holidays

Thank you for your input about lessons! We will talk about the American education system next time. (We didn’t have the time to put something together for this week.)

HolidaysHalloween

Tell us about the festival you had last

week! What did you celebrate? Tell us the history of the festival. What did you wear? What did you eat?

Our recent holiday: Halloween!

Halloween/All Hallow’s Eve No one is really sure what we celebrate on

Halloween. Most say it is our version of Mexico’s day of the dead when people pay respects to their ancestors and family members who have passed.

History of Halloween Halloween has its origins in the

ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win") from 2000 years ago. The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter.

An Irish Legend An Irish mythological

figure going into a battle that is said to have started on Samhain.

History of Halloween The ancient Gaels believed that

on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.

‘Connection’ between the dead

and living

History of Halloween They would ‘appease the spirits’ by

leaving food or treats on their doorstep. That is where modern day ‘trick-or-treating’ comes from.

Halloween activities Trick-or-treat Dressing up, costume parties

Halloween Activities Haunted corn mazes Haunted houses Telling scary stories around a campfire

Halloween Activities Apple bobbing Carving jack-o’-lanterns

New English Words that Relate to

Halloween Ghoul: an evil spirit or phantom Cackle: a shrill, evil laugh Bloodcurdling: something that creates fear Perilous: involving risk or danger

Homework Assignment

This has nothing to do with Halloween, but find an English word you didn’t know before. Share its definition in class next week!