Thanksgiving is always on he fourth thursday of November.
This year it falls on November 28th.
You might also like
Showing posts with label Hallowe'en. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hallowe'en. Show all posts
Friday, November 22, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
20 facts about Hallowe'en
Even though Hallowe'en is over, and we're heading fast towards the next as well famous American tradition -Thanksgiving- I came across this infographic about '20 things you probably didn't know about Hallowe'en' and thought it might be an interesting resource to share. Who knows? You might find it useful for your next year's lesson planning about this horrific celebration, which is spreading all over our country, especially among youngsters. The article was written by Katie Lepi and published at Edudemic. The infographic that follows was created by jayjaypowpow, via Daily Infographic.
 |
| Click HERE to view the whole infographic and full size |
You might also like
Friday, November 01, 2013
The history of Hallowe'en
This week, we have exceptionally two entries at The Students' Corner. This time, and for the first time, Catarina Rocha, Patrícia Moura and Patríca Ferreira, both 11thA students, wrote a text about Hallowe'en. I hope all of you have enjoyed this Anglo-saxon tradition last night! Hallowe'en is becoming very popular in Portugal, especially among students. I think English language Teachers are to blame for that! Guilty!
Halloween is traditional and cultural event, usually celebrated by English speaking countries on 31st October. This epoch had its origin in old peoples of Britain and Ireland wh0o believed that on the eve of All Saints Day, the spirits were returning home. As between the sunset of October 31 and the first day of November took place the so called "holy night" (hallow evening), it is thought that it was this factor that led to the current name of the celebration - Halloween. Little by little, the celebration became public, and on the night of October 31st, many rituals and games began to be practised: people wearing costumes allusive to Halloween and leave their homes at night to ask for candy from house to house, saying 'trick or treat'. If they receive candies, people go away and don't play tricks on the home owners. Otherwise, the trick will have to be made, according to the tradition. The habitual treat is tossing toilet paper, eggs and flour. Children and adolescents are the ones that normally participate the most in this 'adventure'.
Halloween has a traditional sweet which is caramelized apple. In Ireland and Scotland there is a tradition to sculpt a turnip lantern, while in North America people use pumpkins, as they are larger and easier to carve. For the same reason, Portugal also follows this tradition of carving pumpkins. The famous lit pumpkins with candles, are called "jack-o-lantern" and are not seen in the house by chance. They are there with a purpose - to scare off evil spirits. Other elements present in Halloween are witches, owls, crows, spiders, demons, ghosts, black cats, cemeteries, haunted houses, werewolves, bats, death, vampires, the living dead.
Halloween is one of the perfect times to decorate the houses, as it is a festive "scary"season! When decorating the houses, people are usually inspired by the autumn colors, such as yellow, brown, orange and, of course, black is also one of the typical colors of this festive season! We simply can not miss it!
 |
| photo credit: jah~ via photopin cc |
You might also like
Thursday, October 31, 2013
It's Hallowe'en!!!
Booo!
Wishing you a frightfully happy Hallowe'en!!!
Just click on its images along the way and be spooked!!!
I also suggest you one of my favourite e-cards service: www.hellocrazy.com!
You might also like
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
More Hallowe'en resources
Teaching English - British Council suggests these activities for Hallowe'en. I think the second one has inspired me to go to the kitchen and cook those snacks myself for a family party: All you need to know about Halloween and Halloween party snacks, each of them followed by worksheets and downloads.
You might also like
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Hallowe'en in the United States
What do Americans do?
Hallowe'en is usually celebrated amongst family, friends and, sometimes, co-workers. However, some areas hold large community events. Parties and other events may be planned on October 31st or in the weekends before and after this date. Adults may celebrate by watching horror films, holding costume parties or creating haunted houses or graveyards. Many children dress up in fancy costumes and visit other homes in the neighborhood. At each house, they demand sweets, snacks or a small gift. If they do not get this, they threaten to do some harm to the inhabitants of the house. This is known as playing 'trick-or-treat' and is supposed to happen in a friendly spirit, with no nasty or mean tricks being carried out. However, if your children take part, it is important to accompany them and to check their 'treats' to make sure they are safe to eat or play with. Some families carve lanterns with 'scary' faces out of pumpkins or other vegetables or decorate their homes and gardens in Hallowe'en style. These were traditionally intended to ward off evil spirits. If you are at home on Hallowe'en, it is a good idea to have a bowl of small presents or sweets to offer to anyone who knocks on your door. This will help you to please the little spirits in your neighborhood! One cause that ties with Hallowe'en is collecting donations for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund - UNICEF. As children trick-or-treat on Hallowe'en night, some of them might carry small cardboard boxes with the UNICEF logo on them and collect coins instead of the usual candy. The money collected is then given to UNICEF and used to help needy children worldwide.
