Hallowe’en is celebrated on October 31st. It is the eve before the Feast of All Saints. `Hallo´ is an old word for holy and `e’en´is Scottish for evening. Some Hallowe’en traditions go back to the time of the Druids. One of the pagan beliefs was that on this night the dead could return to earth as witches, ghosts, goblins, black cats and other strange things. People thought that light could protect them against these evil spirits. Christian custom included the lighting of huge bonfires on the hillsides. People danced around them and prayed. After the fire, the people went home to eat cake, roasted apples and ale.
Today, children dress up as witches, ghosts and black cats and go from house to house, giving people the choice of `trick or treat´. They usually get the treat, so don’t have to play a naughty trick!
`Trick or treat´ started in the U.S.A. and is not an original British tradition. Bobbing for apples is a traditional game played at hallowe’en. Apple are put into a bowl of water. The party guests have to get them out of the water with their mouths. Children also make lanterns from pumpkins and put lighted candles in them
