你知道“万圣节”的由来吗？

Halloween was called Samhain by the Irish. It came to be known as Halloween sometime around the fifth century A.D..

　　Samhain took place on October 31 through to November 1. During this period, it was believed that the boundaries between our world and the world of the dead were weakened, allowing spirits of the recently dead to cross over and possess the living.

　　To celibrate the festival, the Irish would dress up in bizarre costumes and parade through their villages，causing destruction and saying "Trick-or-Treat", insgroupsto scare off any recently departed souls who might be prowling for bodies to inhabit.

　　This yearly festival was later brought to the other regions of the world, including continental Europe and North America. Irish immigrants brought several customs with them, including one of the symbols most commonly associated with Halloween -- the "Jack Lantern".

　　According to Irish folklore, there once lived a man named Jack who was known for being a drunk and a prankster. One night Jack tricked the devilsintosclimbing a tree, and quickly carved an image of a cross on the trunk, trapping the devil. Jack then made him promise that, in exchange for letting him out of the tree, the Devil would never tempt him to sin again. He reluctantly agreed, but was able to exact his revenge upon Jack''s death. Because of his mischevious ways in life, Jack was barred from entering heaven and because of his earlier trick, he was also barred from hell. So he was doomed to wander the earth until the end of time, with only a "Jack Lanterns" to warm him.

　　In Ireland, they originally used turnips for their "Jack Lanterns", but upon arriving in north America, they discovered that pumpkins were abundant and easier to carve out. 


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　你知道“万圣节”的由来吗？ 

　　万圣节起源于爱尔兰。从前,爱尔兰异教徒们相信万圣节这天,新近去世的鬼会还魂，附在活人的身上。因此在这个节日里，村民们就自己扮成鬼魂精灵，手提“杰克灯笼”，游走村外，嘴里说着“Trick-or-Treat”(大意是：接受我的恶作剧还是给我糖果)，引导鬼魂离开，避邪免灾。爱尔兰人的“杰克灯笼”通常是用大头菜刻成的，而在北美洲，则换成了南瓜。

　　“杰克灯笼”起源于爱尔兰的一个传说。传说，爱尔兰曾经有一个名叫杰克的爱恶作剧的酒鬼。一天晚上，他把一个魔鬼骗上树，然后在树干上刻了个十字架，让魔鬼下不来。后来魔鬼不得不保证，以后再也不会引诱杰克去做坏事，杰克这才让它下来。杰克死后，魔鬼报复了，它让杰克上天不得入地无门，只能在阳间满无目的流浪，手里只有一盏灯笼取暖。