Shatner. This is because the movie makers were on a very low budget, and they had to use
the least expensive mask they could find, which happened to be a Captain Kirk mask from the
long-running series Star Trek. Shatner later said he was honored that they used his mask to make the
character's face.

LC: AB_S3L18_050112 © www.EnglishClass101.com - All Rights Reserved 2012-05-01

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