HALLOWEEN: its origin and significance

HALLOWEEN dates back from the Celtic festival Samhaim, which was celebrated on October 31^st. That night was considered the beginning of New Celtic Year and the Druids believed that the supernatural world came close to the physical world so human beings were more sensitive to the power and influence of spells (hechizos), and the future could be foreseen and dreams were meaningful.

The word Halloween comes from the word hallow, which means soul and eve, which means the day before. Halloween really means All Hallow’s Eve, which in fact is the day before All Saints’ Day ( November 1^st)

Halloween is a night of magic and mistery and children love dressing up as ghosts, witches, skeletons and scary things and they go around the neighbourhood knocking on doors and by saying Trick or Treat they are asking for sweets.

People usually have a Jack O’Lantern on the porch or other visible place. A Jack O’Lantern is a hollowed out pumpkin which has been carved with the shapes of the eyes, nose and teeth with  a lit candle inside. It is called Jack O’ Lantern from an Irish legend about a man called Jack, who made a deal with the devil ( demonio).

Apple Bobbing is a traditional game on Halloween. Children must bite apples hanging from strings or floating in water.

The story of  JACK O´LANTERN

A stingy drunkard of an Irish blacksmith named Jack had the misfortune to run into the Devil in a pub, some say on Halloween night. Jack had too much to drink and was about to fall into the Devil`s hands, but managed to trick the Devil by offering his soul in exchange for one last drink. The Devil turned himself into a sixpence to pay the bartender, but Jack quickly pocketed him in his purse. Because Jack had a silver cross in his purse, the Devil could not change himself back. Jack would not let the Devil go until he promised not to claim his soul for ten years.         The Devil agreed and ten years later Jack came across the Devil while walking on a country road. The Devil wanted to collect but Jack, thinking quickly, said: “I`ll go, but before I go, will you get me an apple from that tree?” The Devil, thinking he had nothing to lose, jumped on Jack´s shoulders to obtain the apple. Jack pulled out his knife and carved a cross in the trunk of the tree. This left the Devil in the air, unable to obtain Jack or his soul. Jack made him promise to never again ask for his soul. Seeing no way out, the Devil agreed. No one knows how the Devil managed to get back down!         When Jack died years later he was not admitted to Heaven, because of his life of drinking and being tightfisted and deceitful. When he went to apply for entrance to Hell, the Devil had to turn him away because he agreed never to take Jack`s soul. “But where can I go?”, asked Jack. “Back where you came from!”, replied the Devil. The way back was windy and dark. Jack pleaded with the Devil to at least provide him with a light to find his way. The Devil, as a final gesture, threw a live coal at Jack straight from the fire of Hell. To light his way and keep it from blowing out in the wind, Jack put it in a turnip he was eating.         Ever since Jack has been doomed to wander in darkness with his lantern until “Judgement Day”. Jack of the lantern (Jack O`Lantern) became known as the symbol of a damned soul.         When the term jack-o`-lantern first appeared in print in 1750, it referred to a night watchman or a man carrying a lantern.         People believed that spirits and ghosts left the grave on Halloween and would seek out warmth in their previous homes. Villagers, fearful of the possibility of being visited by the ghosts of past occupants, would dress up in costumes to scare the spirits on their way. They would also leave food and other treats at their door to appease the spirits, so they would not destroy their homes or crops, but instead move on down the road. They also began to hollow out turnips with a face either painted or carved into it, and place lighted candles inside, hoping the image of a damned soul would scare the spirits away.         The Irish Potato Famine (1845-50) prompted over 700,000 to immigrate to the Americas. These immigrants brought their traditions of Halloween and Jack O`Lanterns with them, but turnips were not readily available as back home. They found the American pumpkin to be an adequate replacement.

Here is an easy video with a sacry story for kids. Make sure you understand the following vocabulary before watching it:

On the steps (escalones)

Make a costume (disfraz)

Scarecrow (espantapájaros)

Swing (columpio)

Paper bats (murciélagos)

Spiders (arañas)

Carve (tallar)

Pull out the seeds (semillas, pepitas)

On the front porch

A big scary bowl of candy (golosinas)

One piece of candy (Candy is an uncountable word)

Grab (agarrar)

A big handful ( puñado) of candy

Scary (siniestro)- sacarier comparative form

Small- smaller comparative form

Sharp (afilado)-sharper comparative form

What happened?

What’s happening?

Whisper ( susurro)

Too much candy (Demaiadas golosinas)