来投吧 -
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.
拓展资料：万圣节简介中文版
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。
黑色和橙色仍然是万圣节前夜的一部分，黑色是夜晚的象征，而橙色代表着南瓜。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，带来一个毛骨悚然的灼热面孔。
盛装是最受欢迎的万圣节风俗之一，尤其是受孩子们的欢迎。按照传统习俗，人们会盛装（穿戴一些特殊的服饰，面具或者装饰）来吓跑鬼魂。
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）。
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。
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。
和万圣节有关的迷信还有很多。迷信是一种不合常理的想法，比如认为13是不吉利的数字！
万圣节还和一些诸如鬼魂和吸血鬼之类的超自然的生物有关。这些生物不是自然界的一部分。他们实际上是不存在的......或许他们其实真的存在？
女巫是万圣节很受欢迎的人物，人们认为她们具有强大的魔力。他们通常戴着尖顶的帽子，骑在扫把上飞来飞去。
恶兆也是万圣节庆祝活动的一部分。人们相信恶兆会带给坏运气，黑猫、蜘蛛或者蝙蝠都算是恶兆。
wpBeta -
万圣节简介英文版如下：
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.
翻译：万圣节前夜由黑色和橙色仍然是万圣节前夜的一部分，黑色是夜晚的象征，而橙色代表着南瓜。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，带来一个毛骨悚然的灼热面孔。
盛装是最受欢迎的万圣节风俗之一，尤其是受孩子们的欢迎。按照传统习俗，人们会盛装（穿戴一些特殊的服饰，面具或者装饰）来吓跑鬼魂。
西柚不是西游 -
Halloween万圣节
Halloween is the night of the 31st of October and is traditionally said to be the time when ghosts and witches can be seen. On Halloween, children often dress up as ghosts and witches.
万圣节是每年的10月31日晚，传说此时可见鬼巫，当晚儿童常化装成鬼巫尽情玩闹。
拓展资料：
万圣节又叫诸圣节，在每年的11月1日，是西方的传统节日；而万圣节前夜的10月31日是这个节日最热闹的时刻。为庆祝万圣节的来临，小孩会装扮成各种可爱的鬼怪向逐家逐户地敲门，要求获得糖果，否则就会捣蛋。而同时传说这一晚，各种鬼怪也会装扮成小孩混入群众之中一起庆祝万圣节的来临，而人类为了让鬼怪更融洽才装扮成各种鬼怪。
例如：
1、I invited him to the halloween ball tonight.
我邀请他今晚来万圣节的舞会了。
2、We had to start classes on Christmas and Halloween activities.
我们班中展开过关于圣诞节和万圣节的活动。
3、We need some chocolate and some pumpkins for Halloween.
在万圣节前夕我们需要一些巧克力和南瓜。
4、Both children and adults dress up on Halloween.
小孩和大人在万圣节时都乔装打扮。
5、We eat a lot of special Halloween chocolates and candies.
我们吃很多特制的万圣节巧克力和糖果。
6、Today is Halloween, Mom bought me this dress with that funny little hat.
今天是万圣节，妈妈给我买了这件小裙子，还有个滑稽的帽子。
百度百科万圣节
肖振 -
万圣节的英文介绍：
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.
翻译：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。
拓展资料：
万圣节的由来：
万圣节是西洋鬼节，对国外来说万圣节就像我们的中元节，这一天他们会把自己打扮的鬼模鬼样，到处举办狂欢派对。
“万圣节”这个字，起源自天主教教会。每年的 11 月 1 日，是天主教庆祝诸圣的节日 All Hallows Day 或 All Saint"s Day。
而在万圣节前夕，每年十月三十一日的前夕是塞尔特族人的年度丰收祭典，象征着一年的结束，以及新一年的开始。
当时二千多年前的塞尔特族人(即目前的苏格兰人、爱尔兰人等)一年之中最害怕的日子莫过于十月三十一日的晚上，他们相信世人的生活是由神明所主宰的，而死亡之神 Samhain 在会在每年 10 月 31 日的夜晚会和逝者一起重返人间。
所以每年的这一天是塞尔特族人表达他们对太阳神的敬意，因为太阳神让他们的谷物丰收，以应付即将到来的冬天!可是在这一个夜晚也是恶灵力量最强大的一天，传说中，每年到了这一天，所有时空的法则都会失效，使得阴阳两界合而为一。因此，这是游魂出没找替死鬼的唯一机会。
在 10 月 31 日晚上惊骇的时刻，活着的塞尔特人会为了躲避灵魂的搜索，在这天晚会上把家里的炉火灭了，营造出一个寒冷阴森的环境，并刻意用动物的头或皮毛做成的服饰打扮自己成鬼怪的模样，口中发出可怕的声音，企图吓走灵魂也让灵魂分不清谁是活的人，而不能够找到替身;过了这个晚上，第二天就是万圣节，一切也就回复平静了。
大鱼炖火锅 -
万圣节简介（英文版）：
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.
