Why Do We Celebrate Halloween? 為什么要慶祝萬圣節前夜？

張寧

Halloween has been around for more than a thousand years. Originally a religious1 observance2， it became increasingly secular3 over the centuries. Today Halloween is considered a holiday for dress-up and fun， especially for children.

Halloweens origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival. It was believed that on that day， the souls of the dead returned to their homes， so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires4 to ward5 off spirits. In this way， popular Halloween words such as witches6， ghosts， and goblins7 became associated with the holiday.

In the 7th century， Pope Boniface IV created All Saints Day， originally celebrated on May 13. A century later， Pope Gregory III moved the holiday to November 1. The day before the saintly celebration became known as All Hallows Eve， or Halloween.

Though the holiday began in Celtic regions of Ireland， the United Kingdom， and France， it quickly spread to other parts of the world. The first American colonists8 in New England were forbidden to celebrate it for religious reasons， though it enjoyed some popularity in the Southern colonies. By the 1800s， fall festivals marking the seasonal harvest incorporated9 Halloween elements， and many Halloween traditions brought by Irish immigrants10 remain today.

The custom of trick-or-treating， in which children dress up in costume and solicit11 treats from neighbors， became popular in the United States in the early 20th century as Irish and Scottish communities revived the Old World custom of “guising12”， in which a person would dress in costume and tell a joke， or perform some other trick in exchange for a piece of fruit or other treat. By 1950， trick-or-treating for candy had become one of Halloweens most popular activities. Today， Halloween is one of the biggest holidays for candy sales in the United States， exceeding13 $2.5 billion every year.

萬圣節前夜已經有一千多年歷史了。它最初是一種宗教儀式，幾個世紀以來，它變得越來越世俗化。今天萬圣節前夜被當作是一個變裝打扮和娛樂的節日，特別是對兒童來說。

萬圣節前夜的起源可以追溯到古代凱爾特人的節日。據說，在那一天，死者的靈魂會回到他們的家，所以人們變裝打扮，點燃篝火，以抵御鬼魂。就這樣，萬圣節前夜的流行詞語，如女巫、鬼魂、妖精等與這個節日聯系了起來。

公元7世紀，教皇卜尼法斯四世設立了萬圣節，最初是在5月13日慶祝。一個世紀后，教皇格列高利三世將這個節日移到了11月1日，而萬圣節慶典的前一天被稱為萬圣節前夜。

盡管這一節日始于愛爾蘭的凱爾特人地區、英國和法國，但它很快傳到了世界其他地區。盡管該節日在美國南部殖民地頗受歡迎，但由于宗教原因，美國新英格蘭的第一批移民被禁止慶祝該節日。到了19世紀，標志著季節性豐收的秋季節日吸收了萬圣節前夜的元素，愛爾蘭移民帶來的許多萬圣節前夜的傳統，仍保留至今。

孩子們穿著奇裝異服，向鄰居討要糖果，“不給糖就搗蛋”的習俗，在20世紀初在美國流行起來。當時愛爾蘭人和蘇格蘭人社區重新興起了舊大陸的“偽裝”的習俗，即一個人喬裝打扮講個笑話或表演其他一些把戲，以此換取一塊水果或其他的食物。到了1950年，“不給糖就搗蛋”已經成為萬圣節前夜最受歡迎的活動之一。如今，萬圣節前夜是美國糖果銷售額最大的節日之一，每年銷售額超過25億美元。

（英語原文選自：britannica.com）

1. religious [■] adj. 宗教的

2. observance [■] n. 慣例;儀式;慶祝

3. secular [■] adj. 世俗的;非宗教的

4. bonfire [■] n. 篝火;營火

5. ward [■] v. 避開;守護

6. witch [■] n. 巫婆，女巫

7. goblin [■] n. 小妖精

8. colonist [■] n. 殖民者;殖民地居民;移民

9. incorporate [■] v. 包含，吸收;體現

10. immigrant [■] n. 移民，僑民

11. solicit [■] v. 請求;乞求

12. guise [■] v. 使化裝;偽裝

13. exceed [■] v. 超過;勝過