LEITURA: THE ORIGINS OF TRICK OR TREAT

The custom of 'trick or treat' probably has several origins, mostly Irish. An old Irish peasant practice called for going door to door to collect money, bread cake, cheese, eggs, butter, nuts, apples, etc., in preparation for the festival of St. Columbus Kill. Yet another custom was the begging for soul cakes, or offerings for one's self - particularly in exchange for promises of prosperity or protection against bad luck. It is with this custom the concept of the fairies came to be incorporated as people used to go door to door begging for treats. Failure to supply the treats would usually result in practical jokes being visited on the owner of the house.

Since the fairies were abroad on this night, an offering of food or milk was frequently left for them on the steps of the house, so the houseowner could gain the blessings of the "good folk" for the coming year. Many of the households would also leave out a "dumb supper" for the spirits of the departed.. It was a custom which survives still in  many places. In 19th Century America, rural immigrants from Ireland and Scotland kept Halloween customs from their homelands: girls stayed indoors and did divination games, while the boys roamed outdoors engaging in almost equally ritualized pranks, which their elders "blamed" on the spirits being abroad that night. Its entry into urban world can probably traced back in mid-19th Century New York, where children called "ragamuffins" would dress in costumes and beg for pennies from adults on Thanksgiving Day. Things got nastier with increased urbanization and poverty in the 1930's. Adults began casting about for ways to control the previously harmless but now increasingly expensive and dangerous vandalism of the "boys." Towns and cities began organizing "safe" Halloween events and householders began giving out bribes to the neighbourhood kids as a way to distract them away from their previous anarchy. The ragamuffins disappeared or switched their date to Halloween.

The term "trick or treat," finally appears in print around 1939! Pranks became even nastier in the 1980's, with widespread poverty existing side-by-side with obscene greed. Unfortunately, bored kids,  grown in a violence saturated society slip all too easily from harmless "decoration" of their neighbours' houses with shaving cream and toilet paper to serious vandalism and assaults. Blaming either Neopagans or Halloween for this is rather like blaming patriots or the Fourth of July for the many firecracker injuries happening every year. Given this hazardous backdrop town councils, school boards and parents in the 1930's invented this custom as it is being celebrated today to keep their kids out of trouble.

The custom came back from the Atlantic to Ireland and Britain by the mid-20^th century, the smaller children start to dress up and parade to the neighbours' houses, do little performances, then ask for a reward. American kids seem to remember this with their chants of "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg," and other classic tunes done for no reason other than because "it's traditional."

The text is adapted from the internet/www holidayspot.com

 

Look at the words  underlined and find their synonym:

1.Tricks…….

2.Prediction. …….

3.Accused. …….

4.Requesting. …….

5.Games. …….

6.Breakdown……..

7.Grace. …….

8.Innocent. …….

9.Compensations……..

10.Wounds.

11.Wandered about.

Make questions to these answers.

1. …………………………………………………..?

It originated in Ireland.

2. ………………………………………………….?

Because they would bring their homes good luck.

3. ………………………………………………….?

In 19^th century.

4.………………………………………………….?

In 1939.

5. ………………………………………………….?

Because children grew absorbing a violent culture.

6. ………………………………………………….?

To find a solution to the problem of violent tricks.

7. ………………………………………………….?

By the mid-20^th century. 

 

KEY:1.Pranks-2.Divination.3.Blamed.4Begging.5Jokes.

6Failure.7Blessing.8Harmless.9Bribes.10Injuries.11Roamed.

1.Where did this tradition originate? 2Why did peasants leave gifts for fairies? 3When did this custom move to America? 4When was the term ’Trick or Treat’ officially  used for the first time? 5.Why did pranks become nastier? 6.Why did American parents modify the custom? 7.When did this tradition come back to Europe?

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LEITURA: OCTOBER - VOCABULARY

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Reading - Halloween

Halloween is a traditional celebration held on October 31st. Today, Halloween is an excuse for Halloween theme costume parties, and entertainment with horror films, haunted houses and other activities around the popular themes of ghosts, witches, Dracula, werewolves and the supernatural. Children love to dress up in halloween costumes and go from door-to-door in their neighborhood following the old tradition of trick-or-treating, collecting sweets and gifts, sometimes money.

Halloween began as an ancient Celtic festival in Great Britain and Ireland, and has survived most strongly among Irish, Scottish and Welsh communities. Immigrants from these communities carried the tradition to North America. In turn, as part of American pop culture, Halloween has spread in popularity to most corners of the English speaking western world, and increasingly into Western Europe in recent times.

Halloween was a pagan festival, around the idea of linking the living with the dead, when contact became possible between the spirits and the physical world, and magical things were more likely to happen. It became associated with All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day.

The celebration of Halloween survived most strongly in Ireland. It was an end of summer festival, and was often celebrated in each community with a bonfire to ward off the evil spirits. Children would go from door to door in disguise as creatures from the underworld  to collect treats. These were used for playing traditional games like eating an apple on a string or bobbing for apples and other gifts in a basin of water, without using your hands.

