Halloween tradition – 7 things you might not know!

It’s that time of year for ghosts, witches, demons and vampires. That means its the time of year to discuss 7 things you probably didn’t know about Halloween!

But how much do you really know about the Halloween tradition?

Learn these seven things you probably didn’t know about Halloween and really impress your friends or teacher!

Afterwards, try our vocabulary game to see how many spooky words you can remember. Then, by the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to talk about Halloween perfectly!

Ready? OK, let’s go!

Here are some interesting things about that spooky, scary festival Halloween (31st of October). Will you be celebrating?

• Halloween is celebrated on the last day of October (the 31st). To celebrate, people often dress up as witches, ghosts and devils, or famous people such as Superman and Spiderman.

• One popular Halloween activity is “trick-or treating”. Children dress up in their costumes then go to people’s houses. They knock on the door and say “trick or treat?”

This means, give us a treat (usually some sweets), or we’ll play a trick on you. Most people give the sweets.

• American teenagers often celebrate Halloween with a costume party. They may also watch horror movies, listen to music, or tell each other ghost stories. Visiting haunted houses is also a popular activity.
• One of the most important Halloween symbols is the “Jack O’Lantern”. This is a pumpkin that has been cut to form a face. A candle is often placed inside it and people put the lantern in front windows so others can see it.

• Another popular Halloween game is a “scavenger hunt”. This is a team game that is played outside. Each team is given a list of things to collect (such as a large vegetable, a part of a car, a bicycle, a basketball, etc.). The first team to collect all the things is the winner. It’s often played at night with torches.
• One popular Halloween game is “apple bobbing”. This consists of putting some apples in a large basin of water. The objective is to use your teeth to take one of the apples out of the basin.
• The most common Halloween food is the “toffee apple” (also known as the “candy apple”). This is basically an apple that has been covered in sticky sugar syrup.

How much do you remember?

Now try our little game to see how much you remember about Halloween! Good luck!

1. When is Halloween?

2. What does “scary” mean? Can you think of another word for “scary” that begins with “s”?

3. What’s it called when children knock on people’s doors and ask for sweets? What do they typically say?

4. What’s the missing preposition from this expression: to play a trick _____ someone?

5. What’s the name of a house with ghosts in it?

6. What’s the name of the large, round, orange vegetable that’s typical at Halloween?

7. What’s the name of the object that consists of the vegetable from the previous question with a candle in it?

8. What’s the name of the game in which teams have to collect different things?

Here are the answers.

1. Halloween is on 31st October.

2. “Scary” means frightening. Another word that means the same is “spooky”.

3. The typical Halloween activity is to go “trick-or treating”. Children usually say, “Trick or treat?”

4. The missing preposition is “on” = to play a trick on someone.

5. A house with ghosts in it is a haunted house.

6. The large, round, orange vegetable that’s typical at Halloween is a pumpkin.

7. A cut out pumpkin with a candle in it is known as a “Jack O’Lantern”. Literally, a lantern is an old type of light that you can hold.

8. The game in which teams have to collect different things is known as a “scavenger hunt”.

Glossary

spooky adj frightening
scary adj frightening
to dress up phr vb to put on clothes so you look different
to play a trick on someone exp to do something “bad “ to someone as part of a joke
a haunted house n a house with ghosts/evil spirits in it
a pumpkin n a large, round orange vegetable
a scavenger n someone who collects things by looking amongst rubbish/ unwanted things
a basin of water n a large and deep bowl filled with water
sticky adj that can attach itself easily to other things
sugar syrup n a sweet liquid made by cooking sugar

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