History of Halloween

​History of Halloween

Mrs. Gailit, M.S. CCC-SLP

Fall 2023​

​Someone who moves from one country to another country

​​Immigrant

​To please, and/or make peace

​​Appease

​Activities or customs that have been passed down through many generations

​​Tradition

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the evening of October 31st. Traditional activities such as trick-or-treating, bonfires, carving jack-o-lanterns, and visiting “haunted houses” are part of the holiday.

Speech & Language Therapy​

Mrs. Gailit, M.S. CCC-SLP​

Multiple Choice

When is Halloween celebrated?

• September 13th

• October 1st

• October 31st

• November 11th

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not a traditional activity related to Halloween?

• Trick-or-Treating

• Baking
  Pumpkin Pie

• Carving
  Jack-O-Lanterns

• Visiting Haunted Houses

​Versions of these activities were first carried to North America in the nineteenth century by Irish and Scottish immigrants. Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The festival was a celebration of the end of the harvest season. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31st, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped. Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to appease evil spirits.

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Speech & Language Therapy​

Mrs. Gailit, M.S. CCC-SLP​

​Samhain

Masks & Costumes​

Multiple Choice

Based on the information in the first paragraph, if the Irish and Scottish people were immigrants, what does that mean?

• They left their country, but returned after a few months

• They went on a long vacation

• They didn't leave their country and remained there permanently

• They left their country to live permanently in another country

Multiple Choice

If the ancient people were trying to appease evil spirits by wearing costumes and masks, what was their mission?

• To let the spirits make fun of them

• To mark their homes

• To please the spirits and bring peace to the people's families

• To get more candy from trick-or-treating

​Trick-or-treating is one of the main traditions of Halloween. It involves children proceeding from house to house in costumes, asking for sweet treats with the question, “Trick or treat?” Dressing in costumes is another key tradition of Halloween. The practice of dressing in costumes and begging door-to-door for treats goes back to the Middle Ages.

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Speech & Language Therapy​

Mrs. Gailit, M.S. CCC-SLP​

Multiple Choice

True or False (T/F): The practice of dressing in costumes and begging door-to-door for treats originated in the United States.

• True

• False

​There are many legends and theories around the traditional Jack-o-Lantern carved as part of Halloween traditions. However, the tradition began when people believed that carving scary faces onto turnips would scare away evil spirits. The Celts believed that placing Jack-o-Lanterns outside helped guide lost souls home as they wandered the streets during Samhain. In the United States, the tradition turned to pumpkins because pumpkins were more plentiful and easier to carve.

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Speech & Language Therapy​

Mrs. Gailit, M.S. CCC-SLP​

Multiple Choice

The Celts believed that placing Jack-O-Lanterns
outside helped guide lost souls to go ____.

• To the bonfire

• To the harvest

• Home

Multiple Choice

Why are pumpkins carved in the United States rather than turnips?

• Pumpkins are more readily available

• It is believed that larger vegetables have a bigger impact on scaring away evil spirits

• Pumpkins honor the Celtic tradition

​Costumes are a key part of Halloween celebrations. During the Samhain festival, some people wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by evil spirits. The rise in costume wearing as a major part of Halloween took off once it became more of a consumer holiday. The first mass-produced costumes date to as early as the 1930’s.

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Speech & Language Therapy​

Mrs. Gailit, M.S. CCC-SLP​

Multiple Choice

Why did people wear masks during the Samhain festival?

• To be unrecognizable by evil spirits

• To scare their neighbors

• To celebrate the evening

Multiple Choice

When did costumes become an essential part of Halloween?

• During the Samhain festival

• When Halloween became more of a consumer holiday

• In the Middle Ages

​Orange and black are the traditional Halloween colors. Orange symbolized the vibrant colors of their crops and the work of the harvest season. Black stood for the death of summer.

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Speech & Language Therapy​

Mrs. Gailit, M.S. CCC-SLP​

​Orange = Crops and Season's Work

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​Black = Death of Summer

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