Contrary to popular belief, Halloween did not originate in the United States. The holiday has its origins in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France and dates back to over 2000 years ago. The ancient Celts who lived there celebrated their new year on November 1. They believed that on the eve of the new year, October 31, the boundary between the living and the dead blurred and the dead returned to earth. The celebration held on this day was called Samhain. As part of the festivities, which included large bonfires, people would dress up as ghouls and demons to escape the notice of the otherworldly spirits who had returned. Over time, the celebration evolved and blended with the traditions of other cultures that honoured the dead around the same time of year. But many of the traditions that characterize Halloween today – like guising – have their roots in this ancient Celtic fest.

 

Vocabulary:

contrary to popular belief = entgegen der landläufigen Meinung

origins = Ursprung

dates back to = zurückgehen auf

eve = Vorabend

boundary =Grenze

blurred = verschwommen

festivities = Feierlichkeiten

bonfires = Lagerfeuer

ghouls = Leichenfledderer

otherworldly spirits = Seelen aus dem Jenseits

honoured = ehrten

evolve = sich entwickeln

blend = vermischen

guising = sich verkleiden und von Tür zu Tür gehen

 

„Trick or truth“ trivia facts
Inhaltlich stimmen die Aussagen. Können Sie die Fehler (1 pro Satz) erkennen?

 

1) On Halloween, children dress up in customs and go trick-or-treating.
2) The first jack-o-lanterns were curved out of turnips, not pumpkins.
3) „Which“ comes from the Old English word meaning wise woman, wicce.
4) Originally you had to dance to recieve a treat when you went guising.
5) If you see a spidre on Halloween, it is considered good luck. It means the spirit of a dead loved one is watching over you.

 

Auflösung: 1) customs=costumes; 2) curved=carved; 3) which=witch; 4) recieve=receive; 5) spidre=spider

 

Wussten Sie, dass … … der Name „Halloween“ seinen Ursprung in der katholischen Kirche findet? Im 8. Jahrhundert ernannte Papst Gregor III den 1. November zum Feiertag Allerheiligen, was im Englischen All Hallows oder All Saints‘ Day heißt. Im Laufe der Jahre wurde das Samhain-Fest am Vorabend zu Allerheiligen in Alt-Englisch vor allem in Schottland als „All Hallow’s Even“ bezeichnet. Abgekürzt klingt das wie „Hallows‘ E’en“ – deswegen sagt man seit Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts einfach Halloween.