Today’s Traditions of Halloween
英语课
Today's Traditions of HalloweenThe American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries 1 called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.
The distribution 2 of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming 3 spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.
The tradition of dressing 4 in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter 5 ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease 6 the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.
1 pastries
n.面粉制的糕点
- He gave a dry laugh, then sat down and started on the pastries. 杜新箨说着干笑一声，坐下去就吃点心。 来自子夜部分
- Mike: So many! I like Xijiang raisins, beef jerky, and local pastries. 麦克：太多了。我最喜欢吃新疆葡萄干、牛肉干和风味点心。
2 distribution
n.运送；分发，分配；分布，分布状态
- The conference discussed the fair distribution of income and wealth.会议讨论了公平分配收入和财富的问题。
- Unequal distribution of wealth may cause division in society.财富分配不均会引起社会分裂。
3 roaming
随便走( roam的现在分词 )； 漫步； 眼睛或手 （缓慢地）扫遍； 摸遍
- After roaming around nearly half his life,he finally settled down in Canada. 他过了半辈子的流浪生活，最后在加拿大定居了下来。
- After roaming around nearly half his life,he finally settled down in Quebec. 他过了半辈子的流浪生活，最后在魁北克定居了下来。
4 dressing
n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料
- Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
- The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。
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Tradition