October 31st is Halloween, the night when witches, the dead, and evil spirits return to Earth.

It was
originally a Celtic festival. The last day of October was their New Year’s Eve and their Feast of the Dead. The Celts
built fires on the hills to welcome the souls of the dead back to their homes. In the ninth century, the Church made
November 1st the Feast of All Saints and October 31st became the eve of All Saints, or all Hallows- Hallowe’en.

Halloween was once thought to be the best time for predicting the future- health, luck, and marriage. If a
girl wanted to know who her future husband would be, she would brush her hair in front of a mirror and hope to see
his reflection. If she wanted to know the name of her future husband, she peeled an apple and threw the peel over her
left shoulder. The peel would fall in the shape of a letter, the initial of her future husband’s first name. And if she
wanted to dream of her future husband she put her shoes beside the bed in the shape of the letter T. If someone
wanted to know if they would have a lucky year, they put apples and a sixpence in a tub of water. If the person could
extract either of them with his mouth (without using his teeth), he o she would have a lucky year. This has become a
game that children often play on Halloween. Another game is often played in which the apples are tied with string
and suspended above the children. They then have to eat them, blindfolded, with their hands behind their backs.

Immigrants to the United States introduced their own customs. Young men and boys often broke windows
and damaged property on Halloween. This became the game “trick or treat” that children play in America today.
They go from house to house, dressed as witches, ghosts, skeletons and pirates, calling “trick or treat”. Adults usually
have some sweets to give to the children (the “treat”). If they don’t give them anything, the children will play a trick.
The symbol of Halloween is the pumpkin. The inside of the pumpkin is extracted and the eyes, nose and mouth of a
demonic face cut out. A candle is then placed inside. These pumpkin heads were originally created to frighten evil
spirits.

A final piece of advice. Shut all the windows and doors in your house on Halloween. If a poltergeist gets in,
it may never leave. And if you make a journey on Halloween, make sure you finish it before dark. If you can’t, then
carry a piece of bread with salt on it. This will protect you if you meet a supernatural being. If you don’t, then you
might be taken to the other world!

QUESTIONS

1- Who returns to Earth on October 31st?

2- What did the Celts build on the hills? Why did they do that?
3- What does “Hallowe’en” mean?
4- What did a girl have to do if she wanted to dream of her future husband?

5- What do children do when adults don’t give them anything on Halloween?

6- What do you do to a pumpkin on Halloween?
7- When should you carry a piece of salted bread with you?
8- Find two words in the text which are pronounced in the same way as u in husband, ea in Earth
and ea in Feast.