万圣节HAPPY HALLOWEEN
October 31 is Halloween and is now celebrated in many countries around the world, but do you know anything about the origins of this scary special day?
10月31日是万圣夜，如今世界上很多国家都庆祝这一节日。关于这个恐怖又特殊节日的起源，你知道多少呢？
1、万圣节的由来
If you think of Halloween, you probably think of scary carved pumpkins, all kinds of fancy dress and children asking for sweets. And if you think of a country that celebrates Halloween, you probably think of the United States first，but Halloween traditions actually come from 16th-century Ireland, Scotland and England.
提起万圣节，你很可能想到的是吓人的雕刻南瓜、各种各样的奇装异服和四处讨要糖果的小孩子。若让你想出一个庆祝万圣节的国家，你可能首先想到的是美国，但实际上万圣节的传统源自16世纪的爱尔兰、苏格兰和英格兰。
The tradition of Halloween on 31 October comes from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain was the Celtic New Year and they celebrated it on 1 November because that was the end of summer and harvest time (life) and the beginning of winter (death). It was also the time for ghosts to return to earth for a day. People lit a big fire, wore special clothes made of animal skin and hoped to be safe from the ghosts and the winter. In AD 609, the Catholic Church put the Christian celebration of All Saints Day on 1 November. In AD 1000, the church added All Souls Day on 2 November, and All Hallows Eve – or Halloween – moved to the night of the 31st.
10月31日为万圣节前夜这一传统源自凯尔特文化中的夏末节（也译为萨温节）。夏末节是凯尔特文化中的新年，凯尔特人庆祝11月1日，因为这一天意味着夏季的结束，是收获的时节（生命）、冬天的伊始（死亡）。这一天也是鬼魂回到人间的日子。人们点起巨大的篝火，穿上由动物皮制成的奇异服装，乞求免受鬼魂侵扰，顺利度过冬天。公元609年，天主教会把将基督教庆典的万圣节（All Saints Day）设置在11月1日。公元1000年，天主教会将11月2日设为万灵节（All Souls Day），万圣节——也就变为了10月31日的夜晚。
2、Pumpkins
The Celts carved faces into vegetables like turnips, potatoes and squash to scare the ghosts and other spirits and make them go away. It was sometimes called a jack-o'-lantern because of an Irish story about a man, Jack. He played a trick on the devil and then had to walk the earth for all time as a punishment. Irish people who came to live in the United States in the 1800s found pumpkins much easier to carve, and the tradition became the one we see today.
南瓜
凯尔特人在萝卜、土豆、倭瓜等蔬菜上雕刻怪脸，目的是为了惊吓鬼魂和其他灵魂，将它们驱走。万圣节南瓜有时也叫作jack-o-lantern（南瓜灯/杰克灯），这个名字来源于一个爱尔兰传说故事，一个名叫Jack的男人与恶魔开了一个玩笑，作为惩罚，他不得不一直在人间游荡。19世纪移民至美国的爱尔兰人发现在南瓜上雕刻更好操作，这也就逐渐成了今天做南瓜灯的传统了。
3、Fancy dress
The Celts were afraid of the ghosts that came on Samhain. If they went outside after dark, they covered their faces with masks. They hoped any ghosts they met would think they were ghosts too and would leave them alone. In early America, the Native Americans and the first Europeans celebrated the end of the harvest, but not Halloween. When Irish people arrived, the harvest festival started to look more like Halloween and it became popular across the country. In the late 19th century, people tried to make Halloween less about ghosts and religion and more about celebrating the season with a party for neighbours and family. That's why Americans today wear all kinds of Halloween costumes.
奇装异服
凯尔特人害怕夏末节出来的鬼魂。如果要在天黑后出门，他们会戴上面具，试图以此来蒙骗鬼魂自己是它们的同类，这样鬼魂就不会来纠缠了。在早期的美洲，土著人和第一批来到美洲大陆的欧洲人庆祝丰收的结束，但并不庆祝万圣节。等到第一批爱尔兰人到来后，丰收节开始变得类似于今天的万圣节，并在全美风靡起来。19世纪末期，人们试图减少万圣节与鬼魂、宗教之间的关联，而是成为一个与邻居、家人聚会庆祝的日子，这就是如今的美国人在万圣节这一天穿上各种奇装异服的原因。
儿童角色选择Top5：
（1）Superhero 超人
（2）Princess 公主
（3） Animal (Cat, Dog, Lion etc.)动物，如猫、狗、狮子等
（4） Batman Character 蝙蝠侠
（5）Star Wars Character 《星球大战》人物
成人角色选择Top5：
（1）Vampire and zombie 吸血鬼和僵尸
（2）Witch 巫婆
（3）Politician(Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, etc.)政客，如现正在大选的希拉里和川普等
（4）Marvel Superhero 漫威英雄人物
（5）Batman Character 《蝙蝠侠》系列人物
4、The rest of the world
Halloween has become the United States' second-biggest commercial festival after Christmas. Halloween is also celebrated in other countries, but it's not as big as in the United States, even in the countries where the traditions began. Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead from 31 October to 2 November and some of its traditions, like giving gifts of sugar skulls, are starting to mix with Halloween.
世界上其他国家与万圣节
万圣节已成为继圣诞节后美国的第二大商业性质的节日。在其他国家，人们也庆祝万圣节，但美国规模最为庞大，甚至超过了那些万圣节发源地的国家。墨西哥从10月31日至11月2日是亡灵节，其中的一些习俗，比如赠送骷髅糖果，也逐渐开始与万圣节传统融合。
5、万圣节必备单词- Happy Halloween -
南瓜 Pumpkin
糖果 Candy
妖精 Evil
巫师Wizard
女巫 Witch
万圣节服装 Halloween costume
骨架 Skeleton
蝙蝠 Bat
面具 Mask
死神 Grim Reaper
蜘蛛网 Spider web
不给糖，就捣蛋 Trick or tread
6、万圣节经典活动- Happy Halloween -
1) trick or treat ,万圣节小孩最喜欢的恶作剧游戏。相当于："不请客就捣乱!”或者“不给糖果就捣蛋!"
2) costume parties:盛装成各种各种人物或鬼等
3) jack-o'-lanterns鬼灯,空心南瓜灯(南瓜pumpkin)
4) prank: 恶作剧
5) haunted attractions: 鬼屋 探险
