Sundry Features of Halloween 雜談萬圣節

Tiny ghost-like dolls hang from trees， big plastic spiders sit on rooftops and bloody plastic hands reach out from gravestones… Are you ready for the scariest night of the year？

October 31 is Halloween， one of the most popular festivals in the US， Canada and Britain. The festival began as a day to remember the dead. But nowadays its all about the carnival atmosphere when people can enjoy dressing up and scaring each other.

Halloween is one of childrens favourite nights of the year. They dress up as monsters and go to their neighbours houses， knocking on the door they shout， “Trick or treat！” Of course， people usually give them “treats”—like sweets or chocolates. But if you dont， you can expect a prank such as having your car windows soaped or your garbage cans turned over.

Halloween is also a time for masquerade parties. Witches fly in on broomsticks， while ghosts and skeletons chat on the dance floor.

You can even dress up as a famous monster like Dracula！ The motto is， “The scarier， the better.”

A well-known Halloween tradition is to make lanterns from pumpkins， called “Jack-o-lanterns”. First， the inside of the pumpkin is removed. Then， a face is cut into the pumpkin， traditionally a smiling， devil face. Finally a candle is placed inside， and the lantern is put at the front of the house to keep evil spirits away.

Besides pumpkin cutting， “apple-bobbing” is another popular game. Several apples are put in water in a big bucket. Children have their hands tied behind their backs. They have to try to pick the apples out of the water using only their mouths. Of course， people get very wet and it is very funny to watch.