Sundry Features of Halloween杂谈万圣节

Tiny ghost-like dolls hang from trees， big plastic spiders sit on rooftops and bloody plastic hands reach out from gravestones… Are you ready for the scariest night of the year？

October 31 is Halloween， one of the most popular festivals in the US， Canada and Britain. The festival began as a day to remember the dead. But nowadays its all about the carnival atmosphere when people can enjoy dressing up and scaring each other.

Halloween is one of childrens favourite nights of the year. They dress up as monsters and go to their neighbours houses， knocking on the door they shout， “Trick or treat！” Of course， people usually give them “treats”—like sweets or chocolates. But if you dont， you can expect a prank such as having your car windows soaped or your garbage cans turned over.

Halloween is also a time for masquerade parties. Witches fly in on broomsticks， while ghosts and skeletons chat on the dance floor.

You can even dress up as a famous monster like Dracula！ The motto is， “The scarier， the better.”

A well-known Halloween tradition is to make lanterns from pumpkins， called “Jack-o-lanterns”. First， the inside of the pumpkin is removed. Then， a face is cut into the pumpkin， traditionally a smiling， devil face. Finally a candle is placed inside， and the lantern is put at the front of the house to keep evil spirits away.

Besides pumpkin cutting， “apple-bobbing” is another popular game. Several apples are put floating in water in a big bucket. Children have their hands tied behind their backs. They have to try to pick the apples out of the water using only their mouths. Of course， people get very wet and it is very funny to watch.

树上到处悬挂着鬼怪小玩偶，屋顶盘踞着巨大的塑料蜘蛛，墓穴里伸出一双血淋淋的塑胶手……一年之中最恐怖的夜晚到来了，你准备好了吗？

10月31日是万圣节前夜，它是美国、加拿大和英国最受欢迎的节日之一。节日起源于对死者的纪念日。但现在它完全成了一场大狂欢，人们尽情享受着打扮易容和互相恐吓的乐趣。

万圣节前夜是一年之中孩子们最喜欢的夜晚之一。他们打扮成怪物去邻居家，敲着门大喊：“不给糖就捣蛋！”当然，人们通常会给“糖”——比如甜食或巧克力。但如果你不给，那就等着一场恶作剧吧，譬如你的车窗会被涂上肥皂或垃圾桶翻倒在地。

万圣节前夜也是举办化装舞会的好时机。女巫坐着扫帚飞进来，鬼怪和骷髅则在舞池中窃窃私语。

你甚至可以化妆成像德拉库拉伯爵那样著名的吸血鬼怪物。有句格言说得好：“越恐怖越好。”

众所周知的万圣节前夜传统是用南瓜做成灯笼，叫作“杰克南瓜灯”。首先，把南瓜内部掏空。然后，在南瓜上雕刻出一张面孔，通常是一张笑眯眯的魔鬼面孔。最后在南瓜内部放上一支蜡烛，并把南瓜灯放在房子前面用来吓跑那些邪恶的幽灵。

除了雕刻南瓜，“叼苹果”是另一个很流行的游戏。把几只苹果放在大水桶里面漂浮着。孩子们的手被绑在背后。他们只能用嘴把苹果从水里叼出来。当然了，人们会全身都湿淋淋的，光看着就很有趣。