The History of Halloween

　　历史上的万圣节

　　Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was originally a pagan holiday, honoring the dead. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.

　　10月31日是万圣节，这也是凯尔特历的最后一天。万圣节起初是一个异教徒的节日，纪念死去的人。万圣节源于圣徒日前夜，始于2000多年前。

　　All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians¹ to convert pagans, and is celebrated² on November 1st. The Catholic church honored saints on this designated day.

　　圣徒日前夜是圣徒日的前一天晚上，圣徒日在11月1日，是基督徒开创的节日，用来劝说异教徒皈依基督，天主教堂在这一天纪念圣徒们。

　　The Origin of Halloween

　　万圣节的起源

　　While there are many versions of the origins and old customs of Halloween, some remain consistent by all accounts. Different cultures view Holloween somewhat differently but traditional Halloween practices remain the same.

　　尽管关于万圣节的起源和旧俗有很多不同的看法，但有一些是被所有人接受的。不同文化看待万圣节总是有点不同，但是传统的万圣节做的事情都是一样的。

　　Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually³ on October 31st to honor the dead.

　　万圣节文化可以追溯到德鲁伊教，这是一种爱尔兰、北欧和英国的凯尔特文化，根植于Samhain节的庆祝活动，Samhain节于每年的10月31日纪念逝者。

　　Samhain signifies "summers end" or November. Samhain was a harvest festival with huge sacred bonfires, marking the end of the Celtic year and beginning of a new one. Many of the practices involved in this celebration were fed on superstition⁴.

　　Samhain节说明夏天结束或者十一月，是一个丰收的节日。在Samhain节会燃起神圣巨大的篝火，标志着凯尔特一年的结束和新一年的开始。一些做法因为迷信被加入庆祝活动中。

　　The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify⁵ the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful⁶. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.

　　凯尔特人相信死者的灵魂会在夜里出没在街道和村庄 。因为他们认为不是所有的灵魂都是友善的，所以就把礼物和好吃的留在外面安慰恶灵来确保来年的庄稼可以丰收。这种习俗演变成了trick-or-treating。