October 31. It’s Halloween. Halloween is very popular in the USA, but it’s not an American holiday, actually. Let’s take a break from grammar and vocabulary and have a look at Halloween.
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The Name
The name HALLOWEEN comes from ALL HALLOWS’ EVE, or, as we would rather say it nowadays, ALL SAINTS’ EVE. All Saints’ Day is a Christian holiday celebrated in honor of all the saints of the church on November 1, especially in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant churches.
The Origins of Halloween
There are several theories as to the origins of Halloween. According to one of them, the holiday originated from the Celtic festival of Samhain. On that day people lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off ghosts. Then the festival may have been Christianized and became All Saints’ Eve and All Saints’ Day. This would mean the holiday is of pagan origin.
Another theory states that Halloween started off as a Christian holiday. What is the truth? Hard to say.
Halloween was very popular in Ireland and Scotland in the 19th century. With Irish and Scottish migrants it arrived in America. In the United States it became even more popular and with her growing influence in the 20th century it spread to many other countries around the globe, where it is believed by many to have been invented in the USA.
Halloween in the USA Today
So, what do Halloween activities include nowadays? Let’s focus on the United States. Feel free to write down in the comments below how this holiday is celebrated in your country or whether it is celebrated at all.
So, what do people do on that day?
Trick–or–Treating
Kids go trick-or-treating. This means they dress up as monsters or other weird creatures and go from home to home, knock on people’s doors and when the doors are opened and say “trick or treat”.
They’re asking for candy. Giving candy to them is supposed to protect the adults from the kids playing tricks on them.
The kids who go trick-or-treating are called trick-or-treaters. Do you have many trick-or-treaters at your house every year? Write down in the comments below. Also, what kind of candy do you usually give them? What do you think about giving them money instead of candy?
Jack-o’Lanterns
Halloween is the time when you can see lots of carved pumpkins. We call them jack-o’-lanterns and they can be seen in all flavors.
If you put a candle inside, the light will flicker, which looks best in a dark room. Do you make a jack-o’lantern for Halloween?
If you want to make a simple 3D model of a jack-o’lantern, I have a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it in Blender. Here’s the final effect:
Other Halloween Activities
Besides trick-or-treating and making jack-o’lanterns, there are several other activities associated with Halloween. Many people, both children and adults, go to Halloween costume parties.
In their costumes most of them look pretty scary. But still, I’m sure, some people look scarier without the costumes. This was supposed to be a joke. Or maybe not, who knows?
Another activity is telling scary stories.
People just love being scared. As long as they know they’re safe.
Halloween is also a good occasion to watch horror movies.
What horror movies do you know? Which is your favorite one? Write down below in the comments.
Do you know any other Halloween activities? Feel free to share.
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