News
Halloween is celebrated all over the world at this time of year, but with parents complaining that some costumes are too scary, is the festival still just harmless fun? Sam and Neil discuss the topic and teach you related vocabulary along the way.
Why did people traditionally dress up in costumes on Halloween?a) to scare their neighbours as a jokeb) to use up their old clothesc) to hide from ghostsListen to the programme to find out the answer.
trick-or-treatingHalloween tradition where children dress up in scary costumes and go knocking on neighbours' doors shouting 'trick or treat'. If the person who answers the door does not give the children a treat, such a sweets or candy, they play a trick on themover the top (OTT)too extreme, unsuitable and therefore unacceptablethe Grim Reaperimaginary character who represents Death and looks like a skeleton, wearing a long black cloak and carrying a curved cutting tool called a scythe.race to the bottomsituation in which companies compete with each other to sell products as cheaply as possible; situation in which the standard of something gets worse and worsehalfway housearrangement which includes features of two contrasting idea; compromisesnowflake generationway of describing the generation of young people who become adults in or after the 2010s, and who are considered by some to be easily upset and offended
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.
SamHello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.
NeilAnd I’m Neil. Whoo-oo-oo! Trick or treat!
SamFor listeners at home, Neil is dressed up as a ghost. He’s wearing a white bedsheet over his head with two holes cut out for his eyes, which must mean…
NeilIt’s Halloween! The start of autumn, when the days get shorter and leaves fall from the trees, marks Halloween, a festival which is celebrated all over the world at this time of year. In Britain, people carve scary faces into pumpkins and children go trick-or-treating, dres in fancy dress costumes and visiting people’s homes shouting, ‘trick or treat!’ for sweets and candy.
SamHalloween comes from an ancient festival called Samhain which celebrated the changing of the seasons, a time when it was believed the dead could make with the living, which is why children dress up as ghosts, witches and other scary monsters.
NeilBut recently, online shops have removed several Halloween costumes including creepy clown masks and real-life serial killer costumes after parents complained they were too frightening. In this programme, we’ll be discussing whether Halloween is no longer harmless fun, and as usual, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary as well.
SamBut before that, and since you’re all dressed up as a ghost, Neil, my question is this – why did people traditionally dress up in costumes on Halloween? Was it:
a) to scare their neighbours as a jokeb) to use up their old clothesc) to hide from ghosts
NeilI think it was to hide from ghosts.
SamOK, Neil. We’ll find out the answer later in the programme. In recent years, Halloween has become more influenced by American horror movies like ‘Friday the Thirteenth’ or ‘Scream’. Some parents now think Halloween costumes are too scary and over the top – a phrase meaning too extreme and unsuitable. Mother of two, Joanne O’Connell, was shocked when she took her 10- year-old daughters shopping for Halloween costumes. Here she explains what she saw to BBC Radio 4 programme, You and Yours
Joanne O’ConnellThey've seen decorations of small children holding a teddy bear covered in blood. They've seen what's described as a standing animated decoration which looks like a dead girl carrying a knife and various Grim Reapers, creepy clowns, and stuff that kids are now finding frightening, and even to an adult, they look pretty vile, actually. And I think it feels like retailers are in some kind of race to the bottom for the grimmest, most vile, sickening outfit so that they can just make money out of.
NeilJoanne was horrified by Halloween costumes of the Grim Reaper – an imaginary skeleton who wears a long black cloak, carries a sharp cutting tool and represents Death. She’s worried that costumes like this are too frightening for little children.
SamNowadays, Halloween is big business and Joanne thinks that the focus on money encourages shops in a race to the bottom, a phrase which describes a situation where companies compete with each other to sell as many products as cheaply as possible. The phrase is connected to the idea of standards getting worse and worse.
NeilBut come on, Sam! Isn’t this going too far? I mean, Halloween is supposed to be scary!
SamParents don’t want to stop people having fun, but over the top costumes are too scary for younger children, and some mums say they will no longer open the door to trick-or-treaters because the costumes are giving children nightmares. Siobhan Freegard, founder of the parenting website, Channel Mum, thinks a compromise is needed. Here she is talking to BBC Radio 4’s, You and Yours:
Siobhan FreegardThere's a sort of a halfway house, isn't there? I mean, I know everyone refers to the new generation as the snowflake generation, and we shouldn't be so worried about our little darlings, but there’s a point beyond which it becomes tasteful or appropriate.
