Текст для чтения «Halloween: History and Traditions🎃»

В этой статье вы прочитаете текст на английском про Хэллоуин (Halloween). Вы узнаете историю праздника, древние и современные традиции, а также познакомитесь с важной лексикой. Текст адаптирован для смешанного уровня, поэтому его можно использовать для практики чтения и словарного запаса.

🎃 Halloween: History and Traditions

Halloween is celebrated on October 31st in many English-speaking countries. People decorate their homes with pumpkins, skeletons, and spider webs. Streets, shops, and schools are full of decorations. Many people carve pumpkins with candles inside, called Jack-o’-lanterns. Children wear costumes, pretending to be witches, ghosts, superheroes, or characters from movies and books. They go from house to house, saying “Trick or treat!” to get candy.

The holiday has very old roots. It started with the Celtic festival called Samhain (pronounced “Sow-in”) more than 2,000 years ago. People believed that at the end of October, the border between the living world and the spirit world became thin. Spirits could visit the living, and some could cause trouble. To protect themselves, people lit large fires, wore masks, and performed special rituals. These traditions were very important for the Celtic communities and marked the end of the harvest season.

Later, when Christianity spread across Europe, the church created All Saints’ Day on November 1st. The evening before was called All Hallows’ Eve, which gradually became Halloween. Many old traditions stayed, but now they had a Christian meaning. People still lit candles, remembered the dead, and sometimes wore costumes, but the focus slowly shifted to celebration and fun.

Halloween came to the United States with Irish and Scottish immigrants in the 19th century. At first, it was mainly a local holiday in rural areas. People celebrated with small parties, games, and stories about ghosts. By the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween began to look more like it does today. Children dressed in costumes and went trick-or-treating, adults started organizing costume parties, and people began carving pumpkins instead of turnips. The holiday became popular in schools, on the streets, and in local communities.

Today, Halloween is a big and colourful celebration. People decorate their homes with scary or funny objects, visit haunted houses, watch Halloween movies, and listen to festive music. Many adults also enjoy dressing up for parties. Although it is fun and sometimes a little scary, Halloween is also a way to celebrate autumn, creativity, and community.

Halloween also appears in books, songs, and films. Many English expressions and phrases are connected with spooky stories or the idea of ghosts and witches. For example, you can hear ghost someone, skeleton in the closet, or witch hunt in everyday speech. Learning these expressions during the Halloween season can make them easier to remember.

Vocabulary to Know

• Trick or treat — children ask for candy from neighbours

• Jack-o’-lantern — a carved pumpkin with a candle inside

• Samhain — the ancient Celtic festival that started Halloween

• All Hallows’ Eve — the evening before All Saints’ Day

• Costume — clothes worn to look like a character or creature

• Haunted house — a house decorated to look scary, sometimes with ghosts

• Spirit — a ghost or soul

• Spine-chilling — very scary, makes you shiver

🎃 Halloween: Reading Comprehension & Vocabulary Exercises

1. True or False

Read the sentences and decide if they are True or False.

1. Halloween is celebrated on November 1st.

2. Jack-o’-lanterns are pumpkins with candles inside.

3. Samhain was an ancient Celtic festival more than 2000 years ago.

4. Children say “Trick or treat!” when they visit houses.

5. Halloween has always been only about fun and parties.

2. Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer.

1. What do people usually wear on Halloween?
   a) Uniforms
   b) Costumes
   c) Traditional clothes

2. Which country did Halloween come to the USA from?
   a) Ireland and Scotland
   b) France and Spain
   c) Germany and Italy

3. All Hallows’ Eve is:
   a) The morning after All Saints’ Day
   b) The evening before All Saints’ Day
   c) A festival in summer

3. Match the Word

Match the English word to its meaning.