Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31. By tradition, Halloween begins after sunset. Long ago, people believed that witches gathered together and ghosts roamed the world on Halloween. Today, most people no longer believe in ghosts and witches. But these supernatural beings are still a part of Halloween.
万圣节前夜是在10月31日庆祝的一个节日,根据传统,万圣节前夜的庆祝活动从太阳落山开始。在很久以前,人们相信在万圣节前夜女巫会聚集在一起,鬼魂在四处游荡。现在,大多数人们不再相信有鬼魂和女巫的存在了,但是他们仍然把这些作为万圣节前夜的一部分。
Popular Halloween costumes include vampires (creatures that drink blood), ghosts (spirits of the dead) and werewolves (people that turn into wolves when the moon is full).
流行的万圣节服装包括vampires(吸血鬼),ghosts(死者的灵魂)和werewolves(每当月圆时就变成狼形的人)。
Trick or Treating is a modern Halloween custom where children go from house to house dressed in costume, asking for treats like candy or toys. If they don't get any treats, they might play a trick (mischief or prank) on the owners of the house.
欺骗或攻击是现代万圣节的风俗。孩子们穿着特殊的衣服走街串巷,讨取糖果和玩具之类的赏赐。如果他们得不到任何的赏赐,就可能会对屋主大搞恶作剧或者胡闹了。
The tradition of the Jack o' Lantern comes from a folktale about a man named Jack who tricked the devil and had to wander the Earth with a lantern. The Jack o' Lantern is made by placing a candle inside a hollowed-out pumpkin, which is carved to look like a face.
南瓜灯的传统来自于一个民间传说。一个名叫Jack的人戏弄了恶魔,之后就不得不提着一盏灯在地球上流浪。南瓜灯是用雕刻成脸型,中间挖空,再插上蜡烛的南瓜做成的。
One of the oldest Halloween traditions comes from the ancient Celts, who lived in western and central Europe long ago. The Celts celebrated a holiday called Samhain on October 31. After sunset that day, people believed that spirits of the dead would rise and walk the earth. The Celts made offerings of food and drink to keep the spirits away.
Beginning about 2,000 years ago, the Roman Empire conquered many Celtic peoples. But Celtic traditions, including Samhain, remained strong in areas such as Ireland and Scotland, even after the Roman conquest.
The Roman Catholic Church tried to replace Samhain in 835 with All Saints' Day, a day to honor saints of the Church. The eve of All Saints' Day is October 31. It is called Allhallows or Hallowmas by the Church.