中文翻译：
10月31日万圣节前夜是美国、加拿大和英国最受欢迎的节日。节日源起于对死者的纪念日。但现在它完全一场大狂欢，人们尽情享受着改装易容互相恐吓的乐趣。万圣节前夜举办化妆舞会的好时机。你会看到女巫坐着扫帚柄飞进来，鬼怪和骷髅则在舞池中窃窃私语。万圣节前夜的众所周知的传统用南瓜做成灯，叫“杰克灯”。把南瓜里面掏空。然后在南瓜上切出一张脸孔，通常是一张笑眯眯的魔鬼面孔。最后，在里面放上一只蜡烛，然后把南瓜灯房子前面用来吓跑那些邪恶的幽灵。
拓展资料：
万圣节的习俗：
面具化装：在古时候，如果有旱灾或是其它重大的灾难，人们便会带上丑陋的面具，因为他们害怕深夜还在外面游走的恶灵，如果晚上必须出门，便会戴上面具或用动物的皮毛装饰自己，希望恶灵认不出他们来，或被丑陋的面具吓走。后来敬畏鬼神的宗教意味逐渐转薄，慢慢开始有小孩穿上鬼和精灵的衣服，出去吓邻居trickortreat（不给糖，就捣蛋），要大人请吃糖果的趣味习俗。
南瓜灯：在万圣节还有雕刻南瓜灯的习俗，这是一则趣味的爱尔兰的民间传说。据说有一个名叫杰克的酒鬼，他有一天邀请恶灵来一起喝酒，但喝完后却没钱付账，他就设计要恶灵变成六便士(sixpennies)来付酒钱，可是杰克又没拿它来付钱，反而用一条银纸镇住恶灵让它出不来。
恶灵苦苦哀求杰克放他出来并答应不来吓他、骚扰他，于是杰克就它出来，到了第二年万圣节，恶灵又与杰克达成协议，答应这一年不会来骚扰杰克，但没过多久杰克就过世了，这时天堂拒绝收容他，杰克只好到地狱报到，可是因为恶灵已经答应他这一年不骚扰他，所以也无法收容杰克。
天堂地狱都去不得，杰克怎么办呢？而且路实在是太黑了，杰克也找不出路离开，这时恶灵就丢给他一块已经烧得通红的煤炭让他在黑暗的地狱中比较能看清楚路，杰克将这小块媒炭灰烬放在一个打了许多洞的菜头当中，好让它烧久一点。
根据这个传说，后来爱尔兰人就用菜头来制作他们所谓的"杰克灯笼"。但是当移民们到了美国之后，发现新大陆的南瓜比菜头普遍，于是改为用南瓜雕刻成各种鬼脸，然后在里面摆蜡烛了，这就是“南瓜灯”的由来。
文章来源：中国教育在线
大牌网络 -
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.
