Tressa's World: October 2009

(This isn't my nose, it's a false one.)

This is my Halloween costume for school this year. It's the witch from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in case you didn't know.

I thought this would be a really low-key, easily-crafted costume, but you would not believe how hard it is to find a carrot nose and a black funnel! I ended up ordering the nose from England (only $7 including shipping!) and painting a blue funnel black. The rest was pretty easy to find.

Here's the quiz I gave my students today.... Enjoy! :D

(So far the highest score is 7.)

1. Halloween originated in which country?

a. Ireland

b. Scotland

c. Romania

d. Germany

e. North America

2. What was Halloween called before it got that name?

a. All Saints’ Day

b. The Day of the Dead

c. All Hallows Eve

d. All Souls’ Day

3. The first “Jack-O-Lanterns” were actually carved out of:

a. Radishes

b. Turnips

c. Squash

d. Apples

4. The Jack-O-Lantern” got its name from:

a. Jack the Ripper

b. Stingy Jack

c. The Headless Horseman (who was named for a real man whose name was Jack O’Malley)

d. Wandering Jack

5. Why is Halloween celebrated on Oct 31^st?

a. That was the day Jack the Ripper died

b. That was the Celtic calendar’s New Year’s Eve

c. That was the day the Catholic church decided to honor the dead

d. That was the day the Pagan religion celebrated Lord Samhaim, the god of death

6. How was “trick-or-treating” started?

a. Village people would go door-to-door asking the rich for food donations for the village celebration. If people would not donate, they pulled pranks on them.

b. On a Halloween night long ago a blind man was out begging door-to-door. Someone gave him bad cheese and moldy bread, so in return he set fire to the house.

c. In the early 1800s beggars would send their children door-to-door in order to invoke sympathy and thus, get more money from donors. Because of the religious affiliation with the upcoming Day of the Dead, people tended to be more generous on Halloween.

7. Why do people dress up in costume on Halloween?

a. Long ago people would dress like the rich people they were approaching so that they were more likely to give to them.

b. To blend in with the dark night after pulling pranks.

c. To blend in with the spirits believed to be wandering the streets.

d. To disguise their identities and scare the victims of their pranks.

8. What was the original date of “All Hallows’ Eve?”

a. October 31^st

b. November 1^st

c. December 21^st

d. May 13^th

9. If it changed, who changed it?

a. A Druid Sorcerer