| 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. |
傳統的10月31日萬圣節雖然不是官方節日，卻深受美國兒童的喜愛，因為這一天他們可以穿上奇裝異服——通常裝扮成鬼怪、妖魔和其他“超自然”生靈——向大人們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. |
許多成年人則通過參加化妝舞會慶祝萬圣節，只不過他們通常裝扮成名人、政黨候選人或其他公眾人物。 |
| 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. |
盡管目前經濟前景尚不明朗，但全美零售聯盟仍然預期2011年民眾會大量購買萬圣節飾品、糖果和服裝。全美零售聯盟的特蕾西·穆林表示，“萬圣節期間的購買熱潮對零售商來說可能是一個銷售亮點，”因為節日可以使人們暫時忘卻日常壓力，“享受一些樂趣。” |
| 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. |
盡管多數美國人將萬圣節視為傳統節日，但它的起源卻遠遠早于美國的歷史，而且意義也隨著時間發生了很大變化。即使是今天，其他許多國家慶祝萬圣節的方式也各不相同。 |
| 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. |
回顧歷史，許多農耕文化都有慶祝豐收節的傳統。古凱爾特人在每年10月31日的晚上慶祝夏末節，他們戴上奇異的面具，并且舉辦各種儀式，驅趕當年死者的靈魂，據說這些靈魂會在當天晚上造訪人世。 |
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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.
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在羅馬帝國，萬圣節更接近豐收節。隨著基督教在歐洲廣為傳播，民間信仰通常以新的形式與基督教節日結合在一起，例如與[11月1日]基督教諸圣節融為一體。諸圣節的前一夜原本被稱做“萬圣夜”（“hallowed”意為“神圣的”或“圣潔的”），萬圣節便來源于此。 |
![Children dressed as fairy tale princes, cowboys, super heroes and bunny rabbits take part in Halloween activities in Vail, Colorado. [File photo] 科羅拉多州維爾市的兒童裝扮成童話中的王子、牛仔、超級英雄和小兔子參加萬圣節慶祝活動。](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20111031/000cf1a48b7f1018780213.jpg "Children dressed as fairy tale princes, cowboys, super heroes and bunny rabbits take part in Halloween activities in Vail, Colorado. [File photo] 科羅拉多州維爾市的兒童裝扮成童話中的王子、牛仔、超級英雄和小兔子參加萬圣節慶祝活動。")