NeilSiobhan thinks that scary costumes are okay for teenagers but she also wants to protect younger children. She thinks we need to find a halfway house - a compromise, or arrangement which includes features of two opposing ideas.
SamShe also uses the expression the snowflake generation, a phrase which is sometimes used to describe the generation of young people who became adults in or after the 2010s, and who are considered by some to be easily upset and offended.
NeilNow I can see how some costumes are over the top and I don’t want to spoil Halloween for anyone, so I’ll stick with my bedsheet ghost. Anyway, isn’t it time for you to reveal the answer to your question, Sam?
SamYes, I asked why people started dres at Halloween in the first place, and you said it was to hide from ghosts, which was… the correct answer! Hundreds of years ago, people thought that ghosts would try to return to their old homes at Halloween. People wore masks so that the ghosts would mistake them for other spirits!
NeilOK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned starting with trick-or-treating, the Halloween tradition of dres in creepy costumes and knocking on neighbours’ doors shouting ‘trick or treat’ for sweets and candy.
SamOver the top describes something which is too extreme, unsuitable or unacceptable.
NeilThe Grim Reaper is an imagined representation of Death and looks like a skeleton in a long, black cloak.
SamA race to the bottom happens when companies compete with each other in order to sell as many products as cheaply as possible.
NeilA halfway house is a compromise which includes features of two contrasting ideas.
SamAnd finally, the snowflake generation is used by some people to refer to the present generation of young people who they think lack resilience and are easily upset. Enjoy Halloween and don’t get too scared! Bye for now.
NeilBye!
According to the UN, one third of the food we grow ends up in the rubbish bin - how can we stop this?
How are 3D printers providing solutions to some of our medical problems?
What can opinion polls really tell us?
Learn about an idea to deal with climate change that could affect marine ecosystems.
Is music really a cure for a broken heart?
We discuss whether the art of conversation is being lost in the era of social media
Hear about the workers who built the World Cup stadiums
How people are trying to manipulate the weather
We talk about the people who make flavours
We discuss whether Halloween costumes are now too scary to be fun.
We discuss how extreme weather events are affecting our mental health.
How to adapt dishes from other countries
We talk about Mozart, Jimi Hendrix and teach you vocabulary.
Learn vocabulary to talk about inflation
We discuss the language used for online dating
We discuss the advantages of the design of the human body
Hear the inspiring story of people who are doing it
Are emojis turning us into lazy writers?
Hear about women who are using social media to change attitudes to beauty
Hear about the career-killing tasks that are holding women back in the workplace
How can you connect the unconnected?
We talk about previous periods in which deadly diseases went global
Having a Groundhog Day? Keen to break the internet? Learn some modern idioms.
How sharks have become an endangered species.
Can today's animals evolve quickly enough to survive a changing climate?
Missing your mother's cooking? We talk about traditional dishes.
Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson's quest to highlight the difference between opinion and fact
In this episode, we discuss the events leading to the creation of the first atomic bomb.
What is life really like in the Pacific islands?
What is the relationship between translation, technology and the human brain?
We talk about a very British tradition
Living with synaesthesia
Is there north and south in space?
Hear how tech is helping people change their behaviour for the better
How do you mark your personal territory?
Deep convictions and a sense of humour - we talk about a man who helped end apartheid in South Africa.
We talk about an extreme environment which is stranger than fiction
We talk about an art that started with ancient Greek philosophers
It's not all about tea. Britons love coffee too!
Listen to a conversation about optimists and pessimists
Hear a chat about the queen of murder mystery, who had her books translated into over 100 languages
Is there life on Mars?
Shouldn't we take laughter more seriously?
Listen to what scientists are saying about the benefits of giving others a helping hand
Would you eat a cricket? How about a portion of nice crunchy ants?
Why not put your idle brain to good use?
We wonder what all that licking is really all about
Life in a place where people work, study longer hours and get less sleep than anywhere else
Artificial snow, coronavirus and controversy surround the Beijing Games starting soon.
Learn how microbes help digest food and have an impact in our bodies.
How do languages get invented?
What will future technology be like?
For a better experience please enable Javascript in your browser
