Listen&Learn: Origins of Trick-or-treat
18th October 2023 by Jaksyn Peacock
Pre-listening vocabulary
- costume: an outfit that makes a person look like someone or something else
- tradition: something that a culture practises repeatedly
- ghost: the spirit of a dead person
- dominant: in a position of power
- pray: to speak to a god
- secular: not religious
Listening activity
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:46 — 1.6MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | More
Gapfill exercise
Comprehension questions
See answers below
- The Celtic holiday that led to Halloween was actually a celebration of
a. an ancient god
b. the new year
c. the stars - On All Souls’ Day, costumed children usually offered people
a. prayers for dead loved ones
b. protection from evil
c. scary stories - Today, trick-or-treating is most common in
a. North America
b. Europe
c. South America
Discussion/essay questions
- Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?
- In some cultures, traditions about death are very serious. In others, they are more celebratory. How is death viewed in your culture?
Transcript
Every year on Halloween, millions of children put on costumes and ask their neighbours for candy. This tradition began in ancient Scotland and Ireland. The Celtic peoples who lived there celebrated their new year in the fall. They believed that at the end of the year, ghosts could travel into the land of the living. Dressing like a ghost was a way to protect yourself from evil. When Catholicism became the dominant religion in the area, the holiday became All Souls’ Day, a day to pray for the souls of the dead. However, the tradition of dress-up continued. Costumed children would knock on doors and ask for food in exchange for a prayer for dead loved ones. Over time, this practice became secular. Instead of prayers, children offered songs or “tricks.” Today, trick-or-treating is most common in North America, but it has also spread to other parts of the world.
Answers to comprehension questions
1b 2a 3a