The History of Halloween

The History of Halloween. Written by Keith and Sarah Corte -Martin. Focus Question. How has the celebration of Halloween changed throughout the years?

《万圣节的历史》 基思·科尔特-马丁、萨拉·科尔特-马丁 撰文 思考问题 这些年来，万圣节的庆祝方式发生了哪些变化？

A fun and scary holiday. Halloween is celebrated in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland where it first began. On October 31, trick -or -treaters take to the streets. Creepy music comes from Halloween parties and people dress up in costumes. Monsters, ghosts, superheroes, and princesses of all ages celebrate together.

一个好玩又吓人的节日 万圣节在美国、加拿大、英国以及它起源的爱尔兰都有庆祝活动 10月31日这天，玩不给糖就捣 蛋的小朋友们走上街头 万圣节派对传出诡异的音乐，人们都穿上了特殊装扮 各个年龄的人扮演怪物、幽灵、超级英雄和公主，一起庆祝节日

Today, Halloween is especially popular in the United States, where it's important in both culture and business. Halloween turns up in Hollywood movies and popular songs. The holiday means big business for American stores, too. People spend a lot of money on Halloween candy and costumes every year. Halloween is part of a very old tradition. It began with the Celtic peoples who lived in Great Britain, Ireland, and Northern France 2000 years ago.

如今，万圣节在美国尤其流行，在文化和商业领域都十分重要 万圣节出现在好莱坞电影和流行歌曲当中 这个节日也给美国商店带来了丰厚的收益 每年人们都会在万圣节糖果和装扮上花很多钱 万圣节源自一项非常古老的传统 它起源于两千年前居住在不列颠、爱尔兰和法国北部的凯尔特人

The Celts, Samhain The Celts celebrated a festival called Samhain each fall. In the Celtic calendar, October 31st was the final day of the year. The Samhain celebration on October 31st was a way to say goodbye to the old year. Samhain also had a supernatural side. The Celts believed that spirits of the dead traveled to the underworld at Samhain. To help the dead on their journey, people lit bonfires and sacrificed crops and animals. The Celts also believed that priests could see the future during this festival. The predictions made at Samhain were an important part of planning for the new year.

凯尔特人的萨姆温节 凯尔特人每年秋天都会庆祝名叫萨姆温的节日 在凯尔特历法中，10月31日是一年的最后一天 10月31日的萨姆温庆典是用来送别旧年的 萨姆温节也和超自然力量有关 凯尔特人相信，死者的灵魂会在萨姆温节前往冥界 为了帮助亡魂赶路，人们点燃篝火，献上农作物和牲畜作为祭品 凯尔特人还认为，祭司在这个节日能够预知未来 萨姆温节得到的预言是人们规划新年的重要依据

beginnings of Halloween. Later, as Christianity spread throughout Europe, the Catholic Church tried to replace Samhain with its own traditions. For example, the Church declared an All Saints Day on November 1st. This celebration was also known as All Hallows Day, October 31st, the day before All Hallows was called All Hallows Eve. The name was later shortened to Halloween. Many of the older Celtic traditions lived on in this new holiday. Today's Halloween traditions come from the Celts, the Catholic Church, and old European customs.

万圣节的起源 后来，随着基督教传遍欧洲，天主教会想用自身的传统取代萨姆温节 比如，教会将11月1日定为诸圣日 这个节日也叫做万圣日，10月31日作为万圣日的前一天，被叫做万圣夜 这个名字后来被简化成了万圣节 许多古老的凯尔特传统保留在了这个新节日中 如今的万圣节传统，来自凯尔特人、天主教会和古老的欧洲习俗

costumes and trick -or -treating. Halloween costumes probably began with the Celts, who dressed up as animals during Samhain. In England, people walked the streets, dressed like fairies, witches, and ghosts. Dressing up this way was called mumming, and people gave the food, and drink. People thought that these gifts would make the spirits leave without causing trouble. Today, this tradition is called trick or treating. Adults give a treat so that each child in a costume will leave without playing any tricks.

装扮和不给糖就捣蛋 万圣节的装扮习俗大概起源于凯尔特人，他们在萨姆温节会打扮成动物 过去在英格兰，人们会打扮成精灵、女巫和幽灵走在街上 这种装扮活动叫做默剧游行，人们会给他们赠送食物和饮品 人们认为这些礼物能让灵魂不对自己作祟，安然离开 如今，这个传统就叫做不给糖就捣蛋 大人会给孩子糖果，这样穿装扮的孩子就不会搞恶作剧了