The Origin of Halloween
萬聖節的起源
While there are many versions of the origins and old customs of Halloween, some remain consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view Halloween somewhat differently but traditional Halloween practices remain the same。
儘管關於萬聖節的起源和舊俗有很多不同的看法，但有一些是被所有人接受的。不同文化看待萬聖節總是有點不同，但是傳統的萬聖節做的事情都是一樣的。
Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually on October 31st to honor the dead。
萬聖節文化可以追溯到德魯伊教，這是一種愛爾蘭、北歐和英國的凱爾特文化，根植於Samhain節的慶祝活動，Samhain節於每年的10月31日紀念逝者。
Samhain signifies "summers end" or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition。
Samhain節說明夏天結束或者十一月，是一個豐收的節日。在Samhain節會燃起神聖巨大的篝火，標誌着凱爾特一年的結束和新一年的開始。一些做法因爲迷信被加入慶祝活動中。
The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating。
凱爾特人相信死者的靈魂會在夜裏出沒在街道和村莊 。因爲他們認爲不是所有的靈魂都是友善的，所以就把禮物和好吃的留在外面安慰惡靈來確保來年的莊稼可以豐收。這種習俗演變成了trick-or-treating。
Halloween
Halloween is an autumn holiday that Americans celebrate every year. It means "holy evening," and it comes every October 31, the evening before All Saints' Day. However, it is not really a church holiday, it is a holiday for children mainly.
Every autumn, when the vegetables are ready to eat, children pick large orange pumpkins. Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put a burning candle inside. It looks as if there were a person looking out of the pumpkin! These lights are called jack-o'-lanterns, which means "Jack of the lantern".
The children also put on strange masks and frightening costumes every Halloween. Some children paint their faces to look like monsters. Then they carry boxes or bags from house to house. Every time they come to a new house, they say,"Trick or treat! Money or eat!" The grown-ups put treat-money or candy in their bags.
Not only children, but most grown-ups also love Halloween and Halloween parties because on this day,they can disguise themselves as personages or ghost as their imaginations will lead them. This bring them the satisfaction of being young.
萬聖節前夕
萬聖節前夕是美國人年年都會慶祝的秋季節日。它的意思是“神聖的夜晚”，在每年的10月31日，也就是萬聖節前夜。但實際上這不是一個真正的宗教節日，而主要是孩子們的節日。
每年秋天蔬菜成熟可以食用的時候，孩子們就會挑出大個兒的橙色南瓜。然後在南瓜上刻上一張臉，把一根點燃的'蠟燭放在裏面。看起來就好像有人在向南瓜外面張望。這些燈就叫做“iack-o'-lantems”，意思也就是“傑克的燈”。
每年萬聖節前夕孩子們還戴上奇怪的面具，穿上嚇人的服裝。有些孩子把臉刷成怪物。然後他們拿着盒子或袋子挨家挨戶串門。每來到一個新房子他們就說：“不款待就搗亂!給錢還是吃的!”大人們就會把用來招待的錢或糖放在他們的袋子裏了。
不僅孩子，許多成年人也喜歡萬聖節前夕和萬聖節前夕晚會。因爲這一天他們可以根據自己的想象把自己裝扮成名流或幽靈。這會帶給他們年輕的快感。