在前夜,人們會穿著奇裝異服,頂著詭異的妝容縱情玩樂。
小孩子們尤其興奮,他們打扮成妖魔鬼怪的樣子,提著南瓜燈挨家挨戶討要糖果,不給糖就搗蛋,絕不放過任何掠奪糖果的機(jī)會,間接挽救了無數(shù)糖果廠。
大人們也不甘示弱,他們在房屋前布置各種恐怖的小玩意兒,用來嚇唬過往的行人。還化妝成各種鬼樣子,比鬼還要像鬼。
五花八門的慶?;顒右彩菍映霾桓F。派對、嘉年華、化妝舞會、游行,應(yīng)有盡有,熱鬧非凡。
然而與熱火朝天的萬圣節(jié)前夜相比,本應(yīng)是主角的萬圣節(jié)這邊卻顯得落寞許多,被搶盡了風(fēng)頭。
人們似乎忘記了萬圣節(jié)的宗教淵源,與它的初衷漸行漸遠(yuǎn)。流傳到今天,萬圣節(jié)已然成了狂歡的代名詞。
并且由于文化的差異,其他國家的人經(jīng)常會將萬圣夜誤稱為萬圣節(jié),甚至連什么是萬圣節(jié)也搞不清楚,不用懷疑,也許你就是其中一位。
所以,萬圣節(jié)為什么不叫“鬼節(jié)”,而叫“萬圣節(jié)”呢?它是為何設(shè)立?又與宗教有著怎樣的淵源呢?別急,接下來將為你揭曉答案。
All Saints' Day
All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day, falls on the 1st of November every year. People celebrate it to remember all Christian saints, particularly those who have no special feast days of their own.
每年的11月1日,萬圣節(jié)就會到來。萬圣節(jié)是為了紀(jì)念基督教的所有圣徒,尤其是那些沒有自己的特設(shè)節(jié)日的圣徒。
saint n [C] 圣徒(是基督教各派對已去世的教士和信徒所加的尊號)
fall vi [熟詞生義] 發(fā)生;突然到來
feast n [C](宗教的)節(jié)日;盛宴
What is a saint? You might ask. I'll answer that question. A saint is a very good or holy person who is given special respect after death by the Christian church. Such as St. Mary the Virgin and Saint Peter, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ.
你可能會問,什么是圣徒?我來告訴你。圣徒是心地善良、圣潔的人,是在去世后被基督教會給予特殊敬意的人。比如圣母瑪麗亞,以及耶穌的十二門徒之一圣彼得。
holy adj 與神(或宗教)有關(guān)的;神圣的;圣潔的
church n [C] 教堂
such as 例如;比如
apostle n [C] 門徒;使徒
In the Western Christian practice, the celebration begins on the evening of October 31st, Halloween (All Saints’ Eve), and ends at the close of November 1st.
在西方基督教的習(xí)俗里,萬圣節(jié)的慶?;顒釉?0月31日的晚上開始,也就是萬圣節(jié)前夕,并在11月1日結(jié)束。
practice n [C] & [U] [熟詞生義] 慣例;習(xí)俗
eve n [C](尤指宗教節(jié)假日的)前夕;前一天
Halloween refers to the Eve of All Hallows. The root word of Halloween is “hallow”, which means “holy”. The suffix “een” is an abbreviation of “evening”.
萬圣節(jié)前夕指的是萬圣節(jié)的前一夜。它的詞根是 hallow,意思是“圣徒”。后綴 -een 是 evening的縮寫。
refer to 涉及;與……相關(guān)
suffix n [C] 后綴
abbreviation n [C] 縮略語;縮寫(形式)
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This festival marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death.
萬圣節(jié)前夕的起源可以追溯到古代凱爾特人的薩溫節(jié)。這個(gè)節(jié)日標(biāo)志著夏天和秋收的結(jié)束,以及黑暗、寒冷的冬天的開始,是一年中常與人類的死亡相聯(lián)系在一起的時(shí)間。
date back to 追溯到;始于
festival n [C] 節(jié)日(來源于feast“宗教節(jié)日”)
be associated with 與……相關(guān)的
On the night of October 31st Celts celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. They would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
在10月31日的晚上,凱爾特人會慶祝薩溫節(jié),他們相信死者的鬼魂會在這一天回到人間。他們會點(diǎn)燃篝火,穿上化妝服來驅(qū)趕鬼魂。
ghost n [C] 鬼魂;幽靈
bonfire n [C] 篝火;火堆
costume n [C] 戲裝;化妝服
ward off 抵御;避免;防止
Jack-o’-lanterns carved from pumpkins are a yearly Halloween tradition. Their origin comes from an Irish myth about Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil for his own monetary gain. When Jack died, God didn’t allow him into heaven, and the Devil didn’t let him into hell, so Jack was sentenced toroam the earth for eternity.
