Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back thousands of years in western countries. It is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.
To protect themselves from harmful spirits, On the night of October 31, people wore costumes to look like the spirits and made offerings of food such as bread, eggs, and apples for luck. Wearing masks and costumes to confuse the ghosts, people went door-to-door to collect the offerings. Generous people lit large fires and were wished well, but stingy ones were threatened.
The custom continues today, kids getting dressed up and saying “ trick or treat!” The people have to give out candy (which is a treat) and if they don’t, the child can play a trick on them. Adults usually go to costume parties; teenagers go around neighborhoods doing stupid things like throwing eggs at house.
万圣节快乐
万圣节是西方国家最古老的节日之一，已有几千年的历史了。它是天主教感念圣人的节日。传说万圣节前夜所有的灵魂都会重返人间，寻找肉身，而且这会是他们来世回归重生的唯一希望。古凯尔特人认为所有空间和时间的规则在这一刻都会停止，让灵魂能够回到人世间来。
为了保护自己不被恶灵伤害，10月31的晚上人们穿上看起来像鬼的衣服，并且准备面包、鸡蛋、苹果等食物当供品以求好运。人们戴着面具，穿着迷惑鬼魂的鬼服，挨家挨户收供品。慷慨的人点起灯火，受到良好祝愿，但吝啬的人却受到威胁。
这个习俗延续至今，小孩们都穿戴起来，挨门去讨糖说“不给糖就捣蛋”，如果有人不给的话，这些人就会被恶作剧，大人们会去参加化装舞会，年轻人还会到家附近的街区朝房子扔彩蛋，听起来有点傻吧！作者: HappyEveryday 时间: 2006-12-14 14:09
