Halloween is just around the corner, and you've probably been wondering why it's a holiday full of pumpkin carving and people dressing up in costumes. You might also be curious as to why people go trick-or-treating, just showing up at someone's door and asking for candy! Fear not, below are five of Halloween's most important traditions―debunked.
万圣节要到了，你可能会问为什么在这个节日里，放眼望去满是南瓜灯和穿着奇装异服的人们。你可能还会问为什么大家要跑到别人家敲门要糖果喊着“trick-or-treating”。别怕，下面就来给大家一一解释万圣节的五大习俗。
1.Why do people carve pumpkins?
1.为什么要雕南瓜灯？
Surprisingly, a strong part of this tradition involves being stingy. In fact, the tradition arose from the Irish myth of Stingy Jack, a man who invited the devil to have a drink with him.
没想到吧，这个习俗竟然能跟小气扯上关系。南瓜灯源自爱尔兰“吝啬鬼杰克”（Stingy Jack）邀请魔鬼与他一同喝酒的传说
Since Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for the drink, he asked the devil to turn into a coin. The devil turned himself into a coin and Stingy Jack decided he preferred to put it in his pocket, next to a silver cross, which would stop the devil from restoring his original self.
完酒后吝啬鬼杰克不想付钱，所以他想了个办法让魔鬼变成一枚硬币。魔鬼照办了，但杰克把硬币放在自己兜里靠近银制十字架的地方，这样魔鬼就没法变回来了（魔鬼害怕十字架）。
Stingy Jack later released the devil on the condition that he would leave him alone for a year, and that if he died, the devil would not claim his soul. Jack kept teasing the devil and eventually when he died, God refused to let him into heaven, and the devil, disdain for Stingy Jack's ways and following up on his promise to not claim his soul, sent Stingy Jack back as a ghost into the world with only a burning coal to light his way. Stingy Jack decided to place the coal inside a carved-out turnip to light his way.
后来杰克同意把魔鬼放出来，前提是魔鬼要给他一年的自由时间，他死了不能收走 他的魂魄。后来，杰克还捉弄了魔鬼好多次，再后来他真的死了，上帝不让他上天堂，魔鬼也嫌弃他，并且遵守诺言不收走他的魂魄。于是他成了在人间流浪的鬼 魂，手上拿着一块发光的炭照亮前方的路。后来他决定把炭放进一个挖空的胡萝卜里来照明。
The Irish and the Scots made these turnip lamps to frighten Stingy Jack, but those who immigrated to the US realised that pumpkins were better suited, and more importantly, cheaper!
这就是为什么爱尔兰人和苏格兰人会做胡萝卜灯来吓走吝啬鬼杰克的魂魄，但移民到美国的人们发现南瓜更适合做成灯罩，而且更！便！宜！
2.Why do people dress up in scary costumes for Halloween?
为什么万圣节要穿吓人的衣服？
When Halloween was a Celtic holiday it was celebrated by both honoring good spirits and warding off evil ones. The idea of dressing in a scary way, just like the Halloween pumpkin, came from a desire to frighten away evil spirits. However, the formality of the tradition has morphed into a more jovial holiday that allows people to dress up in whatever way they like.
万圣节还是凯尔特传统节日的时候，主要是为了纪念善良的精灵、吓跑魔鬼。把自己穿扮恐怖的目的也跟做南瓜灯一样，是为了吓跑恶魔。不过，随着时间的演变，这个节日变成了个充满欢乐的日子，人们把自己装扮成各种自己喜欢的形象。
3.Why do people go trick-or-treating?
3.为什么要玩“不给糖就捣乱”？
In Europe during the Middle Ages, poor people would knock on wealthy people's doors and offer to pray for the wealthy people's souls. In exchange they would be given pastries. This tradition seems to have combined with another, that of dressing up and performing a short skit or a trick, singing a song, or reciting a poem. Today, children will knock on neighbor's doors asking for candy, or a treat, with the expectation that if no treat is given, the children will perform a trick on the neighbor.
世纪时期，在欧洲，穷人会去敲富人的门，为富人的灵魂祈祷。作为交换，富人会给他们点心。这传统经过演变和融合以后就成了装扮好去敲别人家的门，然后表演小短剧、唱歌或背诵诗歌。孩子们会敲开邻居家的门，向邻居讨糖果或其它吃的。要是不给呢，他们就会捣乱。
4.Why do people prank each other on Halloween?
4.为什么万圣节这天要互相整蛊？
It's hard to trace the origins of the Halloween prank, but today it has become a common phenomenon, and a huge source of discussion. Today, Halloween is one of those days when pranks are generally accepted, so long as they are innocent.
已经无法知道万圣节整蛊是缘于何处了，总之这已经是大家默认的了，而且也可以引起很多有趣的话题。万圣节这天，一切不伤大雅的恶作剧都可以接受。
This year, Michael Irvine, from Ireland, takes the prize for most ingenious prank as he used a drone to help an evil spirit from the Harry Potter saga, a dementor, take flight.
今年最有创意的搞怪人非爱尔兰的迈克尔•欧文（Michael Irvine）莫属，他借助无人机让《哈利•波特》电影中的摄魂怪玩偶飞了起来。
5.So it's a holiday about ghosts and evil spirits, but all I have to do now is dress up and have fun?
5. 所以这完全是个关乎妖魔鬼怪的节日，而我们要做的却是好好打扮一番然后尽情玩乐？
Yes!
没错！