ALL ABOUT HALLOWEEN

The origins 

People celebrate Halloween on October, 31st all over the world.

Halloween started some 2,000 years ago, when the Celts lived in Britain.

The people celebrated a Celtic festival named Samhain on November, 1st. It represented the end of summer and the start of a new year and harvest*.

However, on October, 31st (or on "All Hallows Eve"), people believed that the dead would return in the world of the living. That is why they dressed up* in zombies, skeletons, witches or dead people to look like* them. They believed the dead would go away.

Today, Halloween is still celebrated around the world on October, 31st.

Jack-o'-Lantern

People carve out* pumpkins into scary faces to frighten away* the dead*.

To read the legend of Jack-O'-Lantern, click here.

Costumes

People wear spooky* costumes to trick evil spirits*. 

Treat-or-Treating

Children go in the streets to knock on doors* and say "Trick or Treat"*. They receive sweets or play tricks to people who won't give them treats.

VOCABULARY

harvest (la saison de la moisson, de la récolte)
dress up = disguise (se déguiser)
look like = resemble (ressembler)
carve out (sculpter)
frighten away = scare away (faire peur pour les chasser)
the dead (les morts) ≠ the living (les vivants)
spooky = scary =  frightening (effrayant)

play tricks to evil spirits = play mischievous pranks to people (jouer de vilains tours aux esprits maléfiques)
knock on doors (frapper aux portes)
Trick-or-Treat (Des bonbons ou du boucan)
a treat = a sweet (un bonbon, une gâterie ou friandise)