万圣节真的不是Halloween！为什么老外要庆祝这个节日？

Halloweenhas been around for more than a thousand years. Originally a religiousobservance, it became increasinglysecularover the centuries until its religioustrappingsall but disappeared. Today Halloween is considered a holiday for dress-up and fun, especially for children.

万圣节已经有一千多年的历史了。它最初是一个宗教仪式，几个世纪以来变得越来越世俗化，直到如今宗教外衣几乎消失。今天，特别是对孩子们来说，万圣节就是一个装扮和娱乐的节日。

Halloween’s origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which was held on November 1 incontemporarycalendars. It was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and litbonfiresto ward off spirits. In this way, popular Halloween tropes such aswitches,ghosts, andgoblinsbecame associated with the holiday.

万圣节的起源可以追溯到古代凯尔特人的节日Samhain，在现代日历中是在11月1日举行。人们相信在这一天，死者的灵魂会回到他们的家中，所以人们穿上服饰并点燃篝火来驱赶鬼魂。这样一来，流行的万圣节元素，如女巫、鬼魂和妖精就与这个节日紧密联系在一起。

解析

Halloween万圣节前夕

observance/əbˈzɜːvəns/ n. 惯例；遵守；仪式；庆祝

secular/ˈsekjələ(r)/ adj. 非宗教的，世俗的；现实世界的

trappingn. （装饰性的）马衣

contemporary/kənˈtemp(ə)rəri/adj. 当代的，现代的；同时期的，同时代的

bonfire/ˈbɒnfaɪə(r)/ n. 篝火；营火

witch/wɪtʃ/ n. 巫婆，巫师

ghost/ɡəʊst/ n. 鬼，幽灵

goblin/ˈɡɒblɪn/n. 小妖精；顽皮的丑小鬼

In the 7th century CE, Pope Boniface IV createdAll Saints Day, originally celebrated on May 13. A century later, Pope Gregory III moved the holiday to November 1, likely as a Christian substitute for thepaganfestival of Samhain. The day before thesaintlycelebration became known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween.

公元7世纪，教皇博尼法斯四世创立了万圣节，最初在5月13日庆祝。一个世纪后，教皇格雷戈里三世将这个节日移到了11月1日，可能是作为基督教对异教节日Samhain的一种替代。庆典的前一天被称为万圣节前夕，或万圣夜。

Though the holiday began in Celtic regions of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France, it quickly spread to other parts of the world. The first Americancolonistsin New England were forbidden to celebrate it for religious reasons, though it enjoyed some popularity in the Southern colonies. By the 1800s, fall festivals marking the seasonal harvest incorporated Halloween elements, and Irishimmigrantsescaping thedevastatingPotato Famine brought with them many Halloween traditions that remain today.

虽然这个节日始于爱尔兰、英国和法国的凯尔特人地区，但它很快就流传到了世界其他地方。由于宗教原因，尽管它在美国的南方殖民地有些名气，但新英格兰的第一批美国殖民者被禁止庆祝这个节日。到了19世纪，标志着收获的秋季融入了万圣节元素，逃离马铃薯大饥荒的爱尔兰移民给美国带来了许多保留至今的万圣节传统。

解析

All Saints Day万圣节；每年11月1日以崇敬万圣为名的基督教节日

pagan/ˈpeɪɡən/ n. 异教徒（信非主流宗教者）；非基督教徒；新异教主义者；无宗教信仰者；adj. 异教的，异教徒的

saintly/ˈseɪntli/ 神圣的; 高尚的

colonist/ˈkɒlənɪst/ n. 殖民者；殖民地居民；移民

immigrant/immigrants/ n. （外来）移民，侨民；adj. 移民的，迁入的

devastating/ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ/ adj. 毁灭性的，极具破坏力的；令人极为震惊的；令人印象深刻的

The custom of trick-or-treating, in which children dress up in costume andsolicittreats from neighbors, became popular in the United States in the early 20th century as Irish and Scottish communities revived the Old World custom of “guising,” in which a person would dress in costume and tell a joke, recite a poem, or perform some othertrickin exchange for a piece of fruit or other treat.

在20世纪初，爱尔兰和苏格兰地区恢复了旧世界的 "guising "习俗，即一个人穿上服装，讲一个笑话，背一首诗，或表演一些其他的把戏，以换取一块水果或其他食物，于是 "不给糖就捣蛋 "在美国开始流行。

By 1950, trick-or-treating forcandyhad become one of Halloween’s most popular activities. Today, Halloween is one of the biggest holidays for candy sales in the United States, exceeding $2.5 billion annually.

到1950年，"不给糖就捣蛋 "已经成为万圣节最受欢迎的活动之一。今天，万圣节是美国糖果销售最多的节日之一，每年超过25亿美元。

解析

solicit/səˈlɪsɪt/ v. 请求，索求，征求（意见）

guising/ˈɡaɪzɪŋ/ (在苏格兰和英格兰北部)化装; 穿化装服并常带面具登门拜访的惯例或习俗，尤指在万圣节时

trick/ trɪk/ n.花招，诡计，骗局；窍门，技巧；戏法，把戏；恶作剧

candy/ˈkændi/ n. 糖果

看完这篇文章，你了解万圣节的起源了吧。特别提醒，很多人都把“万圣节”翻译成“Halloween”，这是不准确的。

Halloween是每年10月31日的万圣节前夕。而正式的万圣节则是11月1日，英文表达应该是Hallowmas，或是All Saints' Day。

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*文章摘自britannica： Why Do We Celebrate Halloween?

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