Halloween

HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS

DEPARTAMENTO DE INGLÉS

Halloween is believed to have started more than 2,000 years ago in Ireland, with an ancient group of people known as the Celts. During this time, it was called the Festival of Samhain. It was celebrated on November 1rst and it was when this group of people would celebrate their New Year. This day was important to them because it marked the end of the summer and the harvest, and the beginning of winter.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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The Celts also believed that this time of the year was closely linked to human death, and believed that on the night before the new year, on October 31rst, that the boundary between the dead and the living became blurred. They called this time Hallow´s Eve and believed that on this night, the ghosts of the dead returned to earth and caused trouble. Because of this, the Celts used to wear costumes on this night and have bonfires to scare off the spirits.

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The tradition of carving pumpkins and putting candles in them or turning them in to Jack-o-lanterns evolved from an Irish folktale. Supposedly there was once a man named Jack who invited the devil for a drink. He was stingy and didn´t want to pay so he convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin. When the devil did, the man put him in his pocket next to a cross so that the devil could not change back. He then convinced the devil to never take his soul if he should die before freeing him again. When the man died, God did not want such a questionable figure in heaven and did not let him enter. Because of the deal that Jack had made with the devil, he couldn´t go to hell either and so Jack´s spirit was doomed to wander the earth. He carved out a turnip and put a coal in it and used it as a lantern to light his sad travels through the night. After that people started making the their own laterns with pumpkins. With the large amount of Irish Immigration that happened during the time of the Potato Famine, the traditions of Hallow´s Even and Jack-o-lanterns made it to the U.S. and eventually evolved into the Halloween traditions practiced today.

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ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

Halloween now…..----------------------------------------------

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HALLOWEEN QUIZ• Which ancient culture gives us many of our Halloween

traditions?

If you get an unwelcome spirit in your home, what kind of herb should you burn?

How many people were hung during the Salem witch trials?

According to tradition a person born on Halloween will posses what ability?

Which famous magician died on Halloween?

Another tradition associated with Halloween is telling scary stories. You are about to hear a Scary story called: Just Delicious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9AFyPKqK4Q