Obchodzony 31 października Halloween to tradycja szczególnie popularna w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Jednak także Wielkim Brytania ma swoje tradycje związane ze świętem duchów. Przeczytaj tekst o historii tego święta i tradycjach z nim związanych, a następnie weź udział w quizie.

Trick or treating, pumpkin lanterns, flying witches and scary stories – it’s Halloween time again. Halloween is celebrated across the world on the evening of 31st October. It is the night before the Catholic festival of All Saints and the pagan Celtic festival of Samhain. Modern day Halloween celebrations generally involve groups of children dressed as witches, vampires, ghosts, skeletons, werewolves and monsters visiting their neighbours demanding “trick-or-treat”. Householders hand over treats in the form of candy to avoid tricks that could be played on them. While a very common practice in America, in the United Kingdom, you can often see ‘No trick or treat’ posters on the doors of the people who don’t want to participate in the game.

The origins of Halloween go back thousands of years, to pagan times, when people celebrated Samhain. It marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark cold winter. The festival symbolised the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Hence the colours: orange stands for the end of summer, and black – for death.

Throughout Britain, Halloween has been celebrated by children’s games such as bobbing for apples (catching the fruit with the teeth) in containers full of water, telling scary stories and the carving of faces into vegetables such as potatoes and turnips. These faces would then usually be illuminated from within by a candle. Such self-made lanterns would be displayed on window sills in order to keep away evil spirits. The current use of pumpkins comes from the United States, where they are more common (and cheaper) than turnips.

Słowniczek

pumpkin lantern
- lampion z dyni

celebrate
- świętować

witch
- czarownica

ghost
- duch

werewolf
- wilkołak

monster
- potwór 

participate in the game
- brać udział w grze

boundry
- granica

harvest
- żniwa

hence
- stąd (biorą się)

carve
- wycinać, drążyć

turnip
- rzepa

window sill 
- parapet

 

Check your knowledge with our Halloween Quiz!

When in Halloween celebrated?

What is not a part of Halloween celebrations?

What is Samhain?