From communion with the dead to pumpkins and pranks, Halloween is a patchwork holiday, stitched together with cultural, religious and occult traditions that span centuries.

　　从与死者交流到南瓜和恶作剧，万圣节是个大杂烩的节日，与跨越数个世纪，文化和宗教上的神秘传统交织在一起。

　　It all began with the Kelts, a people whose culture had spread across Europe more than two thousand years ago. October 31st was the day they celebrated the end of the harvest season in a festival called "Samhain." That night also marked the Keltic New Year and was considered the time "between years," a magical time when the ghost of the dead watched the Earth.

　　这一切是从凯尔特人开始的，在两千多年前凯尔特人的文化就已经遍布欧洲。十月三十一日是个他们在称作“Samhain”的庆典上，庆祝丰收祭结束的日子。那个夜晚一样也是凯尔特人新年的标志，而且被认为是“年间”的时间，“年间”是死者的亡魂监视着地球的神秘时刻。

　　It was the time when the veil between death and life was supposed to be at its thinnest.

　　人们认为那一刻是死者与生者之间的帷幕最薄的时候。

　　On "Samhain," the villagers gathered and lit huge bonfires to drive the dead back to the spirit world and keep them away from the living. But, as the Catholic Church's influences grew in Europe, it frowned on the pagan rituals like "Samhain." In the 7th century, the Vatican began to merge it with the church-sanctioned holiday. So November 1st was designated "All Saints' Day" to honor martyrs and the deceased faithful.

　　在“Samhain”庆典上，村民聚在一起燃起熊熊的营火驱使死者回到灵性世界，并使它们远离生者。然而，随着天主教教会的影响力在欧洲增加，它不满像是“Samhain”这样的异教徒仪式

　　Both of these holidays had to do with the afterlife and about survival after death. It was a calculated move on the part of the Church to bring more people into the fold.

　　第七世纪时，梵蒂冈开始将其与教会认可的节日合并在一起。所以十一月一日被指定为“诸圣日”以对殉教者们及过世的信徒表示尊敬。

　　"All Saints' Day" was known then as "Hallowmas." "Hallow" means "holy" or "saintly", so the translation is roughly "Mass of the Saints." The night before October 31st was "All Hallows' Eve," which gradually morphed into "Halloween."

　　这两个节日都与来世和死而复生有关。这是由教会所作出的老谋深算的一步，让更多人加入天主教的行列。

　　The holiday came to America with the wave of Irish immigrants during the Potato Famine of the 1840s. They brought several of their holiday customs with them, including "Bobbing for Apples" and playing tricks on neighbors, like removing gates from the front of houses. The young pranksters were masked, so they wouldn't be recognized.

　　此后“诸圣日”被称作“Hallowmas”。 Hallow的意思是“神圣的”或“像圣徒的”，所以翻译大概就是“大批的圣徒”。十月三十一日的前夕则是“诸圣夜”，渐渐地演化成“万圣节”。

　　But over the years, the tradition of harmless tricks grew into outright vandalism.

　　这个节日在1840年代马铃薯大饥荒期间，随着爱尔兰移民潮来到了美国。他们带来了几种节日习俗，包括“咬苹果游戏”和对邻居恶作剧，像是移走房子前的大门。年轻的恶作剧孩子们都戴着面具，才不会被认出来。但是这些年来，这些无害的恶作剧传统变成了彻底的破坏行为。

　　Back in the 1930s, it really became a dangerous holiday. I mean, there was such hooliganism and vandalism. Trick-or-treating was originally an extortion deal: Give us candy or we'll trash your house.

　　回溯到1930年代，这确实变成了个危险的节日。我的意思是，有这样的无赖行径和破坏行为。Trick-or-treating(不给糖就捣蛋)原本就是笔勒索交易：给我们糖果，不然我们会破坏你家。

　　Store keepers and neighbors began giving treats or bribes to stop the tricks, and children were encouraged to travel door to door for treats as an alternative to trouble-making. By the late 30s, "trick-or-treat" became a holiday greeting.

　　商家和街坊邻居开始给小点心或贿赂来停止恶作剧，人们鼓励孩子挨家挨户要点心，作为替代捣乱的另一项选择。在三十年代晚期，“不给糖就捣蛋”变成了节日的问候语。