Halloween History
Halloween
A spooky and fun day in the U.K.!
31 OctoberWhat is Halloween?
Halloween is on 31 October. It is the night before All Saints’ Day (1 November). The name comes from “All Hallows’ Eve”. Eve means the evening before.
Halloween is a very old festival. A long time ago, the Celts lived in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. On this night they had a festival called Samhain. It was the end of summer and the start of the dark winter. 🍂
People believed that ghosts and spirits walked on the earth on this night. They made big fires and wore masks to scare the ghosts away. 🔥
How do people celebrate Halloween in the U.K.?
Costumes
Children dress up as witches, ghosts, vampires, skeletons or monsters.
Trick or treat
Children go from door to door. They knock and say “Trick or treat?” and get sweets.
Pumpkins
People carve a face in a pumpkin and put a candle inside. It is called a jack-o’-lantern.
Apple bobbing
Apples float in a big bowl of water. You must catch an apple with your mouth – no hands!
Parties
Many schools and families have Halloween parties with games, music and spooky food.
Decorations
People put spiders, cobwebs, bats and skeletons on their houses and in their windows.
The answer is a sweet (a treat) – or you play a little joke (a trick)!
Old Halloween traditions
- 🥔 In the old days, there were no pumpkins in Scotland and Ireland. Children made lanterns from turnips (big vegetables). They were very scary!
- 🎭 In Scotland, children went guising. They wore costumes and had to sing a song, tell a joke or say a poem before they got a treat.
- 🍎 In Scotland, apple bobbing is called dooking.
- 👻 People told ghost stories by the fire.
Fun facts
- 🧡 The Halloween colours are orange and black.
- 🎆 Only five days after Halloween, the U.K. has Bonfire Night (5 November) with big fires and fireworks.
- 🏫 Halloween is not a holiday. Children go to school – but many schools have half-term at the end of October.
- 🇩🇰 In Denmark, children also dress up at Fastelavn. Is Halloween a bit like Fastelavn? 🤔
Word list
| English | Dansk |
|---|---|
| pumpkin | græskar |
| witch | heks |
| ghost | spøgelse |
| skeleton | skelet |
| bat | flagermus |
| spider | edderkop |
| costume | udklædning |
| sweets | slik |
| scary / spooky | uhyggelig |
| to dress up | at klæde sig ud |
| to carve | at skære (ud) |