万圣节前夜

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Halloween is a holiday observed1 on the evening of October 31 in most areas of North America and in someareasofWestern Europe.The word "Halloween" comes from"All Hallows'Eve."November 1, "All Hallows' Day" (or All Saints'Day"), is a Catholic (天主教的) festival observed in honour2 of all saints. All Souls'Day, observed on November 2 to help purify3 the spirits of the dead, is also closely linked to Halloween.

Most Halloween customs are based on folk beliefs concerning supernatural (超自然的)forces and spirits of the dead. Halloween decorations(装饰) are typically images of supernatural beings such as witches, werewolves（狼人）,vampires, goblins (小妖怪), and ghosts. Images thought to symbolize bad omens4――such as black cats, bats, owls and spiders――are also commonly used as Halloween decorations. People once believed that ghosts roamed5 the earth on Halloween. They also thought that all witches met on October 31 to worship6 the Devil.Today, most people do not believe in ghosts or witches, but these su- pernatural beings remain symbols of Halloween.

One of the traditions popular on the night of Halloween is trick-or-treat, the main Halloween activity for most children in the United States.Britain imported7 the custom from America in the early 1980s.On Halloween many children wear ghost costumes8 and masks or witches'hats and go fromdoor todoor to ask their neighbours for candy by saying "Trick or Treat!"The saying implies that if the people in the house give the children a"treat", then the children will notplayatrickon them. The neighbors, to avoid having tricks played on them,give the children such treats as candy, fruit, and pennies.

ThemostcelebratedHalloweendecoration is the jack-o' -lantern (把南瓜挖空并雕成人面形的杰克灯),traditionally a pumpkin(南瓜) that has been hollowed out and carved9 to resemble a grotesque(奇形怪状的) face. Most jack-o'-lanterns contain a candle or some other light,which makes the face visible from far away.People in England and Ireland once carved out beets(甜菜根), potatoes, and turnips(芜菁) to use as lanterns on Halloween.After this custom reached America, pumpkins began to be used.

Dressing in costume is also one of the most popular Halloween customs,especially among children.Traditional costumes usually represent witches, ghosts, and other supernatural beings. However. costumes inspired by contemporary (当代的) popular culture, such as politicians or movie characters. have become increasingly common in recent years. Adults often favor costumes with satirical10 or humorous overtones(含蓄之意).

注释：

1．observe vt.庆祝，过(节日、生曰等)

2．honourn.敬意，尊敬in~of为庆祝，为纪念……

3．purify vt.净化，使纯净

4．omen n．预兆，征兆

5．roamvt．漫游，在…来回走动

6．worshipvt．敬奉

7．importvt．引进，进口

8．costume n．服装，戏装

9．carvevt．雕刻，刻

10．satiricaladj．讽刺的，含讽刺的

北美的大部分和西欧部分地区在10月31日晚间庆祝万圣节前夜。英文"Halloween”一词源于“All Hallows' Eve”。11月1日是万圣节，天主教纪念所有圣徒的节日。11月2日是万灵节，帮助所有死者净化灵魂的节日，与万圣节前夜的关系也较密切。

万圣节前夜的大部分习俗与民间对妖魔和鬼魂的迷信有关。节日的典型装饰是女巫、狼人、吸血鬼、妖怪和鬼魂的形象。还有代表凶兆的一些动物形象，如黑猫、蝙蝠、猫头鹰和蜘蛛也是十分流行的装饰。人们曾经认为，鬼魂在万圣节前夜返回人间，四处游荡；所有的巫师巫婆在此日敬奉鬼怪。如今大多数人不再迷信，但仍把妖魔鬼怪作为此节的象征。

万圣节前夜一个流行的习俗是玩“不请吃就捣蛋”游戏，这是万圣节前夜大多数美国孩子的主要活动。英国于20世纪80年代

初从美国引入了这一习俗；这天晚上，许多孩子穿起鬼魂的服装，戴着面具或巫师的帽子到邻人家挨家挨户要糖吃，嘴里说着：“不给糖，要遭殃!”意思是如果人家不给糖，就会遭到戏弄。邻人们为了避免孩子们玩恶作剧，就会给孩子们一些糖果、水果或零钱把他们打发走。

万圣节前夜最流行的装饰物是南瓜灯。传统的南瓜灯是掏空的南瓜，上面雕刻出一张奇形怪状的人脸，里面大多点上蜡烛或别的发光的东西，使这张脸远远就能看到。英格兰和爱尔兰人曾在万圣节前夜用甜菜根、土豆和芜菁雕刻成灯笼。这一习俗传入美国后，就成了南瓜灯。

万圣节前夜的俗例之一是穿节日的特殊服装，孩子们更是如此。传统的服装是巫师、鬼魂或其他妖魔鬼怪的装束。但受当代流行文化的影响，政客与电影人物的装束近年来也愈加常见。成年人更喜欢带有讽刺和幽默意味的服装。