用南瓜雕刻南瓜燈(杰克燈)是每年萬圣節(jié)的傳統(tǒng)。南瓜燈來自愛爾蘭的一個(gè)關(guān)于吝嗇鬼杰克的神話故事。杰克為了謀財(cái)欺騙了魔鬼,他死后,上帝不讓他進(jìn)入天堂,魔鬼也不讓他進(jìn)入地獄,所以杰克被判在人間永遠(yuǎn)游蕩。
jack-o'-lantern n [C] 南瓜燈;杰克燈
trick vt 欺騙
monetary adj 貨幣的;錢的
be sentenced to 被宣判……;被判決……
roam vi & vt 徜徉;漫步
eternity n [U] 永恒;永生
But the Devil took some pity on Jack, giving him some coal to light his turnip lantern as he wandered between both places.
但魔鬼有些可憐杰克,在杰克游蕩于天堂與地獄之間時(shí),給了他一堆炭火來點(diǎn)亮他的蘿卜燈籠。
take pity on 憐憫……;可憐……
light vt 點(diǎn)亮
wander vt & vi 游蕩;漫游
In Ireland, people started to carve demonic faces out of turnips to frighten away Jack’s wandering soul. When Irish immigrants moved to the US, they began carving jack-o’-lanterns from pumpkins, as these were native to the region.
在愛爾蘭,人們開始用蘿卜雕刻出惡魔的臉來嚇走杰克流浪的靈魂。當(dāng)愛爾蘭移民搬到美國后,他們開始用南瓜雕刻杰克燈,因?yàn)槟瞎鲜钱?dāng)?shù)氐奶禺a(chǎn)。
demonic adj 惡魔的
frighten away 把……嚇走
be native to 原產(chǎn)于……的;當(dāng)?shù)氐?/p>
The customs of All saints’ Day vary around the world. In the United States, people usually put up jack-o’-lanterns and dress in costumes with themes of death commonly associated on Halloween.
世界各地的萬圣節(jié)習(xí)俗各不相同。在美國,在萬圣節(jié)前夕,人們通常會掛起南瓜燈,并穿著與死亡主題相關(guān)的服裝,以此來慶祝萬圣節(jié)。
put up 掛起;張貼
dress in 穿上……
Children go door-to-door in costume, trick-or-treating, which is soliciting candy from their neighbors. The holiday has lost much of its connection to its religious origins.
孩子們穿著化裝服挨家挨戶地去玩“不給糖就搗蛋”的游戲,也就是向他們的鄰居討糖果。這個(gè)節(jié)日已經(jīng)與它的宗教起源失去了很大的聯(lián)系。
door-to-door 挨家挨戶
trick or treat 不給糖就搗蛋
solicit vt & vi 索求;請求……給予
Although nearly everyone celebrates Halloween for the fun of the holiday, the following religious solemnities, are not widely practiced or acknowledged by most Americans unless they are Catholic.
雖然幾乎每個(gè)人都慶祝萬圣節(jié)前夕以獲得節(jié)日的快樂,但接下來的宗教儀式卻并不為大多數(shù)美國人所廣泛遵循或承認(rèn),除非他們是天主教徒。
holiday n [C] 假日;節(jié)日(尤指宗教節(jié)日或國家慶典日,來源于holy day“宗教的節(jié)日”)
solemnities n [復(fù)數(shù)] 隆重的儀式
widely adv 廣泛地
practice vt 遵循;奉行;實(shí)行
Although not a public holiday in the US, All Saints’ Day is observed publicly in many countries. In France and Germany, people have the work day off and businesses are closed.
雖然萬圣節(jié)在美國不是法定節(jié)日,但在許多國家卻都是公開慶祝的。在法國和德國,人們會放假,商店會關(guān)門。
observe vt [熟詞生義] 慶祝;慶賀
have the work day off 休假
In France church services in memory of all the saints are held on November 1st but by the evening the focus turns towards the dead. Cemeteries everywhere are crowded with people who come to clean and decorate family graves.
