(Text adapted from) http://www.livescience.com/16677-halloween-superstitions-traditions.

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Halloween may seem like it's all about costumes and candy, but the holiday has its roots in pagan beliefs. Dating
back about 2,000 years, Halloween marked the Celtic New Year and was originally called Samhain, which translates
to "summer's end" in Gaelic. Here we have some interesting traditions and superstitions about this harvest festival.

Often used as symbols of bad luck, black

cats grace many Halloween decorations.
The black cat's bad reputation dates
back to the Dark Ages, when witch hunts
were commonplace. Elderly, solitary
women
were
often
accused
of
witchcraft, and their pet cats were said
to be their "familiars," or demonic
animals that had been given to them by
the devil.

Jack-o'-lanterns have their roots in a

sinister, tragic fable. Celtic folklore tells
the tale of a drunken farmer named Jack
who tricked the devil, but his trickery
resulted in him being turned away from
both the gates of heaven and hell after
he died. Having no choice but to wander
around the darkness of purgatory, Jack
made a lantern from a turnip and a
burning lump of coal that the devil had
tossed him from hell. Jack used the
lantern to guide his lost soul; as such,
the Celts believed that placing Jack-o'1____Halloween is a Christian festival.
lanterns
outside
help were
guide
lost
2____All
elderly, would
solitary women
witches.
spirits3____Black
home cats
when
they
wander
are said
to bring
bad luck. the
streets4____People
on Halloween.
believed that it was easier to
contact with the dead during Samhain.
5____Ghosts asked for money, food or shelter
when they visited the living.
6____If you turned ghosts away emptyhanded, you could be cursed or haunted.
7____Jack OLantern was a famous murderer.
8____Jack was neither accepted in heaven nor
in hell.
9____Jack OLanterns guide the living in their
contacts with the dead.
10___Apples always predict your future.

In old times, it was believed that during

Samhain, the veil between our world and the
spirit world was thinnest, and that the ghosts
of the deceased could mingle with the living.
The superstition was that the visiting ghosts
could disguise themselves in human form
and knock on your door during Samhain
asking for money or food. If you turned them
away empty-handed, you risked being
cursed or haunted.

In ancient times, the apple was viewed

as a sacred fruit that could be used to
predict the future. Bobbing for apples
is one of the traditional games used for
fortune-telling on Halloween night. It
was believed that the first person to
pluck an apple from the water-filled
bucket without using their hands would
be the first to marry.

1. What happened to the first person who

plucked an apple from the bucket?
2. Why was Jack turned away from heaven
and hell?
3. Why were cats considered demoniac
animals?
4. How would ghosts visit the living on
Halloween?
5. What do you think of the Halloween
festival?

Key
1 F Halloween is a Christian festival.
2 F All elderly, solitary women were witches.
3 T Black cats are said to bring bad luck.
4 T People believed that it was easier to contact with the dead during Samhain.
5 F Ghosts asked for money, food or shelter when they visited the living.
6 T If you turned ghosts away empty-handed, you could be cursed or haunted.
7 F Jack OLantern was a famous murderer.
8 T Jack was neither accepted in heaven nor in hell.
9 F Jack OLanterns guide the living in their contacts with the dead.
10 F Apples always predict your future.

1. What happened to the first person who plucked an apple from the bucket?
The first person who plucked an apple from the bucket would be the first to marry.
2. Why was Jack turned away from heaven and hell?
He played a trick on the devil and he was punished for it.
3. Why were cats considered demoniac animals?
Because during the witch hunts, elderly, solitary women were accused of witchcraft and their pet cats were
said to be sent by the devil.
4. How would ghosts visit the living on Halloween?
They would visit the living in disguise.
5. What do you think of the Halloween festival?
Free answer
(Text adapted from) http://www.livescience.com/16677-halloween-superstitions-traditions.html