A Little Bit Of Halloween History
今日导读：下周五（10月31日）就是万圣节！了解一下节日的历史，玩得更尽兴。难度指导：★★★★☆
Ooooo.. Halloween, ghosts, goblins, witches and[b][i][/i][u]vampires[/u][/b] scary stuff, but it wasn't always about made up monsters and getting bags of candy.
The origins of Halloween Date back to the Celtic's, who lived over 2000 years ago. The Celts celebrated a festival of Samhain (sow-in), it was celebrated throughout the United kingdom, Ireland, and northern France. This celebration was to mark the ending of the summer harvest, the end of a year, and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time that has always been considered associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, a boundary or sorts was opened, a boundary between the world of the living and that of the dead. It is on October 31st that the Celts believed that the ghosts and spirits of the dead returned. The Celts believe these ghosts ruined crops and cause trouble. It was also believed that the Celtic priests(Druids) could easily make future predictions on this night. These [b][u]prophecies[/u][/b] were of vital importance to the Celtic people, it helped provide them with a sense of safety and comfort during the long, dark winter.
This Samhain festival was an exciting event in the Celt time. The priests built Huge sacred [b][u]bonfires[/u][/b], where the people sacrificed crops and animals to the Celtic Deities. They dressed in costumes typically made of animal heads and skins, and they played games of prediction, trying to tell one another fortunes.
By A.D. 43, the Romans had conquered the majority of the Celts and for hundreds of years they ruled their lands. The festival of the Samhain was combined with Roman traditions. By the 800s the influence of Christianity had spread through out the Celtic lands, and in the 7th century Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 as "All Saints Day". It was widely believed that the Pope was attempting to replace the Celtic's festival of the dead with a related Church sanctioned holiday. The celebration has also been known as All-Hallows Even, All-Hallowmas, Hallow E'en and of course Halloween.
For thousand of years people have believed Halloween night to be associated with the dead, ghosts and spirits. And, because of those beliefs and the sacrifices they made we today have a tradition that is less dramatic but still exciting and a bit scary. Have fun this Halloween and remember the history that is associated with this dark night and remember that ghosts could be about pulling tricks while you're getting treats For real.
[b]vampire[/b][b] [/b]n. 吸血鬼
[b]prophecy [/b] n. 预言
[b]bonfire [/b] n. 篝火
万圣节，鬼怪、妖精、女巫以及吸血鬼恐怖的玩意儿，但它并不总是打扮成怪物和索取糖果。
万圣节的起源可追溯到2000多年前的凯尔特人。他们庆祝Samhain节(丰收的节日),在大不列颠、爱尔兰，法国北部都会庆祝Samhain节。庆祝活动意味着夏收的结束，一年的结束，同时也是阴冷冬天的开始。人们总是会把这段时期和人类的死亡联系在一起。凯尔特人深信在新年前夜，生与死的界线将会打开。他们还认为在10月31日这一天鬼魂将会重返人世，破坏庄稼，滋生肇事，并且牧师(德鲁伊教)在这一晚能很容易地预测未来。对于凯尔特人来说这些预言尤为重要，因为预言能给他们在漫长漆黑的冬季带来安全感和舒适感。
在凯尔特时期，Samhain节是个令人兴奋的节日；牧师搭起神圣的大篝火，在那里人们将庄稼和畜生供奉给凯尔特的神灵。人们穿着动物皮毛制的服装，大玩占卜游戏，互相诉说对方的命运。
直到公元43年，罗马人攻占由凯尔特人统治了长达几百年的领土。从那时候起，Samhain节就与罗马传统结合在一起。到公元9世纪，基督教的影响蔓延整个凯尔特部落。6世纪，伯尼费斯教皇四世指定11月1日为“天下圣徒之日”。从此大家都认为教皇要用教堂认可的礼拜取代凯尔特人悼念死者的节日。Samhain节庆祝会也就成为今天我们所说的万圣夜前夕。
几千年来，人们总相信万圣节之夜总会于死亡，魔鬼和灵魂有关。正是因为这些信念和为之所付出的牺牲，他们让后人保持这样一个庆祝传统，虽然少了一些戏剧性，但兴奋和惊恐的感觉依旧变。当我们过着愉快的万圣节时，请记住它与黑夜的关系，当别人请你吃东西的时候魔鬼是可以捉弄你的哦！
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