Have you ever wondered why people around the world celebrate festivals with stories, costumes, and parades? Festivals are special times when communities share tales of heroes, legends, and traditions that have been passed down for generations.

• Learn about festivals from Ireland, Europe, and other parts of the world like Japan, India, Mexico, and Brazil.
• Discover how stories are told through music, dance, and costumes during these celebrations.
• Try activities to guess where festivals come from and match them to their countries.
• Find out about Samhain, the ancient Irish festival that became Halloween.

Stories are not only told in books. They are often shared during festivals and celebrations around the world.

Festivals help people remember heroes, legends, and important traditions from long ago. During these special times:

• Stories are retold to keep them alive.
• Music and dance bring the tales to life.
• People wear costumes to act out the characters.

In Ireland, many old stories were shared during Samhain (pronounced 'Sow-in'), an ancient Celtic festival. This marked the end of summer and the start of the darker, winter months. Samhain is where modern Halloween comes from.

People believed the veil between the world of the living and the world of spirits was thin at this time. Families gathered around big fires to tell stories about spirits, fairies called Aos Sí (pronounced 'ees shee'), and brave heroes.

Here are some famous Irish stories told at Samhain:

• Origins of Halloween: How the festival began with bonfires and disguises.
• Legends of the Banshee: A ghostly woman whose cry warns of death.
• Stories of Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool): A giant warrior and leader of the Fianna.

🎃 Halloween happens every year on 31st October. It started in Ireland more than 2,000 years ago. It was an old Celtic festival called Samhain.

Here is what people did:

• Bonfires helped guide lost souls and kept evil away.
• Disguises tricked wandering spirits.
• Turnip lanterns scared off bad fairies.

Irish people took Halloween to other countries, like America. There, pumpkins replaced turnips. Pumpkins were bigger and easier to find.

Now, Halloween has trick-or-treating, spooky decorations, and ghost stories.

Imagine uncovering the fascinating places where special celebrations begin. In this interactive activity, you'll listen to French words and guess their origins related to different festivals.

With ten intriguing items to explore, test your knowledge and learn something new along the way. Ready to dive in and make your best guesses?