Halloween is usually celebrated by both adults and kids. Some families celebrate by having costume parties and playing special games like bobbing for apples and telling ghost stories. Sometimes children go "trick or treating" - knocking on doors in their trusted neighborhoods collecting candy. 

In earlier years, Halloween was a time for playing harmless pranks. However, in more recent times, Halloween pranks have sometimes gotten out of hand - causing damage and injury to others. Schools usually prefer to celebrate Halloween by having children dress as storybook characters. In this way, children are still allowed to "dress up, " and the holiday becomes both fun and educational.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/halloween/about.html

Questions

What kind of films do people watch?

What do the children do? Why?

Where does Halloween come from?

How did it get to the USA?

What kinds of games do people play?

What kind of parties do people throw?

How do children celebrate Hallowen at school?

How does your school celebrate this day?

VOCABULARY: HALLOWEEN

LEITURA: Qual a origem da comemoração do Halloween?

Uma versão ancestral da festa – que por aqui também é conhecida como Dia das Bruxas – provavelmente surgiu na Europa, centenas de anos antes de Cristo. Originalmente, o Halloween era um ritual dos celtas, um povo que habitou a Grã-Bretanha e a França entre o ano 2000 e o ano 100 antes da era cristã. Para eles, a noite de 31 de outubro, data da comemoração até hoje, indicava o início do Samhain, uma importante celebração que marcava três fatos: o fim da colheita, o Ano-Novo celta e também o início do inverno, “a estação da escuridão e do frio”, um período associado aos mortos. “No Halloween, segundo a mitologia desse povo, era possível entrar em contato com o mundo dos desencarnados”, dia a historiadora Clare Downham, da Escola de Estudos Celtas, na Irlanda. Como se pregava que esse contato libertava todo tipo de espírito, as pessoas acreditavam que, durante aquela noite, fantasmas, demônios e fadas ficavam à solta. Para representar esse caos sobrenatural, os celtas se fantasiavam com peles e cabeças de animais abatidos para o inverno. A crença nos espíritos também despertou outros costumes típicos da festa, como o uso de leite e comida (hoje substituídos por doces) para acalmar os visitantes do além. Outras tradições, porém, foram deixadas de lado, como o hábito de acender fogueiras para espantar os espíritos. Bem depois, no século 9, a festa foi influenciada pela expansão do cristianismo na Grã-Bretanha. Na tentativa de acabar com os festejos pagãos, o papa Gregório III consagrou o dia 1º de novembro para a celebração de Todos os Santos. Surgiu daí a própria palavra halloween, originada de all hallows eve, que em português quer dizer “véspera do dia de Todos os Santos”. Finalmente, no século 20, o Halloween juntou ao seu caldeirão de influências a força da cultura dos filmes de terror, que hoje dão o tom da celebração tanto na Grã-Bretanha como nos Estados Unidos.

Terror Modernizado

Festa atual guarda poucas semelhanças com os rituais celtas que a inspiraram

Chama Renovadora

Na antiguidade, o fogo era o elemento mais importante do Halloween, que coincidia com o Ano-Novo dos celtas. Na noite da celebração, em 31 de outubro, os druidas, sacerdotes desse povo, acendiam fogueiras para simbolizar a renovação das esperanças para o ano seguinte. No topo das montanhas, o fogo também servia para espantar os espíritos. Algumas festas mantêm tochas até hoje, mas apenas para decoração.

Chantagem Ancestral

Segundo a crença celta, o caos reinava na noite do Halloween. Para acalmar os espíritos despertados, era comum deixar leite e comida na porta de casa. A moda pegou nos Estados Unidos e na Grã-Bretanha, onde até hoje as crianças saem fantasiadas para pedir doces – quando não são atendidas, ameaçam pregar um susto, como fariam os espíritos. A senha é a famosa expressão trick or treat (“travessura ou gostosura”), provavelmente usada pela primeira vez na década de 30.

Bruxas do bem

Outra presença inconfundível no Halloween são as bruxas, mulheres de aparência assustadora que usam a magia para fazer o mal. Essa descrição negativa, entretanto, surge só no século 9, com a influência do cristianismo na comemoração. Para os celtas, as bruxas eram apenas mulheres que conheciam poderes terapêuticos de plantas e ervas. Elas faziam parte da comunidade e podiam participar normalmente das celebrações.

Monstros Hollywoodianos

O costume de se fantasiar também surgiu com os celtas, que na época vestiam-se para a festa usando a cabeça e a pele de animais abatidos antes do início do inverno. Atualmente, a fauna monstruosa se modificou bastante, principalmente pela influência das produções de Hollywood. Vampiros, múmias, lobisomens e outros personagens do cinema são presenças garantidas em qualquer Halloween.

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