Background
Hallowe'en originated as a pagan festival in parts of Northern Europe, particularly around what is now the United Kingdom. Many European cultural traditions hold that Hallowe'en is a time when magic is most potent and spirits can make contact with the physical world. In Christian times, it became a celebration of the evening before All Saints’ Day. Immigrants from Scotland and Ireland brought the holiday to the United States. The commercialization of Hallowe'en started in the 1900s, when postcards and die-cut paper decorations were produced. Hallowe'en costumes started to appear in stores in the 1930s and the custom of 'trick-or-treat' appeared in the 1950s. The types of products available in Halloween style increased with time. Now Halloween is a very profitable holiday for the manufacturers of costumes, yard decorations and candy.
Symbols
There are various symbols associated with Hallowe'en. These include the spooks, ghosts and walking skeletons that represent the contact between the spiritual and physical world and between the living and the dead. Human figures that are often represented on Hallowe'en are witches and wizards, who are seen to have the power to contact the spirit world. Bats, black cats and spiders are often connected with this holiday. These animals are associated with the night and darkness and often accompany witches and wizards. There are also a range of objects associated with Hallowe'en. These include blood, fire, gravestones, pumpkins, bones and skulls. They all have connections with death, the spirit world or protecting property from evil spirits. Many of these objects are now available in stores as decorations for the Hallowe'en season.
In, timeanddate.com
(abridged)
 |
| A group of children playing Trick or Treat - ©iStockphoto.com/ sjlocke |
You might like to read
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Hallowe'en e-cards & videoclips
Sharing free and funny e-cards are a great way to wish your friends a Happy Hallowe'en. However, you can use them in class as well, especially if they are interactive, like this one. I have used this card once as a warm-up in a lesson about Hallowe'en and it totally grabbed the students' attention in a very effective way. Egreetings.com offers an interesting selection at your disposal on this 'spooky' venue!... In case you prefer the printable version, GotFreeCards offers you the possibility of creating and printing your own Hallowe'en card at home. You could challenge your students with a competition on the spookiest Hallowe'en card ever... Some students simply love a contest and that is an extraordinary way to boost their creativity!...
Last, but not least, YouTube! Our students love YouTube (and so do most of us)... It has an endless handy list of resources that we, as teachers, must not forget. One of my favourite for Hallowe'en is Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas, as well as, The Corpse Bride. You can use these resources to develop your students' vocabulary on Hallowe'en, their listening skills, as well as their ability for story telling, which can also be a written activity. Fantastic teacher-friendly resources that make our life much simpler and our lessons utterly more interesting!...
 |
| Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas Found picture @soundonsight.org |
Monday, October 29, 2012
Hallowe'en Lesson Ideas
Hallowe'en is coming up on 31st October and that gives us a handy theme to work in our classes. This event is becoming increasingly popular amongst teenagers in Europe and judging from the merchandise available, it has an increasingly American flavour. Here are just some ideas of the things you can do with Hallowe'en:
To begin with, Clare Lavery, via British Council BBC indicates eleven activities for all levels: from customs quizzes, to word games, Hallowe'en challenges to witches and witchcraft beliefs, horror films and literature to poems, you can read about all the tips HERE. In addition to these ideas, Education World suggests us jumping into pumpkin facts and pumpkin lore; trying pumpking science, pumpkin math, pumpkin writing... Did you know that pumpkins are fruit? Well, you can find out more about October's largest 'orange-est' and most visible fruit HERE!... The Teacher's Guide also presents several Hallowe'en Lesson Plans and Resources; and if you're looking for some free Hallowe'en Clip Art, just follow this LINK. Are you a cupcake lover? The TeachersCorner.net thought of you and suggests this graveyard cupcake, a fun and creative treat either for you or your students, amongst other spooky tips, such as bats, spiders, jack-o-lanterns, halloween puzzles, hallowe'en classroom activities and everything else to make your classroom frightfully fun.
 |
| Image by Phillip Martin, Free Hallowe'en Clip Art |
You might also like to take a look at
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)