Learn about Halloween in the US
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
| Hi everyone, I'm Alisha. |
| Halloween is a time for celebration in the USA. It's become the second most popular holiday in the nation over the years. Halloween is known for its oftentimes scary costumes, elaborate parties and events, horror film festivals, and its many Gothic trappings. This holiday was a latecomer to the US, not really becoming popular until the early twentieth century. Today, it's one of the most anticipated holidays in the USA! |
| Halloween is very much associated with scary costumes and things that are wonderfully creepy. Do you know what holiday dressing up in scary costumes was likely borrowed from? |
| We’ll show you the answer at the end of this video. |
| People in the USA typically carve pumpkins into scary jack o' lanterns, decorate their houses to look as creepy as possible, and wear elaborate costumes to celebrate this holiday. These aspects of Halloween, according to some, have their roots in various Celtic and European myths, legends, and cultural traditions. Today, popular horror films have also influenced the cultural traditions that surround Halloween. The monster movies of the early twentieth century are significant contributors to the look and feel of modern Halloween celebrations in the USA! |
| Trick or treating started at the beginning of the twentieth century to curb the vandalism and destruction that once characterized this holiday in the USA. Today, Halloween is a night when the streets are full of families getting treats from their neighbors, and vandalism and other problems are rare. |
| Some families and social groups set up elaborate haunted houses and invite people to go through for free or for a donation. Hayrides and other nighttime events are also very popular in rural areas. Check the local theaters and TV stations around Halloween and you'll find plenty of scary stuff to watch, too! |
| Over the years, Halloween costumes in the USA have become more varied. Some people, particularly younger participants, forego the dark Gothic theme of the holiday and dress up as characters from adventure movies, literary figures, or even historical figures. |
| And now here's the answer to the quiz. |
| Do you know what holiday dressing up in scary costumes was likely borrowed from? |
| Samhain is considered to be a significant influence on Halloween celebrations, though this is disputed by some scholars. Samhain was—and still is, to some extent—celebrated in Scotland and Ireland. It's associated with the final harvest of the year more than it is with scary ghouls and goblins, though spirits do play a part! |
| The dressing up was originally done to scare malicious spirits away, or to trick them into thinking that you were one of them to avoid harm. |
| How was this lesson? Did you learn something interesting? |
| Is Halloween celebrated in your country? If so, how? |
| Please leave a comment at EnglishClass101.com |
| Until next time! |
Comments
Hide