Witches
During the Middle Ages and through the 1700s, most Europeans believed in witches. Supposedly witches sold their souls to the devil. In return, the devil gave them wealth and magic powers. Most witches were thought to be cruel. They were believed to make their enemies sick and ruined their crops. Most of the accused witches were women, but some were men.
People thought there were ways “to prove” that someone was a witch. Witches supposedly appeared in people’s dreams. Someone would say: “I dreamed that so-and-so is a witch.” Soon half the town might be calling the person a witch.
It was also thought that witches had odd moles and birthmarks. Accused witches were tied up. They were examined to see if they had strange mark on their bodies.
From the late 1500s to the late 1700s over a quarter of a million so-called witches were killed in Europe. Many were tortured before being put to death.
Black cats
Black cats also suffered from the witch scare. It was widely thought that black cats were witches’ special pets. Some people even thought that witches could turn into black cats. Many thousands black cats were killed as a result.
Halloween was considered to be a special night for witches. It was thought that they flew through the air to a meeting with the devil on Halloween. And witches were supposedly extra dangerous on that night. To this day witches and black cats are a big part of Halloween. They appear in Halloween stories and artworks.
How to spot a werewolf
Do you believe in werewolves? Some people do. They even know how to spot a werewolf in the crowd. Here are some of warning signs:
- Werewolves usually have red hair.
- Their eyebrows join in the middle.
- Their index and middle fingers are of the same length.
- They love rare or raw meat.
- They have hairs on the palms of their hands.
If you meet a werewolf, throw a piece of iron or steel over its head. It will change back to human!
Mind the Ghost!
Britain is blessed with haunted castles. In fact, most castles claim that they have a ghost or two. For example, one of the many homes of the Queen of England, Windsor Castle, is said to have several ghosts. Some people say that they have seen the ghost of Henry VIII or heard his footsteps on the stairs. Others have seen the ghost of Elizabeth I in the library. She always wears a black dress and a black shawl over her shoulders.
Glamis Castle has a deserved reputation of the most haunted castle in Scotland. It was used by William Shakespeare as a setting for the play Macbeth, the spookiest play in history. The play tells the story of Macbeth who became king by murdering the lawful king and his family.
It is in Glamis Castle that Macbeth killed Duncan, the king. It is believed that the ghost of Macbeth started haunting the castle soon after the play was first performed. The story portrayed in the play was so terrifying that many actors believed that taking part in a Macbeth production would bring back luck or even death.
Even beneath the streets of London you can find ghosts. There are rumours that a number of London underground stations are haunted.
Take Bank Station, for instance. The story goes that workmen who were building the station disturbed the spirit of the “Black Nun”. The Nun’s brother, Philip Whitehead was a bank worker who was executed for forgery in 1811. The Nun waited for him outside the bank every evening for 40 years, until her death. They say she is still looking for him along the platforms.
Of course, not everybody believes in ghosts. True or not, the fascinating stories live on and continue to excite people from all over the world.
And now let’s take a deep breath and have some fun!
Sing together! Dance together! Be creative!
Fact Files about Hokey Cokey song
It originates in a British folk dance, with variants attested as early as 1826. The song and accompanying dance peaked in popularity as a music hall song and novelty dance in the mid-1940s in the UK. The song became a chart hit twice in the 1980s.
The Hokey Pokey Dance was copyrighted in the US in the 1940s, and recorded in the 1950s as the Hokey Pokey. Sometimes it’s also known as The Hokey-Tokey.
The Hokey Cokey
(This is a very popular song for Halloween.)
You put your left arm in, your left arm out
In out, in out, you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That’s what it’s all about
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Knees bent, arms stretched
Raa raa raa
You put your right arm in, your right arm out
In out, in out, you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That’s what it’s all about
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Knees bent, arms stretched
Raa raa raa
You put your left leg in, your left leg out
In out, in out, you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That’s what it’s all about
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Knees bent, arms stretched
Raa raa raa
You put your right leg in, your right leg out
In out, in out, you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That’s what it’s all about
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Knees bent, arms stretched
Raa raa raa
You put your whole self in, your whole self out
In out, in out, you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around
That’s what it’s all about
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Knees bent, arms stretched
Raa raa raa
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Whoa-o the Hokey Cokey
Knees bent, arms stretched
Raa raa raa