Halloween - English Lesson ( ESL )

Halloween is celebrated on October the 31st every year. It originated from a pagan holiday and the Christian holiday of All Saints' Day. The name Halloween is a shortened version of All Hallows' Eve. Today, it is more of a fun day for children and has largely lost its religious roots. Halloween is not celebrated in many countries around the world although many people know about it.

Halloween has many easily identifiable symbols. The colours orange and black are widely used. In particular, orange pumpkins and fires and black witches, cats and costumes are common features of this day. One of the biggest Halloween activities is trick-or-treating. This is when children knock on doors and ask for a small gift. If they don't get anything, they'll play a trick on the person who opens the door. Food also plays a big part of Halloween. Toffee apples are very popular and so is anything made from pumpkin.
Evil Characters :

1. Ghost :
The spirit of a dead person, especially one believed to appear in bodily likeness to living persons or to haunt former habitats.

2. Ghoul :
An evil spirit or phantom, especially one supposed to rob graves and feed on dead bodies

3. Goblin :
A spirit that is mischievous or malicious and plays dirty tricks.

4. witch :
A woman thought to have evil magic powers, popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat, and flying on a broomstick.

5. Warlock :
A man who practices the black arts also know as a male witch.

6. Vampire :
A reanimated dead body especially of a human that is believed to rise from the grave at night to suck the blood of sleeping people.

7. Werewolf :
A person believed to have been transformed into a wolf or to be capable of assuming the form of a wolf.

8. Zombie :
A dead body said to be revived by witch which feeds itself on human flesh and blood.The zombie character is more famous in American movie.


Halloween Activities :

1. To carve a pumpkin :
People by the big orange vegetable from the super market and then cut scary faces with a knife on the vegetable.

2. Jak - O - Lantern :
A candle is placed inside the hollow pumpkin and hanged outsite the door to scare and keep away the evil spirits.

3. Trick or Treat :
Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given

4. A costume Party :
Halloween costumes are traditionally modeled after supernatural figures such as vampires, monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Adults get dressed in these scary costumes and attend spooky parties.

5. Bobbing for apples:

There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween parties. One common game apple bobbing, in which apples float in a tub or a large barallel of water and the participants must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin.