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Community Corner

ESL Students Learn the History Behind Halloween

English as a Second Language (ESL) students at The Connection celebrated Halloween by learning about the history behind the holiday and carving their own pumpkins while enjoying tasty treats! Over 50 students attended the festivities and got a taste of US culture as they listened to holiday music and added their own personal touch to their Jack O’ Lantern.

 
For 68 years, dedicated volunteers have helped non-native speakers improve their conversation skills, increase vocabulary, learn idioms and explore U.S. culture at The Connection. The Connection offers small, friendly classes and a supportive environment to help students achieve their goals.

Today Americans celebrate Halloween by trick-or-treating, visiting haunted attractions, having costumes parties, carving pumpkins into Jack O’ Lanterns, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror movies.  Newcomers to the country learned the history behind the holiday and how this historic tradition has evolved over time.

The holiday traces back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain. The ancient Celts observed the start of the new year on November 1, All Souls Day. The day marked the end of summer and the harvest. It was believed that on October 31, the worlds of the living and dead overlapped before the start of the new year. October 31 became All Hallows Eve, a time where the ghosts of the dead could return to destroy the harvest that was stored for winter. People set bonfires on hilltops to ward off the evil spirits before the start of the winter season.

Today’s Jack O’ Lantern evolved from an Ancient Celtic tradition in Ireland of carving turnips on All Hallow’s Eve and placing an ember in them, to ward off evil spirits.

The Connection for Women and Families is a non-profit, human service organization providing a variety of programs and activities open to everyone in the community regardless of physical ability or economic circumstance. To find out more about our financial assistance program or how you can help us help others with a donation, visit TheConnectionOnline.org. 

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