A) READ THE TEXT CAREFULLY AND COMPLETE IT WITH THE WORDS IN THE BOX

celebration -sundown -jack-o-lanterns-deceased -believed -evidence spiritscandles- evidence believed-harvest-carve -pumpkin -settlers

The origin of Halloween dates back at least 3,000 years to the Celtic

of Samhain (pronounced

"sow-ain"). The festival was held starting at sundown on October 31st and lasted until

on November

1st. It was similar to the modern practice of the New Years celebration.
On this magical night, glowing

windows to welcome

, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in

loved ones, but also to act as protection against malevolent

lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, later to be replaced by

Samhain was not the name of a "Lord of the Dead", no historical

. Burning

has ever been found to back this up,

it was simply the name of the festival and meant "Summer's End". It was

that the souls of the dead

were closest to this world and was the best time to contact them to say good bye or ask for assistance. It was
also a celebration of the
. It is still treated as such today by those who practice Wicca or other nature

based religions. It has absolutely nothing to do with satan, who was a creation of the Christian church.
When European

easier to

, particularly the Irish, arrived in America they found the native

to be larger,

and seemed the perfect choice for jack-o-lanterns. Halloween didn't really catch on big in this

country until the late 1800's and has been celebrated in many ways ever since!
B) READ THE TEXT AGAIN AND ANSWER TRUE OR FALSE
1. The celebration of Samhain used to take two days.
2. Celtic tribes celebrated the end of summer on October 31st
3. First jack-o-lanterns were carved from turnips
4. Jack-o-lanterns were supposed to scare away evil spirits
5. Samhain was the festival of satan.
6. Halloween was celebrated in America long before 1800's.
7. Irish settlers brought Halloween to America.
8. The souls of the dead were believed to be closest to this world on October 31st.
9. Burning twigs were used inside a pumpkin as a source of light
10. Samhain meant "Summer's End".

C) MATCH THE WORDS WITH THE CORRESPONDING DEFINITION

Ghost

a man who practices witchcraft or magic arts; sorcerer.

Goblin

a word, phrase, or the like used to bewitch or enchant; charm; incantation

Haunte
d

a legendary being, often said to be a revived corpse, that preys on people in order to suck out
their blood.

Mask

a large, roundish, gourdlike orange fruit that has thick edible flesh and is borne on a lowgrowing vine.

Monster

a spell or supernatural force that, according to voodoo belief and legend, can enter a corpse,
return life to it, and then control its actions.

Mummy

inhabited or visited by ghosts

Potion

a mixture for drinking, esp. one that is supposed to have medicinal, magical, or poisonous
effects.

Pumpki
n

a set of clothes suited to a particular season, occasion, or activity.

Bat

in folklore and fairy tales, an ugly creature that does evil or mischief to humans.

Scary

a corpse preserved by embalming, esp. one embalmed and wrapped by or in the manner of the
ancient Egyptians.

Spell

the spirit of someone who has died, esp. one that is believed to have returned to earth to
haunt a place or living people..

Vampire

causing fear; frightening.

Warlock

to form or inscribe by cutting.

Witch

a covering for all or part of the face, usu. worn to disguise the wearer's identity.

Zombie

an imaginary or mythical creature, often with features of two different animals or of animals
and humans.

Carve

any of various usu. night-flying mammals that have wings that are covered with membranes,
and that sense objects mostly by means of reflected sound waves rather than by vision.

Costum
e

a woman who practices or is believed to practice occult magic; sorceress .

1. Halloween is

(feasted/celebrated) on the last day of October. Many of its current traditions actually stem from

(pagan/prehistoric) times.

2. It was widely believed that on Hallows Evening the dead would rise from their graves to

(destroy/wander)

the earth.
3. One of the main Halloween traditions involves wearing

(costumes/outfits).

4. Another popular tradition is called "trick-or-treating". This is when children who are dressed

(out/up) in scary

or funny costumes go around the neighborhood asking for candy.

5. Children come to someone's house,

(sound/ring) the doorbell (or knock), and when someone answers the

door, the children are supposed to say "Trick or treat!", which means they want candy :)
6. Halloween is not only for children. Many

(adults/elders) celebrate this holiday as well, usually by going to

parties.
7. Another popular tradition involves

(carving/craving) a pumpkin (cutting out what's inside and making a face

out of it).
8. After a pumpkin is

(carved/craved), people usually place a candle in the middle to make the "face"

(shine/glow). This pumpkin face with a candle inside is called a "jack-o-lantern".

9. In some parts of the English-speaking world, people light

(bonfires/campfires), which are large controlled

outdoor fires.
10. Many people

(decorate/renovate) their front yards, back yards, and windows will all kinds of "scary" images

like witches, ghosts, goblins, etc.