Home

Reading

Listening

Translation

Writing

Vocabulary

Forum

Home > Learning English > Bilingual News

US children, adults celebrate Halloween
美国男女老少欢度万圣节

Children dressed as fairy tale princes, cowboys, super heroes and bunny rabbits take part in Halloween activities in Vail, Colorado. [File photo]
科罗拉多州维尔市的儿童装扮成童话中的王子、牛仔、超级英雄和小兔子参加万圣节庆祝活动。

While not an official holiday, the traditional October 31 Halloween celebration is much beloved by children in the United States, for whom the day is a chance to don costumes -- often depicting ghosts, goblins and other "supernatural" creatures -- and to collect candy and other treats from adults.	传统的10月31日万圣节虽然不是官方节日，却深受美国儿童的喜爱，因为这一天他们可以穿上奇装异服——通常装扮成鬼怪、妖魔和其他“超自然”生灵——向大人们索要糖果或其他食物。
Plenty of adults also celebrate the occasion by attending costume parties, although their garb often depicts celebrities, political candidates or other public figures.	许多成年人则通过参加化妆舞会庆祝万圣节，只不过他们通常装扮成名人、政党候选人或其他公众人物。
The National Retail Federation expects strong spending on Halloween decorations, candy and costumes in 2011 despite a tentative economic outlook. "Halloween sales may be a bright spot for retailers this year" since the holiday is a way to forget daily stresses and "just have a little fun," says the NRF's Tracy Mullin.	尽管目前经济前景尚不明朗，但全美零售联盟仍然预期2011年民众会大量购买万圣节饰品、糖果和服装。全美零售联盟的特蕾西·穆林表示，“万圣节期间的购买热潮对零售商来说可能是一个销售亮点，”因为节日可以使人们暂时忘却日常压力，“享受一些乐趣。”
Most Americans consider Halloween a festive occasion, but its roots long predate the United States and its meaning has changed greatly over time. Even today, many other nations observe their own versions of this festival.	尽管多数美国人将万圣节视为传统节日，但它的起源却远远早于美国的历史，而且意义也随着时间发生了很大变化。即使是今天，其他许多国家庆祝万圣节的方式也各不相同。
Throughout history, many agrarian cultures have celebrated end-of-harvest festivals. The ancient Celts celebrated Samhain on the evening of October 31. It featured the wearing of masks and other ceremonies to ward off the spirits of those who had died during the preceding year, which were believed to revisit the earth on that one night.	回顾历史，许多农耕文化都有庆祝丰收节的传统。古凯尔特人在每年10月31日的晚上庆祝夏末节，他们戴上奇异的面具，并且举办各种仪式，驱赶当年死者的灵魂，据说这些灵魂会在当天晚上造访人世。
Under the Romans, the holiday more closely came to resemble a harvest festival. As Christianity spread across Europe, folk beliefs often were adapted and incorporated, in their new forms, into such Christian occasions as All Saints' Day (November 1). The evening immediately preceding All Saints' Day was known originally as "All Hallows Eve" ("hallowed" means "sanctified" or "holy"), and it is from this title that Halloween derives its name.	在罗马帝国，万圣节更接近丰收节。随着基督教在欧洲广为传播，民间信仰通常以新的形式与基督教节日结合在一起，例如与[11月1日]基督教诸圣节融为一体。诸圣节的前一夜原本被称做“万圣夜”（“hallowed”意为“神圣的”或“圣洁的”），万圣节便来源于此。