TRICK OR TREAT
Halloween is a fun autumn festival that is celebrated in many countries around the world. Halloween falls on October 31 every year and it is also known as All Saint’s Eve.
Halloween has its roots in the Christian holy day of All
Saints and the Celtic festival of Samhain. Ancient people believed that the
spirits of the dead walked the earth at Halloween. Ghosts of family members,
who had died, were honored and invited home, and bad spirits scared off.
Many adults enjoy attending fancy dress parties, going on
ghost tours, visiting haunted houses,
and watching horror films at Halloween. Traditional activities for kids include
wearing costumes, carving pumpkin lanterns, telling scary stories, and playing
tricks on people. Children often dress up in costumes and go out trick – or –
treating, collecting sweets from houses that they visit.
Popular Halloween costumes include witches, vampires,
skeletons, werewolves and ghosts.
TRICK OR TREAT
Trick or treating is a popular custom practiced by children
in North America and many other places around the world, including England and
other parts of the United Kingdom.
Children dress up in costumes and knock on local doors
begging for sweet treats, by posing the question “trick or treat?”. The “trick”
referred to is usually an empty threat to play a practical joke or minor act of
mischief on the householder, if a treat is not offered!
In North America, trick or treat has been a Halloween
tradition since at least the mid 20th century. Adults wishing to join in with
the spirit of things often decorate the doorways with plastic spider’s webs,
paper skeletons and carved pumpkins (known as Jack- O – Lanterns), to show that
they are happy to receive a visit from trick or treaters on the night.
The tradition of going from door to door asking for food at
Halloween goes back much further in Great Britain and parts of Ireland. It
dates back to a custom known as souling, where children and poor people would
sing and say prayers for the dead in return for cakes.
Guishing – children disguised in costumes going from door to
door for food and coins – also predates trick or treat, and was recorded in
Scotland at Halloween as far back as 1895, when people dressed in costumes and
masks and carried lanterns made of scooped out turnips, to be rewarded with
cakes, fruit and money.
QUESTIONS
A.Which are the roots of Halloween?
- Great Britain and Irelands
- All Saints day and the festival of Samhain
- Guishing children
B.What activities children usually do at Halloween?
- Invite ghosts of dead family members and honor them.
- Visit haunted houses, and watch horror films.
- Dress up in costumes and go out trick – or – treating
- To receive a treat from the disguised children.
- To show that they are happy to receive a visit from trick or treaters on the night.
- To be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money.
- A minor mischief and a practical joke.
- Offering cakes, money and fruits.
- Inviting the spirit of dead people.
VOCABULARY
Gap Filling: Use the words in the word bank to complete the gaps in the
sentences below.
dates
custom decorating enjoy
costumes
doorways least popular
Trick or treating is a 1. ………………….......…… (widely liked)
Halloween 2...........…………………….... (tradition) enjoyed by children. Many children
3...........……..……… (really like)dressing up in 4. …………………….....… (special
clothes)at Halloween. Trick or treating in North America 5.………………………………… (goes)
back at 6. ………………………….…...…… (way of describing a period of time) fifty years.
Adults often join in with the fun by 7. …………………………………….(making visually
attractive)the 8.
…………………..……............…(entrances to buildings) of their houses.
LISTENING
How much do you know about the History of Halloween? This
video listening exercise about Halloween will help you to practice your English
listening skills and learn useful staff about that “creepy” celebration!
1.Who were the first people to celebrate Halloween?
a. The Celts
b. The Romans
c. The Vikings
a. To see where they were going in the dark.
b. To drive spirits back to the underworld.
c. To keep warm.
3.When did Halloween begin to merge with Catholic festivals?
a. in the 19th
century
b. in the 12th century
c. in the 17th century
4.When is All Saints Day celebrated?
a. November 1
b. October 31
c. November 2
5.What was All Saints Day originally called?
a. Alloween
b. All Hallows Eve
c. Hallowmas
6.Which group of people introduced the holiday to the United
States?
a. Italians
b. Mexicans
c. Irish People
7.What is the custom of playing pranks at Halloween called?
a. trick or trash
b. treat or trick
c. trick or treat
VOCABULARY
Match the words with the images according to their meaning:
a.
ghost g. bat
b.
web h. spider
c.
bag
i. broom
d. cat j. candy
e.
skeleton k.
haunted house
f. Jack- O
– Lanterns