The History of Halloween

歷史上的萬圣節

　　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日是萬圣節，這也是凱爾特歷的最后一天。萬圣節起初是一個異教徒的節日，紀念死去的人。萬圣節源于圣徒日前夜，始于2000多年前。

　　All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day, which was created by Christians to convert pagans, and is celebrated 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，是基督徒開創的節日，用來勸說異教徒皈依基督，天主教堂在這一天紀念圣徒們。

　　The Origin of Halloween

　　萬圣節的起源

　　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.

　　盡管關于萬圣節的起源和舊俗有很多不同的看法，但有一些是被所有人接受的。不同文化看待萬圣節總是有點不同，但是傳統的萬圣節做的事情都是一樣的。

　　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 annually on October 31st to honor the dead.

　　萬圣節文化可以追溯到德魯伊教，這是一種愛爾蘭、北歐和英國的凱爾特文化，根植于Samhain節的慶祝活動，Samhain節于每年的10月31日紀念逝者。

　　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 superstition.

　　Samhain節說明夏天結束或者十一月，是一個豐收的節日。在Samhain節會燃起神圣巨大的篝火，標志著凱爾特一年的結束和新一年的開始。一些做法因為迷信被加入慶祝活動中。

　　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 pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating.

　　凱爾特人相信死者的靈魂會在夜里出沒在街道和村莊 。因為他們認為不是所有的靈魂都是友善的，所以就把禮物和好吃的留在外面安慰惡靈來確保來年的莊稼可以豐收。這種習俗演變成了trick-or-treating。