为什么要庆祝万圣节前夜？

Halloween has been around for more than a thousand years. Originally a religious observance， it became increasingly secular over the centuries. Today Halloween is considered a holiday for dress up and fun， especially for children.

Halloweens origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival. It was believed that on that day， the souls of the dead returned to their homes， so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits. In this way， popular Halloween words such as witches， ghosts， and goblins became associated with the holiday.

In the 7th century， Pope Boniface IV created All Saints Day， originally celebrated on May 13. A century later， Pope Gregory III moved the holiday to November 1. The day before the saintly celebration became known as All Hallows Eve， or Halloween.

Though the holiday began in Celtic regions of Ireland， the United Kingdom， and France， it quickly spread to other parts of the world. The first American colonists in New England were forbidden to celebrate it for religious reasons， though it enjoyed some popularity in the Southern colonies. By the 1800s， fall festivals marking the seasonal harvest incorporated Halloween elements， and many Halloween traditions brought by Irish immigrants remain today.

The custom of trick-or-treating， in which children dress up in costume and solicit treats from neighbors， became popular in the United States in the early 20th century as Irish and Scottish communities revived the Old World custom of “guising”， in which a person would dress in costume and tell a joke， or perform some other trick in exchange for a piece of fruit or other treat. By 1950， trick-or-treating for candy had become one of Halloweens most popular activities. Today， Halloween is one of the biggest holidays for candy sales in the United States， exceeding $2.5 billion every year.

萬圣节前夜已经有一千多年历史了。它最初是一种宗教仪式，几个世纪以来，它变得越来越世俗化。今天万圣节前夜被当作是一个变装打扮和娱乐的节日，特别是对儿童来说。

万圣节前夜的起源可以追溯到古代凯尔特人的节日。据说，在那一天，死者的灵魂会回到他们的家，所以人们变装打扮，点燃篝火，以抵御鬼魂。就这样，万圣节前夜的流行词语，如女巫、鬼魂、妖精等与这个节日联系了起来。

公元7世纪，教皇卜尼法斯四世设立了万圣节，最初是在5月13日庆祝。一个世纪后，教皇格列高利三世将这个节日移到了11月1日，而万圣节庆典的前一天被称为万圣节前夜。

尽管这一节日始于爱尔兰的凯尔特人地区、英国和法国，但它很快传到了世界其他地区。尽管该节日在美国南部殖民地颇受欢迎，但由于宗教原因，美国新英格兰的第一批移民被禁止庆祝该节日。到了19世纪，标志着季节性丰收的秋季节日吸收了万圣节前夜的元素，爱尔兰移民带来的许多万圣节前夜的传统，仍保留至今。

孩子们穿着奇装异服，向邻居讨要糖果，“不给糖就捣蛋”的习俗，在20世纪初在美国流行起来。当时爱尔兰人和苏格兰人社区重新兴起了旧大陆的“伪装”的习俗，即一个人乔装打扮讲个笑话或表演其他一些把戏，以此换取一块水果或其他的食物。到了1950年，“不给糖就捣蛋”已经成为万圣节前夜最受欢迎的活动之一。如今，万圣节前夜是美国糖果销售额最大的节日之一，每年销售额超过25亿美元。