­Halloween ­

Halloween quiz

How much do you know about Halloween?
Do the quiz and check!

1. Halloween is celebrated on
a) 30th October
b) 31st October
c) 1st November

2. In Ireland Halloween is called
a) All Saints Day
b) Samhain Night
c) Jack Night

3. What did people sprinkle in the hair of children to protect them from evil spirits?
a) sugar
b) pepper
c) salt

4. Which vegetables are traditionally carved on Halloween?
a) pumpkins, swedes and turnips
b) pumpkins and watermelons
c) only pumpkins

5. What are the trick-or-treaters given?
a) money and jewellery
b) sweets and pennies
c) apples and turnips

6. In the traditional Halloween game called ‘bobbing for apples’ the participants have to catch with their mouth apples which are in
a) a barrel full of water
b) an anthill
c) a bucket full of wine

7. In North America unmarried women gaze into a mirror on a Halloween night. If they see a skull
a) their future husband will die tragically
b) they will get married soon
c) they will die before they get married

Odpowiedzi:

1 – b) Oczywiście Halloween obchodzi się 31 października, jest to wigilia Wszystkich Świętych – All Hallow’s Eve.
2 – b) W Irlandii obchodzimy Samhain Night.
3 – c) Sypiemy sól.
4 – a) Dynie są najbardziej popularne, ale tradycyjnie wydrążano również brukiew i rzepę.
5 – b) Słodycze i drobne pieniądze.
6 – a) Próbują złapać zębami jabłka w beczce pełnej wody.
7 – c) Czaszka oznacza, że umrą przed zamążpójściem, twarz w lustrze jest twarzą przyszłego męża.

Remember!

sprinkle – oblewać, spryskiwać
spirit – duch
evil – zły
carve – wycinać, rzeźbić
turnip – rzepa
barrel – beczułka
anthill – mrowisko
gaze – wpa trywać się, gapić się
skull – czaszka

How to carve a perfect pumpkin

You will need:

• a pumpkin
• a large, heavy spoon
• a sharp knife
• a candle (preferably thick and short but bigger than a tea-light)
• some old newspapers

• 1.
  Choose the right pumpkin. The best pumpkins are medium sized. A very big pumpkin is really impressive, but sometimes it is very hard which makes it difficult to carve it. A small pumpkin is soft and easy to carve, but not suitable for more complicated patterns.
• 2.
  Cut off the top of the pumpkin with the knife. It is important that the cap is not too small – you must easily be able to put your hand inside. Don’t destroy the top – you will need it later.
• 3.
  Remove all that you find inside the pumpkin – all the seeds – and clean the inside walls of the pumpkin with a spoon.
• 4 .
  Use a pencil or a crayon to draw a motive – usually a face – on the pumpkin. Remember that the elements can’t be too small, unless you are an experienced carver.
• 5.
  Carve the elements with a knife. Start from the top. Be patient!
• 6 .
  Put a candle inside, put on the top of the pumpkin and enjoy!

To make the life span of the pumpkin longer, keep them in a cold place – for example keep them on your balcony or in the garden. Well, they don’t live very long, but it doesn’t really matter – they must be perfect for this night!

 

Choose the right ­Halloween ­movie!

One of the most popular ways of spending Halloween is watching a scary movie. Here is a list of some most scary movies which simply have to be seen! The list is alphabetical as being scared is a very subjective matter!

The Blair Witch ­Project
Its documentary style and the scary atmosphere of the woods had made it famous even before it was shown.

The Exorcist
A priest trying to exorcise the devil from a 12-year old girl. One of the most frightening films ever.

Jaws
A beach town threatened by a shark. Queues of people in cinemas.

Night
of the Living Dead
A low-budget classic from 1968 with the remake in 1990. Starring: zombies feeding on human flesh. Ugh.

The Omen
A small boy – Damien – appears to be the Antichrist. I couldn’t sleep after seeing that…

Psycho
A great psychological thriller with the famous shower scene. The original Hitchcock’s black and white version much better than the remake from 1998.

Rosemary’s Baby
Mia Farrow will be the mother of the devil. Polański’s masterpiece from 1968 with the famous music doesn’t get old.

Silence of the Lambs
Oscar for Anthony Hopkins. Atmosphere that makes you simply motionless. Don’t buy popcorn – you won’t be able to eat it.

 

Halloween party

Some ideas for a perfect Halloween spooky party

1.There is no great Halloween party without a scary fancy dress. There are paints for face you can buy in a toy shop. To be a vampire, you need black and white face paint. Paint two white teeth down from your lower lip and paint the rest of the ­mouth black. Mix white and some black paint to obtain grey colour and paint the whole face grey. Use black paint to make your eyes more scary – put the paint around. If you want a very special effect, paint another pair of eyes on your eyelids – it is not so easy, but you can do it. Then when you close your eyes it really seems you are dead – your eyes are motionless and wide open. Try this and different ideas and have fun. Look for some Halloween clothes in second-hand shops and be creative!

2.There is no great Halloween party without special decorations. You will need Jack O’Lanterns – this is basic. But you might also think about something more spooky. I’ve been to a party where a host managed to turn a bed (opening so that there is space for bed-clothes) into a coffin. We all had to lie there for a moment and pretend we are dead. We took pictures – it was simply great! Try to have everything connected with ­Halloween. Buy black straws and put small paper bats on them. Try non-alcoholic bloody-mary with tomato juice and lots of spices.

3.You might actually want to start the party from a carving competition. Buy as many pumpkins as guests and remember ­about knives and spoons for each participant. Then spend an hour on carving. There must be a prize for the best pumpkin, but the best prize will be lighting all your pumpkins together – a great effect!

4.Try storytelling. Sit in a circle, switch off the lights. Put some candles in the centre and start. All the stories must be scary. And, again, remember about the prize.

5.Watch a scary movie: a horror or a thriller.

6.Look for ghosts around you.

Remember!

scary – straszny
fancy – wymyślny, fantazyjny
obtain – uzyskać, uzyskiwać
motionless – nieruchomy, bez ruchu
lantern – lampion
Jack O’Lantern – kielichowiec pomarańczowy
spooky – straszny, przerażający
host – gospodarz
coffin – trumna