在法國,紀(jì)念所有的圣徒的教堂儀式在11月1日舉行,但到了晚上,人們的重心就轉(zhuǎn)向了死者。墓地?cái)D滿了來清理和裝飾家族墳?zāi)沟娜恕?/p> service n [C] 宗教儀式;(尤指教堂的)禮拜 in memory of 作為對……的紀(jì)念 cemetery n [C] 公墓;墓地 be crowded with 擠滿…… grave n [C] 墳?zāi)梗荒寡?/p>
In Mexico, people sell candies and toys that symbolize death such as coffins and skeletons. Typically lively rather than solemn, the holiday’s festivities also includes carnivals, dances, and parades.
在墨西哥,人們出售象征死亡的糖果和玩具,如棺材和骷髏。節(jié)日的慶?;顒舆€包括嘉年華、舞蹈和游行,熱鬧卻并不莊嚴(yán)。
symbolize vt 象征;代表
coffin n [C] 棺材
skeleton n [C] 骨骼;骷髏
typically adv 通常;典型地
lively adj 充滿活力的;活躍熱情的
rather than 而不是
solemn adj 莊嚴(yán)的;隆重的
carnival n [C] & [U] 狂歡節(jié);嘉年華
parade n [C] 游行
Across much of Europe, the day is commemorated with offerings of flowers left on the graves of the dead. In Eastern Europe, candles are lit on graves instead of offerings of flowers.
在歐洲大部分地區(qū),人們會在死者的墳?zāi)股汐I(xiàn)上鮮花來紀(jì)念這一天。在東歐,人們在墳?zāi)股宵c(diǎn)燃蠟燭,而不是獻(xiàn)上鮮花。
commemorate vt 紀(jì)念
offering n [C] 貢品;祭品
instead of 代替;而不是
In countries like the Philippines, where All Saints’ Day is known as “Undas”, the day isn’t just for remembering the saints, but for honoring and paying respects to departed loved ones, usually with prayers, flowers, and good offerings.
在像菲律賓這樣的國家,萬圣節(jié)被稱為Undas,這一天不僅僅是為了紀(jì)念圣徒,也是為了向逝去的親人們表達(dá)敬意,通常伴有禱告、鮮花和上好的祭品。
be known as 被認(rèn)為是;被稱為;以……著稱
pay respects to 向……表示敬意
departed adj 去世的;已故的
prayer n [C] 禱告;祈禱
In China, Halloween celebrations among the younger generation are gradually becoming more and more popular. Kids’ Halloween parties and pumpkin-carving is becoming a favorite with less conservative parents in big cities.
在中國,萬圣節(jié)前夕的慶?;顒釉谀贻p一代中變得越來越受歡迎。在大城市,孩子們的萬圣節(jié)前夕派對和南瓜雕刻正成為不那么保守的父母們的最愛。
more and more 越來越……
become a favorite with sb 成為某人的最愛
However, most Chinese people get October 31st confused with November 1st, which is All Saints’ Day actually.
然而,大多數(shù)中國人其實(shí)把10月31日和11月1日搞混了,11月1日才是萬圣節(jié)。
As you can see, different cultures have different customs associated with the holiday.
如你所見,關(guān)于這個(gè)節(jié)日,不同的文化有著不同的習(xí)俗。
閱讀下列短文,從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
1. What is the text mainly about?
A. The origin of Halloween.
B. Celebrations of All Saints’ Day.
C. The knowledge about Christian saints.
D. A brief introduction of All Saints’ Day.
2. What do we know about Halloween?
A. It takes place on November 1 every year.
B. It comes from an ancient Celtic festival.
C. It was first established to respect the death.
D. It originates from an Irish myth.
3. Why did the Irish carve jack-o’-lanterns at first?
A. To trick the devil.
B. To honor Stingy Jack.
C. To scare the ghost of Stingy Jack.
D. To celebrate their immigration to the US.
4. How do Americans celebrate All Saints’ Day according to the text?
A. They practice religious solemnity in churches.
B. They put up pumpkin lanterns and dress in costumes.
C. They have the work day off and close the businesses.
D. They go to the cemeteries to clean and decorate family graves.
5. Which country holds entertaining events to celebrate All Saints’ Day?
A. Mexico. B. France. C. Germany. D. Philippines.
答案
DBCBA
聯(lián)系客服