A man in Austin, Texas, has made it his personal mission that every child can have a Halloween costume. In 2016, Christopher Waggoner moved into a house rather than an apartment and so trick or treaters came to his door on Halloween. He saw some kids watching the elaborate costumes other kids had ruefully. Now … Continue reading “Halloween for All”
Tradition says that ghosts have fun at Halloween. But in San Jose, California, they have fun all year in a 160-room eccentric house built for them. The house’s creator was Sarah Winchester, who inherited the vast fortune of the Winchester rifle company. The rifles were very popular in the Wild West. When Sarah’s baby and … Continue reading “Mystery House”
It’s one of the best known charity fundraisers in the U.S.A. Since 1948, kids have been adding a civic element to their Halloween trick or treating by collecting donations for UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s fund. Trick-or-treaters used to carry a little cardboard collecting box. The iconic box disappeared during COVID in favour of online … Continue reading “Put Some Meaning in Your Halloweening”
Ireland has a new bank holiday: St Brigid’s Day, the first to be in honour of a woman. From 2023, it is marked on the first Monday in February. St Brigid is one of Ireland’s three patron saints, alongside St Colmcille and St Patrick. Like so many Irish celebrations, the Catholic saint’s day on 1 … Continue reading “Ireland Has a New Holiday”
We are gradually publishing an 8-part analysis of the 1993 animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas so you can study the film with A2-level pupils in class. Here are are the three final parts, 6-8, in time for Christmas The film, directed by Henry Selick and written by Tim Burton, focuses on the King of … Continue reading “Analysing Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Parts 6-8”
We are gradually publishing an 8-part analysis of the 1993 animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Here are parts 4 and 5. We’ll be publishing further parts during the autumn so you can study the film with A2-level pupils in class. The film, directed by Henry Selick and written by Tim Burton, focuses on the … Continue reading “Analysing Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Parts 4 and 5”
Long before it made it to the U.S. and Canada, Hallowe’en was an ancient Celtic festival, Samhain*. One of the four major Celtic festivals, it celebrated the dead. One of the major traditions at Samhain was rituals that predicted the future. This is a tasty Scottish way to do that. * /ˈsɑːwɪn/ This Hallowe’en cake … Continue reading “Halloween Cake to Tell the Future”
We published the first part of an analysis of the 1993 animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas in July. Here are parts 2 and 3 out of 8. We’ll be publishing further parts during the autumn so you can study the film with A2-level pupils in class. The film, directed by Henry Selick and written … Continue reading “Analysing Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Parts 2 and 3”
This is the first part of an analysis of the 1993 animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas. We’ll be publishing further parts in the coming months so you can study the film with A2-level pupils in class. The film, directed by Henry Selick and written by Tim Burton, focuses on the King of Halloween Town, … Continue reading “Analysing Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”
The This is England short-film festival in Rouen has a specific programme of short films for collège classes covering topics from bullying to helping the community, living in a divorced family to trying to find a way to fit in. If you sign up for a collège showing, your students will see eight films ranging … Continue reading “This is England 2022 collège films”