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.
后来All Saint’s Day 变成All Hallows Day, 而hallows是“神圣”的意思,十月卅一日便是万圣夜(All Hallows Evening)。Evening后来缩减为eve和een,前者是“前夕”的意思,后者是evening的 缩写,意即“夜晚”,便成为今天的Halloween,代表死节是万圣日的前夕。华人索性把十月三一日称为万圣节,其实该译作“万灵节”。
万圣节英文简介
Halloween, or Hallowe'en, a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today.
Shades: Throughout ancient history, Shades meant the spirit of a dead person, residing in the underworld.
幽灵:远古时期,人们认为幽灵是生活在地下世界的死者的灵魂。
Carving gourds into elaborately decorated lanterns dates back thousands of years to Africa.
将葫芦精雕细刻、做成灯笼的习俗可追溯到几千年前的非洲。
800-450 B.C.
公元前800-450年
The ancient Celts believed that wearing masks would ward off evil spirits.
古凯尔特人相信戴上面具可以避开邪灵。
Pre-1st Century
1世纪前
Samhain: The Festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the Gaelic harvest season.
死神节:盖尔人(苏格兰和爱尔兰的凯尔特人)庆祝丰收季节结束的节日。
1st Century
1世纪
Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Sambain; because animals and plants were dying, it allowed the dead to reach back through the veil that separated them from the living.
Bonfires played a major role in the Festival of Samhain. Celebrants wore costumes, mostly skins and animal heads, and danced around bonfires.
篝火对于死神节来说是必不可少的。参加庆典的人们穿上动物的皮毛和头颅做成的服装,围着篝火舞蹈。
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered much of Celtic territory. Two Roman festivals were combined with the Celtic celebration of Samhain: Feralia, a day in late October when Romans commemorated the passing of the dead, and a day to honor Pomona, Roman goddess of fruit and trees.
Werewolf: The original werewolf of classical mythology, Lycaon, a king of Arcadia who, according to Ovid's Metamorphoses, was turned into a ravenous wolf by Zeus. Possibly the source of the term lycanthropy.
Carved turnips in Ireland and Scotland are used as candle lanterns in windows to ward off harmful spirits.
在爱尔兰和苏格兰,人们将芜菁(形似萝卜)雕刻成灯笼放在窗台上,以此抵挡邪灵。
Soul cakes, often simply referred to as souls, were given out to soulers (mainly consisting of children and the poor) who would go from door to door on Hallowmas singing and saying prayers for the dead. Each cake eaten would represent a soul being freed from Purgatory.
October 31 is Halloween, one of the most popular festivals in the US, Canada and Britain. The festival began as a day to remember the dead. But nowadays it's all about the carnival atmosphere when people can enjoy dressing up and scaring each other.Halloween is also a time for masquerade parties. Witches fly in on broomsticks, while ghosts and skeletons chat on the dance floor.A well-known Halloween tradition is to make lanterns from pumpkins, called "Jack-o-lanterns". First, the inside of the pumpkin is removed. Then, a face is cut into the pumpkin, traditionally a smiling, devil face. Finally a candle is placed inside, and the lantern is put at the front of the house to keep evil spirits away.
The Celtic people, who lived more than 2000 years ago feared the evening of Oct. 31 more than any other day of the year. It was the eve of their festival of Samhain. Samhain was a joyful harvest festival that marked the death of the old year and the beginning of a new one. The day itself was a time for paying homage to the sun god Baal who had provided the people with the ripened grain for use in the upcoming winter. Come evening evil spirits were everywhere. Charms and spells were said to have more power on the eve of Samhain. Several rituals were performed by the Celtic priests, Druids, to appease the Lord of the Dead.
The colors black and orange are also a part of Halloween. Black is a symbol for night and orange is the color of pumpkins. A jack-o’-lantern is a hollowed-out pumpkin with a face carved on one side. Candles are usually placed inside, giving the face a spooky glow.
Dressing up in costumes is one of the most popular Halloween customs, especially among children. According to tradition, people would dress up in costumes (wear special clothing, masks or disguises) to frighten the spirits away.