The History of Halloween

https://allprofessionalenglish.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-history-
of-halloween.html
I Lead-in.

A) Look at the photos. Match the words to the images.

bonfire; dressing up (as evil spirits and ghosts); trick-or-treating; soul cakes
Jack-o'-Lantern; bobbing for apples; candy
 B) Watch the video and check your answers (e.g. A- bonfire)
C) Put the pictures in the order they are mentioned in the video (e.g. 1-A).

II Vocabulary focus. Match the words to their definitions. Use three words in your
sentences.

1. originate A. baked food made from the mixture of flour, fat and
water or milk
2. ancestor B. skin from fruit or vegetable
3. evil C. belonging to a religion that worships many gods and is
not part of one of the main world religions
4. spirit D. to come from a particular time or place
5. disguise E. to put on special clothes to change your appearance
6. bonfire F. having a lot of money
7. harvest G. to destroy something completely
8. well-off H. the form of dead person similar to ghost
9. pagan I. to change appearance and look like something or
someone else
10. worshiper J. a person whose job is to guard buildings
11. wipe out K. plants that are gathered by farmers and used for food
12. dress up L. bad and cruel
13. avoid M. to not allow someone to do something
14. pastry N. a large outdoor fire
15. prank O. the ability to say what will happen in the future
16. watchman P. someone who performs religious ceremonies to a
particular god
17. deny Q. a person elated to you who lived long time ago
18. creepy R. to stay away from something
19. staple S. a funny trick
20. divination T. making you feel slightly frightened
21. peel U. the most important
III Vocabulary focus. Follow the link below. Focus on the words and expressions (study
definitions), match the terms to their definitions, solve the crossword puzzle, complete the
quiz, chase down the correct answer to earn points, unscramble words and phrases (correct
order of letters), type in words to fill in the blanks, test your knowledge of vocabulary.

https://www.studystack.com/flashcard-3444906

IV Watch the video again and choose the correct answers the questions.

1. It is thought that Halloween originated in Celtic ____ around 2,000 years ago with the
festival known as Samhain.
A. Scotland
B. Iceland
C. Ireland
2. The festival itself celebrated the divide of the two halves of the year: _____, light and
dark.
A. autumn and winter
B. summer and winter
C. winter and spring

3. Families would invite ancestors into their homes to share in their celebrations; in order
to avoid harm from evil spirits they would wear _____ to disguise themselves.
A. costumes and masks
B. suits and ties
C. crowns and funny hats

4. The Druids built large sacred ___ in order to honour the dead and to protect the living.
A. fireworks
B. mounds
C. bonfires

5. The Christians believe that Samhain was a ___.

A. pagan holiday
B. unpopular holiday
C. family friendly holiday

6. The Christians transformed Samhain into ____ or more commonly known as All
Hallows’ Day.
A. All Religions’ Day
B. All Saints’ Day
C. All Holy Celebrations’ Day

7. The ____ before traditionally known as Samhain became All Hallows’ Eve and
eventually Halloween.
A. morning
B. week
C. night
V Watch the video and fill in the gaps with the words from the list. There are some
words you don’t need to use.

pray; costumes; present; originated; trick-or-treat; tell jokes; candy; pranks; soul cakes;
children; ghost; the young; playing; the poor; evil spirits

So where have some of these modern day traditions 1) ____ from? We know that dressing up
during Halloween originated from the Celts who dressed up as 2) ____ to avoid harm from
other evil spirits during Samhain. Although trick-or-treating today mainly consists of 3)
____running around on sugar and collecting as much 4) ____as humanly possible that wasn't
always the case. In medieval Britain during the All Souls’ Day festival 5) ____and those in
need would beg for food and would often be given salted pastries made from sacred flour
and water. These were named 6) ‘____. In return they would 7) ____for relatives who had
passed away.
The young would also dress up in 8) ____and they would go door to door collecting
food and sometimes even money. In exchange they would sing, recite poetry, and 9) ____.
These traditions were eventually revived in 19th century America by the Irish and Scottish
migrants in the form we know today as 10) ____. In its early days the focus was very much
on the trick with 11) ____ and vandalism being commonplace. The town leaders eventually
managed to limit the vandalism during Halloween when they decided to make the holiday
centre around 12) ____.

VI Comprehension check. Mark the sentences as True (T) or False (F). Correct the
false statements.
1. Dressing up during Halloween originated from the Celts who dressed up as ghosts and
evil spirits to bring good luck to their families during Samhain.
2. In medieval Britain during the All Souls’ Day festival the poor begged and it was the
beginning of trick-or-treating.
3. In medieval Britain during the All Souls’ Day festival the poor were given sweet made
from chocolate, honey and water.
4. The poor got ‘soul cakes’ and they prayed for relatives who had passed away.
5. In the past the young dressed up in costumes and they would sing, recite poetry going
door to door collecting food and sometimes even money.
6. The traditions of dressing up and going door to door to collect food were revived in 19th
century America by the British diplomats in the form of trick-or-treat.
7. In its early days the focus of trick-or-treat was on the pranks and vandalism.

VII Watch the video and choose the correct option to complete the sentences.

So why exactly do we carve pumpkins? We've come to know them as Jack-o'-Lanterns

but their origins date back to the 17th century where their name meant ‘man of a lantern’ and
would often refer to the Night waiter/watchman/wise man of a town. The tale of Stingy
Jack is believed to be where the tradition began. When Jack died he was denied entry into
heaven and having previously angered the divide/divine/devil he was also not allowed into
hell. Instead the devil sent Jack into eternal darkness with only a turning/turnip/toad filled
with coal to light his way. The Irish and Scottish people began carving happy/sleepy/creepy
faces into turnips and placing them by their windows in order to scare Stingy Jack and other
evil prayers/spirits/springs away. When they continued the tradition in America, they
found an abundance of pompoms/punishment/pumpkins and decided that these would
make a great substitute for turnips. Whether you believe that Jack-o'-Lanterns keep away evil
spirits or not, they have become a staple decoration/decorated/decorate and symbol of
Halloween.
Even a game as trivial as bobbing for staples/strapless/apples once had more of a
significance. In Ireland and Scotland apple bobbing was used to tell one's
fortune/fortunate/fortune teller as part of the divination game. You would throw an apple
peel on the floor, and the shape of the reel/pile/peel would determine the initial of a future
lover. There's no argument to the fact that Halloween has changed over the years. It appears
have lost its reigning/religious/religion origins and the superstitions surrounding it play
little or no part in today's version of the holiday.

VIII Watch the video from the previous task and answer the questions.

1. What is the mane of the carved pumpkins used for Halloween decoration?
2. When does the tradition of carving pumpkins originate?
3. How is the tale of Stingy Jack connected with the carved Halloween decorations?
4. What did people in Ireland and Scotland use as Halloween decorations in the past? How
did this tradition change?
5. What is the meaning behind the game of bobbing for apples?
6. Is Halloween still a religious holiday?

IX OVER TO YOU.

A) Which Halloween traditions described in the video surprised you the most? Which beliefs
and traditions are similar to the traditions in your country (even if you don’t have a
holiday like Halloween)?

B) What elements of Halloween celebration can you find in your country (if you have
Halloween parties)? What Halloween traditions and games do English learners have as a
part of their Halloween lesson?