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VOCABULARY

 


HALLOWEEN

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31st, the last day of October, when according to Christian tradition, the spirits of the dead return
to where they lived,  and witches and demons become active.   To celebrate, children and adults dress in scary costumes (ghosts, witches, etc.)
and children go from  house  to  house  saying   "Trick or Treat"   which means :   "Give us a snack
(sweets or candy) or we'll play a trick on you." 
Halloween is traditionally celebrated in Ireland, and was introduced by Irish immigrants to other countries, essentially the UK and the USA.

   bat     Small mouse-like animal that flies at night

 

   carve     To cut with a large knife in order to form something, for example a scary face
    in a pumpkin
   bobbing for apples     A traditional Halloween game : apples are put in a barrel of water and people try
     to remove them using only their mouths.
   costume     Scary clothing or disguises worn at Halloween
   costume party     A party or gathering where everyone dresses in scary costumes
   ghost     Spirit of a dead person.
    At Halloween, ghosts are usually dressed in white sheets.
   ghoul     (in stories) a spirit that robs graves and eats the bodies
   goblin     Small ugly creature that plays tricks on people.
   haunted     Inhabited or visited by ghosts, usually a house or a castle.
   jack-o-lantern     Scary faces are carved out of pumpkins and a candles are placed inside.
    These are called "jack-o-lanterns" and are made at Halloween to scare away
    evil spirits.
   mask     Covering for the face worn as a disguise.
   pumpkin     Large round orange-coloured vegetable used at Halloween to make lanterns.
   scarecrow     Figure resembling a person which is used to scare people at Halloween.
    (Scarecrows are normally used in fields to frighten away birds (crows).
   scary     Frightening
   skeleton     The bones of the body
   skull     The bones of the head
   spider     Small crab-like insect with 8 legs.
   warlock     A sorcerer or wizard ; a man with magic, usually evil, powers.
   witch     A ugly woman, wearing a black cloak and pointed hat, thought to have evil powers.
     

 

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Other
sites:

History of Halloween

Halloween website  Halloween ideas for kids


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