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美丽的节日:万圣节

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发表于 2016-7-9 23:22:12 | 显示全部楼层 |阅读模式
  Halloween
          October 31
          On October 31st, dozens of children dressed in costumes(节日服装)knock on their
neighbors' doors and yell "Trick or Treat" when the door opens. Pirates and
princesses, ghosts and popular heroes of the day all hold bags open to catch the
candy or other goodies that the neighbors drop in. As they give each child a
treat the neighbors exclaim over the costumes and try to guess who is under the
masks.
          Since the 800's November 1st is a religious holiday known as All Saints'
Day(万圣节). The Mass that was said on this day was called Allhallowmas. The
evening before became known as All Hakkiw e'en, or Halloween. Like some other
American celebrations, its origins lie in both pre-Christian and Christian
customs.
          October 31 st was the eve of the Celtic(凯尔特人的)new year. The Celts were the
ancestors of the present-day Irish, Welsh and Scottish people. On this day
ghosts walked and mingled with the living, or so the Celts thought. The
townspeople baked food all that day and when night fell they dressed up and
tried to resemble the souls of the dead. Hoping that the ghosts would leave
peacefully before midnight of the new year.
          Much later, when Christianity spread throughout Ireland and October 31 was
no longer the last day of the year, Halloween became a celebration mostly for
children. "Ghosts" went from door to door asking for treats, or else a trick
would be played on the owners of the house. When millions of Irish people
immigrated to the United States in the 1840s the tradition came with them.
          Today' school dances and neighborhood parties called "block parties" are
popular among young and old alike. More and more adults celebrate Halloween.
They dress up like historical or political figures and go to masquerade
parties(化妆舞会). In larger cities, costumed children and their parents gather at
shopping malls early in the evening. Stores and businesses give parties with
games and treats for the children.Teenagers enjoy costume dances at their
schools and the more outrageous the costume the better!
          Certain pranks(恶作剧)such as soaping car windows and tipping over garbage
cans are expected. But partying and pranks are not the only things that
Halloweeners enjoy doing. Some collect money to buy food and medicine for needy
children around the world.
          Symbols of Halloween
          Halloween originated as a celebration connected with evil spirits. Witches
flying on broomsticks with black cats, ghosts, goblins(小精灵)and skeletons have
all evolved as symbols of Halloween. They are popular trick-or-treat costumes
and decorations for greeting cards and windows. Black is one of the traditional
Halloween colors, probably because Halloween festivals and traditions took place
at night. In the weeks before October 31, Americans decorate windows of houses
and schools with silhouettes(轮廓)of witches and black cats.
          Pumpkins are also a symbol of Halloween. The pumpkin is an orange-colored
squash, and orange has become the other traditional Halloween color. Carving
pumpkins into jack- o'lanterns is a Halloween custom also dating back to
Ireland. A legend grew up about a man named Jack who was so stingy(吝啬的)that he
was not allowed into heaven when he died, because he was a miser(吝啬鬼). He
couldn't enter hell either because he had played jokes on the devil. As a
result, Jack had to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgement Day(审判日).
The Irish people carved scary faces out of turnips(芜菁根), beets(甜菜根)or potatoes
representing "Jack of the Lantern," or Jack-o'lantern. When the Irish brought
their customs to the United States, they carved faces on pumpkins because in the
autumn they were more plentiful than turnips. Today jack-o'-lanterns in the
windows of a house on Halloween night let costumed children know that there are
goodies(糖果)waiting if they knock and say "Trick or Treat!"
          Halloween Treats
          Dried Pumpkin Seeds
          After carving your pumpkin, separate the pulp from the seeds. Rinse(冲洗)the
seeds and spread them out to dry. The next day, add enough melted butter or
margarine(人造黄油)to coat each seed. Spread the seeds onto a cookie sheet(甜酥饼干)and
bake for 20 minutes in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until they are
slightly brown.
          Caramel Apples
          Take the paper wrapping off about 100 caramels(饴糖)and put them in a
saucepan(炖锅). Put the saucepan over a pan of boiling water. Boil the water until
the caramels melt. Put a wooden stick into the top of each apple, dip the apple
into the caramel. Let them cool on wax paper and enjoy!
          Scary Stories
          No Halloween party is complete without at least one scary story. Usually
one person talks in a low
          voice while everyone else crowds together on the floor or around a fire.
The following is a retelling of a tale told in Britain and in North Carolina and
Virginia.
          "What Do You Come For?"
          There was an old woman who lived all by herself, and she was very lonely.
Sitting in the kitchen one night, she said, "Oh, I wish I had some company."
          No sooner had she spoken than down the chimney tumbled two feet from which
the flesh had rotted. The old woman's eyes bulged with terror.
          Then two legs dropped to the hearth and attached themselves to the
feet.
          Then a body tumbled down, then two arms, and a man's head.
          As the old woman watched, the parts came together into a great, tall man.
The man danced around and around the room. Faster and faster he went. Then he
stopped, and he looked into her eyes.
          "What do you come for? she asked in a small voice that shivered and
shook.
          "What do I come for?" he said. "I come for YOU!"
          The narrator shouts and jumps at the person near him!
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