翻译：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。
拓展资料：
万圣节的由来：
万圣节是西洋鬼节，对国外来说万圣节就像我们的中元节，这一天他们会把自己打扮的鬼模鬼样，到处举办狂欢派对。
“万圣节”这个字，起源自天主教教会。每年的 11 月 1 日，是天主教庆祝诸圣的节日 All Hallows Day 或 All Saint"s Day。
而在万圣节前夕，每年十月三十一日的前夕是塞尔特族人的年度丰收祭典，象征着一年的结束，以及新一年的开始。
当时二千多年前的塞尔特族人(即目前的苏格兰人、爱尔兰人等)一年之中最害怕的日子莫过于十月三十一日的晚上，他们相信世人的生活是由神明所主宰的，而死亡之神 Samhain 在会在每年 10 月 31 日的夜晚会和逝者一起重返人间。
所以每年的这一天是塞尔特族人表达他们对太阳神的敬意，因为太阳神让他们的谷物丰收，以应付即将到来的冬天!可是在这一个夜晚也是恶灵力量最强大的一天，传说中，每年到了这一天，所有时空的法则都会失效，使得阴阳两界合而为一。因此，这是游魂出没找替死鬼的唯一机会。
在 10 月 31 日晚上惊骇的时刻，活着的塞尔特人会为了躲避灵魂的搜索，在这天晚会上把家里的炉火灭了，营造出一个寒冷阴森的环境，并刻意用动物的头或皮毛做成的服饰打扮自己成鬼怪的模样，口中发出可怕的声音，企图吓走灵魂也让灵魂分不清谁是活的人，而不能够找到替身;过了这个晚上，第二天就是万圣节，一切也就回复平静了。
风头疯子 -
HALLOWEEN for every year on November 1, originated in ancient Celtic national (Celtic) New Year festival, this is also a sacrifice revenant moment, in avoiding the evil spirit interference at the same time, also with food worship of ancestors and good spirit to pray for peace through the cold winter, is the western traditional festivals.
That night, children wear makeup, masks and collect sweets from door to door. It is mainly popular in the english-speaking world, such as the British Isles and North America, followed by Australia and New Zealand.
Now, the younger generation, some Asian countries also began to tend to "western festival", to Halloween, some large foreign supermarket will put a shop selling Halloween toys, sellers will sell some to Halloween related dolls or model, attracted the eyes of young people.
陶小凡 -
Halloween
1.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.
万圣节前夕
万圣节前夕是美国人年年都会庆祝的秋季节日。它的意思是“神圣的夜晚”，在每年的10月31日，也就是万圣节前夜。但实际上这不是一个真正的宗教节日，而主要是孩子们的节日。
每年秋天蔬菜成熟可以食用的时候，孩子们就会挑出大个儿的橙色南瓜。然后在南瓜上刻上一张脸，把一根点燃的蜡烛放在里面。看起来就好像有人在向南瓜外面张望。这些灯就叫做“iack-o"-lantems”，意思也就是“杰克的灯”。
每年万圣节前夕孩子们还戴上奇怪的面具，穿上吓人的服装。有些孩子把脸刷成怪物。然后他们拿着盒子或袋子挨家挨户串门。每来到一个新房子他们就说：“不款待就捣乱!给钱还是吃的!”大人们就会把用来招待的钱或糖放在他们的袋子里了。
不仅孩子，许多成年人也喜欢万圣节前夕和万圣节前夕晚会。因为这一天他们可以根据自己的想象把自己装扮成名流或幽灵。这会带给他们年轻的快感。
2.HALLOWEEN One story about Jack, an Irishman, who was not allowed into Heaven because he was stingy with his money. So he was sent to hell. But down there he played tricks on the Devil (Satan), so he was kicked out of Hell and made to walk the earth forever carrying a lantern. Well, Irish children made Jack"s lanterns on October 31st from a large potato or turnip, hollowed out with the sides having holes and lit by little candles inside. And Irish children would carry them as they went from house to house begging for food for the village Halloween festival that honored the Druid god Muck Olla. The Irish name for these lanterns was "Jack with the lantern" or "Jack of the lantern," abbreviated as " Jack-o"-lantern" and now spelled "jack-o-lantern." The traditional Halloween you can read about in most books was just children"s fun night. Halloween celebrations would start in October in every elementary school. Children would make Halloween decorations, all kinds of orange-paper jack-o-lanterns. And from black paper you"d cut "scary" designs ---an evil witch with a pointed hat riding through the sky on a broomstick, maybe with black bats flying across the moon, and that meant bad luck. And of course black cats for more bad luck. Sometimes a black cat would ride away into the sky on the back of the witch"s broom. And on Halloween night we"d dress up in Mom or Dad"s old shoes and clothes, put on a mask, and be ready to go outside. The little kids (children younger than we were) had to go with their mothers, but we older ones went together to neighbors" houses, ringing their doorbell and yelling, "Trick or treat!" meaning, "Give us a treat (something to eat) or we"ll play a trick on you!" The people inside were supposed to come to the door and comment on our costumes. Oh! here"s a ghost. Oh, there"s a witch. Oh, here"s an old lady. Sometimes they would play along with us and pretend to be scared by some ghost or witch. But they would always have some candy and maybe an apple to put in our "trick or treat bags." But what if no one come to the door, or if someone chased us away? Then we"d play a trick on them, usually taking a piece of soap and make marks on their windows. .And afterwards we would go home and count who got the most candy. One popular teen-agers" Halloween trick was to unroll a roll of toilet paper and throw it high into a tree again and again until the tree was all wrapped in the white paper. The paper would often stay in the tree for weeks until a heavy snow or rain washed it off. No real harm done, but it made a big mess of both the tree and the yard under it. One kind of Halloween mischief.
