Halloween

High school (ages 12+)
Holidays & Celebrations

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/halloween

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the ancient festival name?Samhain
2. What is the primary originating culture?Ancient Celtic peoples
3. What is Halloween and why do we celebrate it?Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31. It started with the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, which marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter. People believed that on this night the living and the dead could see each other.
4. Why do people carve pumpkins into jack‑o‑lanterns?The jack‑o‑lantern began as a carved turnip in Europe. When people moved to North America, they used pumpkins instead because pumpkins were easier to carve and plentiful.

Samhain: An ancient Celtic festival marking the transition from summer to winter, believed to be a time when the veil between worlds thinned.
Syncretism: The merging or blending of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.
Liminal Period: A transitional or in-between state or phase, often associated with uncertainty and transformation.
Divination: The practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.