DARAFAKA EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

2011 2012 ACADEMIC YEAR

GRADE: 5 SKILLS WEEK: 7

WHAT IS HALLOWEEN?

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31st, the last day of October, when Christians
believe that 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 celebrated in Ireland, and Irish immigrants brought Halloween to other countries,
mostly the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, and the United States of America (USA).


Halloween Vocabulary
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 on 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.
broomstick Used for sweeping the floor or for flying.
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.
fly Travel in the sky.
haunted
Inhabited or visited by ghosts, usually a house or a
castle.
jack-o-lantern
Scary faces are carved out of pumpkins and 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.
nightmare A bad dream.
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
An ugly woman, wearing a black cloak and pointed hat,
thought to have evil powers.