关于万圣节有这样一个故事。是说有一个叫杰克的爱尔半兰人，因为他对钱特别的吝啬，就不允许他进入天堂，而被打入地狱。但是在那里他老是捉弄魔鬼撒旦，所以被踢出地狱，罚他提着灯笼永远在人世里行走。在十月三十一日爱尔兰的孩子们用土豆和罗卜制作“杰克的灯笼”，他们把中间挖掉、表面上打洞并在里边点上蜡烛。为村里庆祝督伊德神的万圣节，孩子们提着这种灯笼挨家挨户乞计食物。?这种灯笼的爱尔兰名字是“拿灯笼的杰克”或者“杰克的灯笼”，缩写为Jack-o"-lantern ?在拼写为jack-o-lantern。 现在你在大多数书里读到的万圣节只是孩子们开心的夜晚。在小学校里，万圣节是每年十月份开始庆祝的。孩子们会制作万圣节的装饰品：各种各样桔红色的南瓜灯。你可以用黑色的纸做一个可怕的造形??一个骑在扫帚把上戴著尖尖帽子的女巫飞过天空，或者是黑蝙蝠飞过月亮。这些都代表恶运。当然黑猫代表运气更差。有时候会出现黑猫骑在女巫扫帚后面飞向天空的造形。在万圣节的晚上，我们都穿着爸爸妈妈的旧衣服和旧鞋子，戴上面具，打算外出。比我们小的孩子必须和他们的母亲一块出去，我们大一点的就一起哄到领居家，按他们的门铃并大声喊道：“恶作剧还是招待！”意思是给我们吃的，要不我们就捉弄你。里边的人们应该出?评价我们的化装。 “噢！这是鬼，那是女巫，这是个老太婆。” 有时候他们会跟我们一起玩，假装被鬼或者女巫吓着了。但是他们通常会带一些糖果或者苹果放进我们的“恶作剧还是招待”的口袋里。可是要是没人回答门铃或者是有人把我们赶开该怎么办呢？我们就捉弄他们，通常是拿一块肥皂把他们的玻璃涂得乱七八糟。然后我们回家，数数谁的糖果最多。还有一个典型的万圣节花招是把一卷手纸拉开，不停地往树上扔，直到树全被白纸裹起?。除非下大雪或大雨把纸冲掉，纸会一直呆在树上。这并不造成真正的伤害，只是把树和院子搞乱，一种万圣节的恶作剧。
ardim -
有以下两个，楼主自行挑选哦！
1、Next to Christmas, Halloween is the most commercialized celebration in the United States and Canada. This ancient festival originated far from North America however, and centuries before the first European set foot on the continent.
The ancient Druids 督伊德教(古代高卢人与不列颠人的一种宗教)的教徒 who inhabited what we now call Great Britain placed great importance on the passing of one season to the next, holding "Fire Festivals" which were celebrated for three days (two days on either side of the day itself).
One of these festivals was called Samhain (pronounced Sha-Von) and it took place on October 31 through to November 1. During this period, it was believed that the boundaries between our world and the world of the dead were weakened, allowing spirits of the recently dead to cross over and possess the living.
In order to make themselves and their homes less inviting to these wayward spirits, the ancient Celts（凯尔特人）would douse （插入水中, 把弄熄, 弄湿）all their fires. There was also a secondary purpose to this, after extinguishing all their fires, they would re-light them from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning at Usinach, in the Middle of Ireland.
