Traditions and customs. halloween halloween is a festival celebrated on october 31st. the name of the holiday means "hallowed" or "holy evening" because it happens the day before all saints day. it is said that halloween is the children's new year's eve. they dress up with special costumes, they eat too much, and stay up too late celebrating. children go around the neighborhood wearing make-up, and dressed in masks and colorful costumes. the most common costumes are witches, ghosts, skeletons, and popular tv, movie, and storybook characters. some costumes are homema¬de; others are bought in stores. the children go door to door saying "trick or treat." people give them candy, cookies, fruit, or money. sometimes money is collected to help unicef (united nations international children's emergency fund). homes, stores, and classrooms are decorated in the traditi¬onal halloween colors, orange and black. usual decorations are witches, black cats, ghosts, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns. jack-o-lanterns are pumpkins that are carved to look like faces. they are placed on doorway entrances and in windows horror movies and ghost stories are shown on tv on this day adults and older children also celebrate halloween with parades, festivals, and costume parties. some people create their costumes; other people rent them. contests are held where the best costume receives a prize. one of the party events popular with children is dunking for apples. apples are put in tubs filled with water. people try to get the apples using only their mouths; hands cannot be used - перевод
