Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31. By tradition, Halloween begins after sunset. Long ago, people believed that witches gathered together and ghosts roamed the world on Halloween. Today, most people no longer believe in ghosts and witches. But these supernatural beings are still a part of Halloween.
万圣节前夜是在10月31日庆祝的一个节日,根据传统,万圣节前夜的庆祝活动从太阳落山开始。在很久以前,人们相信在万圣节前夜女巫会聚集在一起,鬼魂在四处游荡。现在,大多数人们不再相信有鬼魂和女巫的存在了,但是他们仍然把这些作为万圣节前夜的一部分。
The colors black and orange are also a part of Halloween. Black is a symbol for night and orange is the color of pumpkins. A jack-o’-lantern is a hollowed-out pumpkin with a face carved on one side. Candles are usually placed inside, giving the face a spooky glow.
黑色和橙色仍然是万圣节前夜的一部分,黑色是夜晚的象征,而橙色代表着南瓜。南瓜灯是用雕刻成脸型,中间挖空,再插上蜡烛的南瓜做成的,带来一个毛骨悚然的灼热面孔。
Dressing up in costumes is one of the most popular Halloween customs, especially among children. According to tradition, people would dress up in costumes (wear special clothing, masks or disguises) to frighten the spirits away.
盛装是最受欢迎的万圣节风俗之一,尤其是受孩子们的欢迎。按照传统习俗,人们会盛装(穿戴一些特殊的服饰,面具或者装饰)来吓跑鬼魂。
Popular Halloween costumes include vampires (creatures that drink blood), ghosts (spirits of the dead) and werewolves (people that turn into wolves when the moon is full).
流行的万圣节服装包括vampires(吸血鬼),ghosts(死者的灵魂)和werewolves(每当月圆时就变成狼形的人)。
Trick or Treating is a modern Halloween custom where children go from house to house dressed in costume, asking for treats like candy or toys. If they don't get any treats, they might play a trick (mischief or prank) on the owners of the house.
欺骗或攻击是现代万圣节的风俗。孩子们穿着特殊的衣服走街串巷,讨取糖果和玩具之类的赏赐。如果他们得不到任何的赏赐,就可能会对屋主大搞恶作剧或者胡闹了。
The tradition of the Jack o' Lantern comes from a folktale about a man named Jack who tricked the devil and had to wander the Earth with a lantern. The Jack o' Lantern is made by placing a candle inside a hollowed-out pumpkin, which is carved to look like a face.
南瓜灯的传统来自于一个民间传说。一个名叫Jack的人戏弄了恶魔,之后就不得不提着一盏灯在地球上流浪。南瓜灯是用雕刻成脸型,中间挖空,再插上蜡烛的南瓜做成的。
There are many other superstitions associated with Halloween. A supers tition is an irrational idea, like believing that the number 13 is unlucky!
和万圣节有关的迷信还有很多。迷信是一种不合常理的想法,比如认为13是不吉利的数字!
Halloween is also associated with supernatural creatures like ghosts and vampires. These creatures are not part of the natural world. They don't really exist... or do they?
万圣节还和一些诸如鬼魂和吸血鬼之类的超自然的生物有关。这些生物不是自然界的一部分。他们实际上是不存在的......或许他们其实真的存在?
Witches are popular Halloween characters that are thought to have magical powers. They usually wear pointed hats and fly around on broomsticks.
女巫是万圣节很受欢迎的人物,人们认为她们具有强大的魔力。他们通常戴着尖顶的帽子,骑在扫把上飞来飞去。
Bad omens are also part of Halloween celebrations. A bad omen is something that is believed to bring bad luck, like black cats, spiders or bats.
恶兆也是万圣节庆祝活动的一部分。人们相信恶兆会带给坏运气,黑猫、蜘蛛或者蝙蝠都算是恶兆。