Halloween falls on October 31st of every year. With historical roots in Christian religious beliefs and practices, this spooky holiday has evolved in modern times. Though celebrations around the world can vary, many understand this holiday by how it is celebrated in North America. No matter what day of the week it falls on, families go trick-or-treating on Halloween night to collect candy from their neighbors while dressed in costumes. Believe it or not, this tradition is less than a hundred years old. It evolved from different historical traditions to appease supernatural beings and later to deter children from causing mischief. The idea is to ask neighbors for a “treat” instead of giving them a “trick.” Today, the phrase simply means, “please, give me some candy.”
Traditions on Halloween
Trick-or-treating is the most well-known Halloween tradition, but there are many more ways that families can get into the holiday spirit.
Throughout the month of October, families can visit local pumpkin patches. In addition to buying pumpkins, many of these farms and lots offer fun activities for children of all ages, such as pony rides, bounce houses and corn mazes. It’s a great way to spend a weekend as a family.
In nearly every neighborhood, you’ll find many houses that goes all out with their Halloween decorations. Houses are decorated with pumpkins, giant spiders, cobb webs, tomb stones, and ghosts. In some cases, families turn their front yards into haunted houses to scare trick-or-treaters on Halloween night for spooky fun.
About a week before Halloween night, families will carve their pumpkins into Jack o 'Lanterns to be lit and displayed in front of their homes. This tradition comes from a folklore. A man named Jack teased the devil, and then had to carry a lantern and wander the earth. Today, Jack o’ Lantern can have traditional face with triangle eyes and a toothy grin, or they can be an intricate carving of spooky monsters, ghost or pop culture characters.
Look! Even our mascot, Tigo, is getting into the Halloween spirit by kicking off a costume party. What interesting stories are happening between Tigo and his friends? Let's have a look!
How to express being scared on Halloween?
1. You scared me to death! 你吓死我了!
2. I am frightened out of my wits! 我的魂都被吓飞了!
3. Spiders freak me out. 蜘蛛把我吓坏了。
4. You gave me a good scare! 你着实吓了我一跳。
5. That sudden scream in the middle of night scared the daylights out of me. 半夜那突如其来的一声尖叫把我给吓得魂飞魄散。
6. You scared me, disappearing like that! 你那样突然失踪，可真把我吓了一跳!
Finally, let's review some Chinese vocabulary about Halloween:
1. Halloween [wàn shèng jié] 万圣节
e.g. Do you know Halloween? 你知道万圣节吗？
2. Candy [táng guǒ] 糖果
e.g. Everyone loves Halloween candy! 大家都喜欢万圣节糖果！
3. Pumpkin[nán guā] 南瓜
e.g. We like pumpkin pies. 我们喜欢南瓜馅饼。
4. Bat [biān fú] 蝙蝠
e.g. He drove the bat. 他赶走了蝙蝠。
5. Vampire [xī xuè guǐ] 吸血鬼
e.g. Go away, spooky vampire, go away. 走开，可怕的吸血鬼，走开。
