Ex. 2. Answer the questions:

1. Whose birthdays were celebrated long ago?

2. Why did people start to have birthday parties?

3. What could protect people at their birthday?

4. What are the most popular birthday customs?

5. Where did birthday customs originate?

6. What games are often played at birthday parties?

7. What does Saint’s Day (name Day) mean?

8. How do Russian people celebrate their birthdays?

9. What birthday customs (traditions) do you follow?

10. How do you see a perfect birthday celebration?

Halloween.

reign – правление supernatural forces – сверхъестественные силы to placate – умиротворять evil spirits – злые духи paraphernalia – убранство pagan religions – языческие религии to honour all saints (all hallows) – чествовать всех святых to condemn – осуждать, приговаривать
	rite – обряд keep out of – выгонять stingy – скупой vine – стебель

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

Halloween is a holiday that comes from several mysterious religions that blended together. Europeans brought these traditions to America.

The origins date back hundreds of years to the Druid festival of Samhain, Lord of the Dead and Prince of Darkness, who, according to Celtic belief, gathered up the souls of all those who had died during the year to present them to Druid Heaven on October 31.

The Druid New Year began on November 1, marking the beginning of winter and the reign of the Lord of Death. The Druids called upon supernatural forces to placate the evil spirits, and it is from that tradition that modern Halloween gets the paraphernalia of ghosts, goblins, witches, skeletons, cats, masks and bonfires.

The custom of telling ghosts stories on Halloween also comes from the Druids who lit huge bonfires atop high hills to frighten away evil spirits. And as they sat grouped around watching the bright flames they would tell ghosts stories.

As Christianity replaced the pagan religions, the church set aside November 1 to honour all saints (all Hallows) and called it All Hallows’ Day. The evening before October 31, became All Hallows’ Even – later shortened to Halloween. The inclusion of witches, goblins and fairies into the rituals arose from the pagan belief that on All Hallows’ Eve the spirits of the dead who were against the church rite made own revels.

Other customs grew over the years. If the spirits caused no problems for a family, that family celebrated later that night. Parents sent their children out to collect food from friends and neighbours. To help them keep away from evil spirits, parents dressed up their children as ghosts and other figures that looked like evil spirits, trying to scare away real spirits. When children were outside, they heard what people said the evil spirits were doing – kicking over garbage cans, taking gates off fences, letting farm animals loose and throwing paints on houses. So they began doing these things themselves. They would visit a house and called out: Trick or Treat! If they did not receive what they wanted (a treat), they would cause problems for that family (the trick). Some families cut out scary faces in large turnips and put them around the edge of their property. They thought it would help keep evil spirits away.

The jack-o-lantern, most typical of Halloween symbols, began with the Irish. According to legend a man called Jack, who was kept out of Heaven for being stingy, and of Hell for playing tricks on the Devil, was condemned to walk the earth forever carrying a lantern to light his way.

An old legend says that at midnight on Halloween all pumpkins leave their vines and do a spritely dance across the field.

Halloween is in trouble in America. Each year editorials in magazines and newspapers and on television warn of dangers to children. And each year more communities “ban” Halloween.