2. What is Halloween?
Halloween, or
Hallowe’en... is a
holiday that's celebrated
annually on the night of
October 31st in different
countries including the
United Kingdom,
Ireland, the United
States, Canada, New
Zealand, Australia and
other parts of the world.
3. ORIGIN AND HISTORY
The word ‘Halloween’ comes from the name of
a holiday held in 800 AD called ‘All Hallows’
Eve’, the day and evening before ‘All Saints’
Day’, celebrated on November 1st ;
In ancient times, October 31st was the eve of
the Celtic New Year. On this day, the Celts
held the festival of Samhain in honour of the
Celtic lord of the dead;
The celebration of Samhain also marked the
end of the harvest season and the beginning
of the cold, dark time of the year.
4. Celebration’s significance
Halloween’s day is often
associated with orange
and black, and strongly
associated with symbols
like the jack-o'-lantern;
Halloween activities
include trick-or-treating,
wearing costumes and
attending costume
parties, ghost tours,
bonfires, visiting haunted
attractions, reading scary
stories, and watching
horror films.
5. Halloween customs
Jack-o’-lantern
According to an Irish
legend, Jack was a man
who could not enter
heaven because he was a
miser. He couldn’t enter
hell either, because he
had played jokes on the
devil, so, instead, he was
doomed to wander
around with a lantern
until Judgement Day;
Bonfire
Fire was very important
to the Celts. In the old
days, people lit bonfires
to scare evil spirits
away.
6. ‘Trick or Treat!’
On October 31st , dozens of children dressed
in costumes go from door to door asking for
treats, or else a trick would be played on
them;
As they give each child a treat, the owners of
the house exclaim over the costumes and try
to guess who is under the masks.
7. Dressing Up
On Halloween, when it was believed that Ghosts
came back to Earth, people would wear masks to
avoid being recognised by them;
Halloween costumes are traditionally those of
monsters such as ghosts, skeletons, witches and
devils. Costumes are also based on themes other
than traditional horror, such as those of
characters from television shows, films, and
other pop culture icons.
9. Apple bobbing
Apple bobbing, or Duck-
apple, was a Roman
festival held on the same
day as Samhain for
remembering Pomona,
the goddess of the trees
and fruits ;
The contestants,
sometimes blindfolded,
must take one bite from
one of the apples without
using their hands.
12. Halloween Superstitions
On Halloween, journeys must be finished before sunset;
Unmarried women put a sprig of rosemary and a sixpence
under their pillow on Halloween night to dream of their
future husband;
If the flame on a candle goes out on Halloween night, then
you have a ghost visiting you;
If you ring a bell on Halloween, evil spirits will fly away;
If you happen to see a spider on Halloween, then the spirit of
a loved one is watching over you.
13. Halloween Jokes
Q: What do you call a witch who lives at the beach?
A: A sand- witch
• Q- What is a vampire’s favourite holiday?
A: Fangsgiving
Q: What happens when two vampires meet?
A: It was love at first bite
Q: What would the skeletons say before eating?
A: Bone appetite
Q: Where do vampires keep their money?
A: In a blood bank
14. Halloween Wishes
Have a Fangtastic
Night!
Have a Frightfully
Spooky Halloween!
Have a Spooky Day!
I witch you a Happy
Halloween!
