What is Halloween?
Vocabulary
Reach each word out loud.
pumpkin
/ËpÊmp kÉȘn/
noun
a large, rounded fruit that is a orange-yellow and has lots of seeds
Example:
My family eats pumpkin pie after dinner on Thanksgiving.
haunted house
/ËhÉntÉȘd ËhaÊs/
noun phrase
a Halloween attraction where people dress up as monsters to scare visitors; a building where ghosts are believed to live
Example:
My friends screamed the whole time we walked through the haunted house.
carve
/kÉÉčv/
verb
to cut a shape or design into a hard material, such as wood, stone, or a pumpkin
Example:
My sister carved a smiling face into the pumpkin.
decorate
/ËdÉkÉËÉčeÉȘt/
verb
to make a place or thing look nicer by adding things to it
Example:
We decorated the living room with balloons before the party began.
neighborhood
/ËneÉȘbÉËhÊd/
noun
area of a town or city that people live in
Example:
The neighborhood is filled with friendly families and beautiful parks to enjoy.
celebrate
/ËsÉlÉËbÉčeÉȘt/
verb
to observe an event or occasion (e.g., a birthday)
Example:
We will celebrate my sister's birthday with a big party this weekend.
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Story
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Audio generated by AI
What is Halloween?
Halloween is a holiday celebrated in The United States. Halloween is on October 31st, but we celebrate all month long.
During the month of October, people decorate their houses with scary things like spiders, ghosts, and snakes.
Some businesses open haunted houses as early as September. A haunted house is a place you pay to go inside of. When youâre inside, people wearing scary costumes will try to scare you.
Not everything is scary during Halloween. Some people stay at home and carve pumpkins. Pumpkin carving is when we cut faces into the pumpkins and put a candle inside. This is a fun activity that families often do together, and the pumpkins are used to decorate the outside of the house.
During the weekends in October, itâs normal for people to have parties at their homes. We play music, eat candy, drink alcohol, and wear costumes. Some costumes can be scary, but some can also be funny or cute.
At the end of the month, on October 31st, we celebrate the day of Halloween. On the day of Halloween, people wear costumes and walk around their neighborhood. While walking, they knock on their neighborsâ doors and say âtrick or treatâ as a fun way to ask for candy.
At the end of the night, a lot of people go home and stay up late eating candy and watching movies. Some people watch scary movies, but others watch cartoons.
Halloween is a holiday that is usually scary, but not always! You can celebrate Halloween with scary movies, scary costumes, and haunted houses. You can also celebrate Halloween with cartoons, cute costumes, and a lot of candy. However you choose to celebrate, just make sure you have fun!
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Written by:
Thomas
Lesson updated:
October 3, 2026