US children, adults celebrate Halloween
美國男女老少歡度萬圣節
|
|
![Two kids hold a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch in Cordova, Maryland, October 25. [File photo] 10月25日，在美國馬里蘭州科爾多瓦市，兩個孩子在南瓜地里抱著一只大南瓜。](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20111031/000cf1a48b7f10187a7115.jpg "Two kids hold a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch in Cordova, Maryland, October 25. [File photo] 10月25日，在美國馬里蘭州科爾多瓦市，兩個孩子在南瓜地里抱著一只大南瓜。")
|
Two kids hold a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch in Cordova, Maryland, October 25. [File photo]
10月25日，在美國馬里蘭州科爾多瓦市，兩個孩子在南瓜地里抱著一只大南瓜。 |
| Halloween came to English North America via different immigrant groups. The New England Puritans disapproved, but the observance took hold in a number of Southern colonies and was spread broadly by mid-19th century Irish immigrants. In the United States, Halloween evolved into a holiday celebrated primarily by children. |
一批批的移民將萬圣節帶到了北美的英國殖民地。盡管新英格蘭清教徒不喜歡這個節日，但它卻在許多南方殖民地生根，并由19世紀中期的愛爾蘭移民廣泛傳播。在美國，萬圣節演變成了一個主要由兒童慶祝的節日。 |
| Today, the most prevalent Halloween customs are costumes and "trick-or-treat." While an estimated 41 million American youngsters dress up as "spooky" or supernatural characters -- ghosts, witches, skeletons and the like -- the purpose is not to promote the occult, but to collect candy. |
現在，萬圣節最流行的風俗是穿上奇裝異服玩“不給糖就搗亂”的游戲。約有4100萬美國小孩裝扮成“幽靈”或超自然角色——鬼怪、女巫、骷髏等等，喬裝的目的不是因為推崇鬼怪，而是為了索要糖果。 |
| The costumed children, usually accompanied by their parents (who often wait discreetly in the background) appear at their neighbors' doors shouting "Trick or treat!" The neighbors, feigning fear of such scary ghosts, vampires and zombies, quickly distribute the treats, so as to avoid any possible "trick." |
穿著奇異服裝的兒童通常在父母的陪伴下出現在鄰居的門前，高喊“不給糖就搗亂！”而他們的父母則小心地站在孩子身后等待。鄰居假裝害怕這些恐怖的鬼魂、吸血鬼和僵尸，很快把糖果分給他們，以避免可能招惹他們“搗亂”。 |
| Another custom is the decoration of a pumpkin by scooping out the inside, carving out a face and illuminating the result with a candle. Today, these "jack-o'-lanterns" are purely decorative, but they originated long ago in Britain, where turnips were used, and the "jacks" were believed to ward off evil spirits. |
萬圣節的另一個風俗是裝飾南瓜。把南瓜掏空，在外面刻出一張臉，然后在瓜中插上一支蠟燭，一個南瓜燈就大功告成了。南瓜燈也叫“杰克燈”，今天的杰克燈純粹是為了裝飾，但它起源于很久以前的英國，那時使用的不是南瓜而是蘿卜，“杰克”據說能驅趕幽靈。 |
| Many youth forgo their candy in favor of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, collecting not sweets, but money, in small boxes distributed by the United Nations Children's Fund. American children have collected more than US$132 million in this fashion, with the proceeds funding education, immunization and other programs in the developing world. Additional information about this tradition that started in 1950 is available on the UNICEF Web site. |
許多青少年通過“不給糖就搗亂”為聯合國兒童基金會籌集善款，他們不再索要糖果，而是拿著由聯合國兒童基金會分發的愛心箱向鄰居收集捐款。美國兒童已通過這種方式收集了超過1.32億美元的捐款，用于資助發展中國家的教育、免疫和其他兒童計劃。這一傳統起源于1950年，更多信息見聯合國兒童基金會網站。 |
|
Some communities host festive Halloween parades. Anoka, Minnesota, population 18,000, has proclaimed itself "Halloween Capital of the World," leading up to the big day with two weeks of activities including a "haunted house" and pumpkin-carving contest. New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood hosts a particularly raucous annual affair. The U.S. Census Bureau also publishes a fact sheet on Halloween.
(IIP Digital, October 31, 2011)
|
一些社區還會舉辦歡快的萬圣節游行。人口18000人的明尼蘇達州安諾卡市宣稱自己是“世界萬圣節之都”，舉辦為期兩周的活動以慶祝這個盛大的節日，包括“鬼屋”和刻南瓜大賽。紐約市格林威治村也會舉辦熱鬧非凡的萬圣節慶祝活動。美國人口普查局還發布了一份萬圣節介紹資料。
（《IIP美國參考》 2011年10月31日）
|
|
|
|
|
