【正文】
land, Scotland, Mexico, Latin America, and Spain. 萬圣節(jié)是世界上最老的節(jié)日之一,在 10 月 31日這天,有許多國家,如:美國 ,加拿大 ,英格蘭 ,愛爾蘭 ,蘇格蘭 ,墨西哥 ,拉丁美洲 ,西班牙等,都會(huì)慶祝萬圣節(jié)的來臨。 The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred as the dead searched for the afterlife. Thus, on the night of October 31st, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to Earth to cause mischief and trouble. 凱爾特人相信在新年的前一晚,陰間和陽間的大門不再門禁森嚴(yán),此時(shí)陰間的鬼魂會(huì)趁機(jī)跑出來,為陽間的人們帶來厄運(yùn)。 The Impact of Christianity By the . 800’s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st All Saints Day, a time to honor Saints and Martyrs. It was known as All Hallowmas. Thus, October 31st became known as All Hallows Eve, and eventually was shortened to the current day title, Halloween. 西元八百年時(shí),基督教傳入塞爾特人居住的區(qū)域。借著大型營火,游行和變裝打扮成圣人,天使或惡靈的方式來慶?!,F(xiàn)在,雖然人們不再相信鬼魂們會(huì)在陽間跑來跑去,但是小孩子還是會(huì)裝扮自己到處玩不給糖就搗蛋的游戲 ﹔ 而大人則是覺得裝扮自己有趣又好玩。大部分人都認(rèn)為不給糖就搗蛋是起源于惡作劇之夜和 要靈魂餅干 (goingasouling) 的習(xí)俗。在北美洲,蘿卜,馬鈴薯和甜菜很罕見,因此常見的番瓜就成了非常適合的代替品。之后,魔鬼對小氣杰克發(fā)誓,他絕對不會(huì)對小氣杰克報(bào)仇,也保證杰克死了也不會(huì)讓他下地獄。愛爾蘭人一開始稱之為杰克的南瓜燈籠 ( Jack of the Lantern),后來簡稱為杰克南瓜燈 ( Jackolantern)。 WITCHES Witches were thought to be tellers of fortune and to cast spells, both good and bad. This frightened many because it was believed that these powers were strongest on Halloween night. The image of a witch has greatly changed over the centuries. Once thought of as old, wrinkled, green skinned hags, many people associate witchcraft to either evil or as being wise. 女巫因?yàn)闀?huì)算命又會(huì)下好咒語和壞咒語,人們相信女巫們的能力在 10月31日這天會(huì)最強(qiáng),所以讓很多人很害怕她們。 OWLS Superstitions suggest that owls ate the souls of the dying by swooping to Earth. Owls screeches and their glassy stare are an omen of death and disaster. The owl is rarely seen during the day and is associated with night behaviors. 傳說中,貓頭鷹會(huì)從天空俯沖下來吃掉人的靈魂。西方的傳說里,有一種說法,黑貓是靈魂的化身。既然萬圣節(jié)一開始就是一個(gè)鬼節(jié),當(dāng)然鬼魂和骷髏就理所當(dāng)然成了萬圣節(jié)必見的東西。