Samhain was considered to be a gateway not only from the land of the dead to the land of the living, but also between Summer and Fall/Winter. For the Druids, this was the last gasp （喘息, 气喘）of summer (it was also the Celtic New Year), so therefore they made sure it went out with a bang before they had to button down （把...弄清楚）for the winter ahead.
They would dress up in bizarre costumes and parade through their villages causing destruction in order to scare off any recently departed souls who might be prowling （巡游）for bodies to inhabit, in addition to burning animals and other offerings to the Druidic deities（神, 神性）. It is also a popular belief that they would burn people who they believed to be possessed, but this has largely been debunked （揭穿, 拆穿假面具, 暴露）as myth.
This yearly festival was adopted by the Roman invaders, who helped to propagate （传播, 宣传）it throughout the rest of the world (and at that time, the Roman Empire was the world). The word "Halloween" itself actually comes from a contraction of All Hallows Eve, or All Saint"s Day (November 1), which is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints.
This tradition was later brought to the North American continent by Irish immigrants who were escaping the Potato Famine in their homeland. In addition to the festival itself, the immigrants brought several customs with them, including one of the symbols most commonly associated with Halloween -- the Jack "O Lantern.
According to Irish folklore, there once lived a man named Jack who was known for being a drunk and a prankster（顽皮的人, 爱开玩笑的人）. One night Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree, and quickly carved an image of a cross on the trunk, trapping the devil. Jack then made him promise that, in exchange for letting him out of the tree, the Devil would never tempt him to sin again. He reluctantly agreed, but was able to exact his revenge upon Jack"s death. Because of his mischievous ways in life, Jack was barred from entering heaven and because of his earlier trick, he was also barred from hell. So he was doomed to wander the earth until the end of time, with only a single ember（灰烬, 余烬） (carried in a hollowed out turnip.[植]芜箐, 芜箐甘蓝) to warm him and light his way.
In Ireland, they originally also used turnips for their "Jack Lanterns", but upon arriving in the new world, they discovered that pumpkins were abundant and easier to carve out.
2、On October 31st, dozens of children dressed in costumes（节日服装）knock on their neighbors" doors and yell "Trick or Treat" when the door opens. Pirates and princesses, ghosts and popular heroes of the day all hold bags open to catch the candy or other goodies that the neighbors drop in. As they give each child a treat the neighbors exclaim over the costumes and try to guess who is under the masks.
Since the 800"s November 1st is a religious holiday known as All Saints" Day（万圣节）. The Mass that was said on this day was called Allhallowmas. The evening before became known as All Hakkiw e"en, or Halloween. Like some other American celebrations, its origins lie in both pre-Christian and Christian customs.
October 31 st was the eve of the Celtic（凯尔特人的）new year. The Celts were the ancestors of the present-day Irish, Welsh and Scottish people. On this day ghosts walked and mingled with the living, or so the Celts thought. The townspeople baked food all that day and when night fell they dressed up and tried to resemble the souls of the dead. Hoping that the ghosts would leave peacefully before midnight of the new year.
Much later, when Christianity spread throughout Ireland and October 31 was no longer the last day of the year, Halloween became a celebration mostly for children. "Ghosts" went from door to door asking for treats, or else a trick would be played on the owners of the house. When millions of Irish people immigrated to the United States in the 1840s the tradition came with them.
Today" school dances and neighborhood parties called "block parties" are popular among young and old alike. More and more adults celebrate Halloween. They dress up like historical or political figures and go to masquerade parties（化妆舞会）. In larger cities, costumed children and their parents gather at shopping malls early in the evening. Stores and businesses give parties with games and treats for the children.Teenagers enjoy costume dances at their schools and the more outrageous the costume the better!
Certain pranks（恶作剧）such as soaping car windows and tipping over garbage cans are expected. But partying and pranks are not the only things that Halloweeners enjoy doing. Some collect money to buy food and medicine for needy children around the world.
希望采纳！
CarieVinne -
Next to Christmas, Halloween is the most commercialized celebration in the United States and Canada. This ancient festival originated far from North America however, and centuries before the first European set foot on the continent.
The ancient Druids 督伊德教(古代高卢人与不列颠人的一种宗教)的教徒 who inhabited what we now call Great Britain placed great importance on the passing of one season to the next, holding "Fire Festivals" which were celebrated for three days (two days on either side of the day itself).
