www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglishkids

Contributed by Sue Clarke

© The British Council, 2009

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. A registered charity : 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).

History of Halloween

1.

What do you know about Halloween? How did it start? What do people do?
Try this quiz, Read the sentences and decide if they are true or false.

2.

Now find these Halloween words!

True or False?

1)

Halloween is traditionally celebrated on the night of 31

st

October, the

night before All Saint’s Day.

2)

In England Halloween was called ‘All Hallow’s Eve’.

3)

On Halloween night all evil spirits stayed at home.

4)

Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic holiday and the name
‘Halloween’ means ‘Winter’s End’.

5)

In past times people put lamps or lanterns outside their houses to keep
away evil spirits.

6)

People believed that witches, ghosts and goblins went around at night
looking for a living body!

7)

On Halloween people dressed up as ghosts and witches so that the
spirits would not steal their body!

8)

Nowadays people put pumpkins with faces in their houses.

9)

The pumpkin is sometimes called the ‘Jack-o-lantern’.

10) ‘Trick or treat’ is a game children play at Halloween to play jokes (trick)

or get sweets (treat).