HALLOWEEN

Marsha Chan

Halloween is one of the festivals that children in the United States like best. It is celebrated on October 31. Children do not have a holiday from school, but they often have a party at school on this day. One or two weeks before Halloween arrives, the classrooms are usually decorated with orange and black paper. Some students draw black cats and witches. Others cut out big orange pumpkins. The teacher hangs the childrenπs decorations on the wall.

The teacher often makes a jack-oπ-lantern from a pumpkin. With a knife, she cuts the top off of a pumpkin. Then she removes all of the seeds. Then the teacher cuts eyes, a nose and a mouth in the pumpkin. She puts a candle inside the jack-oπ-lantern. When she lights the candle and turns off the lights in the room, the children can see the eyes, nose and mouth glowing in the dark. It looks funny! She washes the seeds, cooks them, and gives them to the students to eat.

On Halloween, children usually wear costumes for a party at school. Some boys and girls dress as kings and queens. Some dress as clowns, witches and ghosts. Some dress as famous characters, such as Harry Potter, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast. Others dress as animals, such as rabbits, cats and turtles. Still others dress as funny objects, such as pumpkins, robots, and mailboxes. Many schools hold a parade in the school yard, and the children of all classes can see each otherπs Halloween costumes.

Adults sometimes have Halloween parties, too. Everyone must wear a costume to the party. There is often a contest to choose the best costume. At Halloween parties, people usually play games. One game is bobbing for apples. This is how the game is played. Someone puts some apples in a big tub filled with water. The players stand around the tub and hold their hands behind their backs. The apples bob in the water. The players try to pick up the apples with their teeth. It isnπt easy. The players often get a mouthful of water instead of an apple!

On Halloween night, after sunset, many families put jack-oπ-lanterns in their windows. Each jack-oπ-lantern has a candle inside, so their faces shine in the dark. Then children begin a tradition called trick or treating. Children wear their Halloween costumes and go from house to house in their neighborhood. They knock on each door. If someone answers the door, the children say, Trick or treat! The people who answer the door give the children a treat, such as candy, some fruit, a drink, or a small toy. Itπs an exciting time for the children, and the neighbors enjoy seeing the trick-or-treaters in their Halloween costumes.