One of these festivals was called Samhain (pronounced Sha-Von) and it took place on October 31 through to November 1. During this period, it was believed that the boundaries between our world and the world of the dead were weakened, allowing spirits of the recently dead to cross over and possess the living.
In order to make themselves and their homes less inviting to these wayward spirits, the ancient Celts（凯尔特人）would douse （插入水中, 把弄熄, 弄湿）all their fires. There was also a secondary purpose to this, after extinguishing all their fires, they would re-light them from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning at Usinach, in the Middle of Ireland.
Samhain was considered to be a gateway not only from the land of the dead to the land of the living, but also between Summer and Fall/Winter. For the Druids, this was the last gasp （喘息, 气喘）of summer (it was also the Celtic New Year), so therefore they made sure it went out with a bang before they had to button down （把...弄清楚）for the winter ahead.
They would dress up in bizarre costumes and parade through their villages causing destruction in order to scare off any recently departed souls who might be prowling （巡游）for bodies to inhabit, in addition to burning animals and other offerings to the Druidic deities（神, 神性）. It is also a popular belief that they would burn people who they believed to be possessed, but this has largely been debunked （揭穿, 拆穿假面具, 暴露）as myth.
This yearly festival was adopted by the Roman invaders, who helped to propagate （传播, 宣传）it throughout the rest of the world (and at that time, the Roman Empire was the world). The word "Halloween" itself actually comes from a contraction of All Hallows Eve, or All Saint"s Day (November 1), which is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints.
This tradition was later brought to the North American continent by Irish immigrants who were escaping the Potato Famine in their homeland. In addition to the festival itself, the immigrants brought several customs with them, including one of the symbols most commonly associated with Halloween -- the Jack "O Lantern.
According to Irish folklore, there once lived a man named Jack who was known for being a drunk and a prankster（顽皮的人, 爱开玩笑的人）. One night Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree, and quickly carved an image of a cross on the trunk, trapping the devil. Jack then made him promise that, in exchange for letting him out of the tree, the Devil would never tempt him to sin again. He reluctantly agreed, but was able to exact his revenge upon Jack"s death. Because of his mischievous ways in life, Jack was barred from entering heaven and because of his earlier trick, he was also barred from hell. So he was doomed to wander the earth until the end of time, with only a single ember（灰烬, 余烬） (carried in a hollowed out turnip.[植]芜箐, 芜箐甘蓝) to warm him and light his way.
In Ireland, they originally also used turnips for their "Jack Lanterns", but upon arriving in the new world, they discovered that pumpkins were abundant and easier to carve out.
可可科科 -
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
There are many other superstitions associated with Halloween. A superstition is an irrational idea, like believing that the number 13 is unlucky!
Halloween is also associated with supernatural creatures like ghosts and vampires. These creatures are not part of the natural world. They don"t really exist... or do they?
Witches are popular Halloween characters that are thought to have magical powers. They usually wear pointed hats and fly around on broomsticks.
Bad omens are also part of Halloween celebrations. A bad omen is something that is believed to bring bad luck, like black cats, spiders or bats.
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。
黑色和橙色仍然是万圣节前夜的一部分，黑色是夜晚的象征，而橙色代表着南瓜。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，带来一个毛骨悚然的灼热面孔。
盛装是最受欢迎的万圣节风俗之一，尤其是受孩子们的欢迎。按照传统习俗，人们会盛装（穿戴一些特殊的服饰，面具或者装饰）来吓跑鬼魂。
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）。
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。
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。
和万圣节有关的迷信还有很多。迷信是一种不合常理的想法，比如认为13是不吉利的数字！
万圣节还和一些诸如鬼魂和吸血鬼之类的超自然的生物有关。这些生物不是自然界的一部分。他们实际上是不存在的......或许他们其实真的存在？
女巫是万圣节很受欢迎的人物，人们认为她们具有强大的魔力。他们通常戴着尖顶的帽子，骑在扫把上飞来飞去。
恶兆也是万圣节庆祝活动的一部分。人们相信恶兆会带给坏运气，黑猫、蜘蛛或者蝙蝠都算是恶兆。
寻云出海 -
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897
We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it"s so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O"Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men"s or children"s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that"s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby"s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!
nicejikv -
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".
北营 -
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.
clc1 -
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.