Jack-o'-Lanterns

Jack-o-lanterns written by Marcy Abuff. Focus question. How did the tradition of carving jack-o-lanterns begin and how have jack-o-lanterns changed over time?

《南瓜灯》，作者：玛西·阿巴夫。核心问题：雕刻南瓜灯的传统 是如何起源的？随着时间推移，南瓜灯又发生了哪些变化？

What is a jack-o-lantern? Carved pumpkins are called jack-o-lanterns. Jack-o-lanterns are used to decorate for Halloween. People started carving jack-o-lanterns more than a hundred years ago. At first, people didn't carve pumpkins. They used other vegetables instead.

什么是南瓜灯呢？ 被雕刻过的南瓜就叫做南瓜灯。 南瓜灯是用来装饰万圣节的。 人们雕刻南瓜灯的历史已经超过一百年啦。 最开始，人们雕刻的并不是南瓜。 他们会用其他蔬菜来代替。

An old fable from Ireland may tell how people began carving jack-o-lanterns. The fable is about a man named Stingy Jack who liked to play tricks on everyone. When he died he was cursed to walk in darkness forever. He carved a turnip and put a light inside. His ghost was known as Jack of the Lantern and then Jack-o-lantern.

爱尔兰的一个古老传说，或许能解释人们为什么开始雕刻南瓜灯。 这个传说讲的是一个叫“小气鬼杰克”的人，他特别喜欢捉弄所有人。 他死后受到诅咒，要永远在黑暗里游荡。 他雕刻了一个芜菁，在里面放了一盏灯。 他的鬼魂被叫做“提灯的杰克”，后来慢慢演变成了“南瓜灯”的说法。

Modern Jack-o-Lanterns The stingy Jack fable later became part of a night called All Hallows' Eve. In Europe, people lit fires and dressed up to keep away ghosts.

现代南瓜灯 小气鬼杰克的传说后来成了万圣节前夜习俗的一部分。 在欧洲，人们会点燃火堆、乔装打扮，用来驱赶鬼魂。

In Ireland and England, people carved scary faces on vegetables and placed a light inside. All Hallow's Eve later became known as Halloween.

在爱尔兰和英格兰，人们会在蔬菜上刻出吓人的脸，再在里面放上灯。 万圣节前夜后来就慢慢被大家叫做万圣节啦。

When jack-o-lantern carving was brought to the United States, people started using pumpkins. About 1 .5 billion pounds, more than 680 million kilograms of pumpkins are grown in the United States each year.

雕刻南瓜灯的习俗传入美国之后， 人们就开始改用南瓜来雕刻了。 美国每年种植的南瓜约有15亿磅，也就是超过6.8亿公斤，全部都是在美国本土种植出来的哦。