Bet You Didn’t
Know: Halloween
Vocabulary:
to bob []– поймать,
ловить
to roam []– бродить, скитаться
to keep at bay – не подпускать
needy [] – бедные
pastry [] – выпечка
guise [] -
внешний вид, наружность; внешность, облик
revive [] – возрождать
prank [] – проделка, шутка, шалость
hijinks [͵haıʹdʒıŋks] – шумное, бурное
веселье
consumer [] – потребитель
estimate [] – оценивать
trivia [] – мелочи
Questions:
- What do you know about Halloween?
- When is Halloween celebrated?
- What does the phrase “trick or treats” mean?
When most people think of
Halloween, they think of trick-or-treating, parades, bobbing for apples,
and other family-friendly activities. But bet you didn’t know the true story
behind the ancient origins of Halloween. It all goes back some 2000 years to
the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced Sal wen) celebrated on
November 1st. On the night before Samhain, people believed that the
dead returned as ghosts. They would leave food and wine on their doorsteps to keep
roaming spirits at bay and wear masks when they left the house, so
they would be mistaken for fellow ghosts. The Christian church turned Samhain
into All Saints Day or All Hallows in the 8th century. The night
before became All Hallows’ Eve, later shortened to Halloween. You heard of
trick-or-treating on Halloween, but what about “souling” or “guising”? All
three of these traditions originated in Medieval Britian. On All Souls’ Day, November
2nd, the needy would bake for pastries known as soul
cakes. In return, they would pray for people’s dead relatives. This was called “souling”.
In the Medieval Halloween tradition of guising, young people would dress
up in costume and accept food, wine, money, and other offerings in exchange for
singing, reciting poetry, or telling jokes. In 19th century America, Irish and Scottish immigrants revived these old traditions; the result was
trick-or-treating. At first, it was much more about the tricks in the form of pranks
and hijinks than the treats. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the custom
took on its current family-friendly, kid-centered form. Today, Halloween is big
business, with U.S. consumers spending more than 2.5 billion on costumes
annually, adding the candy, and it’s estimated that Americans spend up
to 6 billion on Halloween each year, making it the 2nd most
commercial holiday after Christmas. So whether you are a fan of tricks, treats,
or trivia, there’s a bit of Halloween history we bet you didn’t know.
True or False:
1. Halloween
is an ancient American festival.
2. Samhain
was celebrated on November 1st .
3. People
wore masks to look prettier.
4. Souling
is dressing up in costume and accepting food, wine, money, and other offerings
in exchange for singing, reciting poetry, or telling jokes.
5. To
guise means to bake soul cakes.
6. In 1950s
the custom of trick and treating took on its current family-friendly,
kid-centered form.
7. Halloween
is the 2nd most commercial holiday after Christmas.
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