Italian Halloween in N.Y.C.

Halloween might not be a typically Italian occasion to party, but sure enough it is in New York for kids that are Italian, or partly Italian, or wish to learn Italian.


In October, Halloween time, the whole City dresses up in orange and black colours, pumpkins are everywhere, in all sizes and colours. So, why not learn the Halloween vocabulary in Italian!!

And that's precisely what the children are doing in several schools in New York.


At the 'Centro Raccontami', Italian cultural centre in Manhattan, the method is simple and it is actually a lot of fun: it consists in engaging the children in craft activities like the construction of Halloween masks and the dramatization of theme stories… some are even invented on the spot in Italian by the students and teacher together.


Last but not least, an Halloween 'Puppet Show' was staged on Sunday, October 28th. Colorful costumes and masks will be welcome, and the puppets will tell a Halloween story in a …’not so spooky’ atmosphere…



But before that, children are prepared not only in their vocabulary, but through the activities in class they are trained to ‘feel’ the words and their meaning…

... And almost magically, the pumpkins become 'alive', the students themselves literally become little ‘ZUCCHE’, by dressing up as such!


Look how scary!


And look how lovely this 'Halloween Princess' is!

Happy Halloween to everyone! And if you want a taste of Italian Halloween atmosphere, watch the "related video" above! It is the theme song of an Italian cartoon called 'Il Conte Dacula', not Dracula, but Dacula (pronounced as 'duck-ula')..he is actually a duck, and a ... vegetarian vampire! Enjoy!