HALLOWEEN

BETWEEN TRADITION AND

CONTEMPORANEITY
TEACHER:Lorena Neagu

Halloween, the time of pumpkins, candies,

ghosts, witches and much more, is annually
celebrated on 31 October.
Began over 2000 years ago in
Irland,France and England,as a celebration
for the Celts to mark the beginning of winter.
The humans dressed in skins of animals to
protect themselves from these other wordly
creatures.

In Old English, Hallow means sanctify.

Druids in Britain and Ireland would
light bonfires, dance around them and
offer sacrifices of animal and crops. The
fires were also intended to give warmth
to the households and to keep free from
evil spirits. Through the ages these
practices changed.

The Irish hollowed out turnips,

placed a light inside to keep away the
bad and stingy Jack. As the legend
says, Jack was a man who tricked the
devil and after Jack had died he was
allowed neither in heaven nor in hell.
With a lantern in his hand he began to
search for a resting place on Earth. This
was the original Jack-o-Lantern.

This was the original Jack-o-Lantern.

Since Halloween came to America from
Ireland (Scotland and Wales) people
used pumpkins because they were
bigger and easier to hollow out than
turnips.

Two thousand years later, Halloween

is a favorite holiday among American
children. This should come as no
surprise since it is a holiday that
combines two things that children love:
dressing up and eating candy!

On Halloween, you will hear "Trick-ortreat" everywhere. Children dress in costume

and head down the streets as soon as it gets
dark. Small-brained goblins and sharp-witted
ghosts wonder around the streets and
demand candy from the neighbors. Not
everyone chooses a scary costume; you
might see a silver-eyed princess, Superman,
a movie star or a hippie.

Another ritual of Halloween is to buy a

pumpkin, hollow it out, and carve a scary face
on the front. With a candle in the center,
these pumpkins are transformed into Jack
O'Lanterns that are placed on front porches
or in windows. Children know to look for these
lights because they know that they will find a
willing host to give them candy.

Some families decorate their houses

for Halloween. They play scary music,
hang spider webs, and suspend bonywhite skeletons from their windows.

Pumpkin carving is truly an art. Some

people will create entire families of pumpkins
to greet the gypsies, witches, and vampires
who come on Halloween night. The tradition
began with the English and Scottish
immigrants who came to America and
brought their tradition of carving out beets,
potatoes and turnips use as lanterns.

While some people today prefer to paint

pumpkins, perhaps as a safety precaution
with younger children, carved pumpkins yield
many other benefits. For example, the fruit of
the pumpkin can be used to make Pumpkin
Pie, and the seeds can be dried and toasted
as a snack.

Halloween is a holiday that is enjoyed

by people of all ages.

Poor witch in a ditch!

A green and ugly witch
Fell into a deep-deep ditch.
A man came to get her out
When he heard her yell and shout.
The ditch was so deep and wide
The witch screamed and cried.

Trick or treat, trick or treat

Trick or treat we say!
Try to get the treats before
The ghost takes us away!

I'm dreaming of the great

pumpkin
I'm dreaming of the great pumpkin
Just like I do this time each year.
When he brings nice toys
To good girls and boys
Who wait for him to appear.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!