10月31日，你准备好costume了么？10月31日是什么日子？西方传统的鬼节，也就是我们现在说的“万圣节”，是传承下来的最古老的节日之一！在西方的孩子们看来，这是最好不过的节日了；也是大人们搞怪玩闹的好机会。

凑个热闹之前，我们先来看看万圣节到底是怎么回事吧。

1. 万圣节的由来——充满宗教迷信色彩

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Halloween gets its name from the Eve of All Saints’ Day. Its origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. October 31 was the end of summer and the last harvest, and it marked the beginning of the dark, cold winter – a time of year often associated with death. The change in weather marked a turning point that the Celts thought brought magical properties, and the boundary between the living world and death became blurred. The Celts believed ghosts of the dead returned to earth on October 31, so they put on costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, to scare the ghosts away.

2. 现代万圣节——大人孩子们娱乐搞怪的“借口”

日月交替后的今天，这些传统习俗脱去宗教迷信色彩，演变成今天大人孩子们的庆祝活动。

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Halloween is now a holiday associated with activities such as trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, attending costume parties, carving pumpkins (jack-o-lanterns), visiting haunted houses, playing pranks, reading scary stories, and watching horror films.

It is most popular in the United States and Canada; 85 to 90 percent of US children go trick-or-treating and 65 percent of adults (between 18 and 34) attend a Halloween celebration.

* Trick or treat——孩子们的游戏

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Trick-or-treating is an activity for children to go in costume from house to house asking for treats, such as candy, with the question, “Trick or treat?” Originally the question referred to a (mostly idle) threat to perform a prank on the homeowners if no treat was given. Nowadays people who prepare treats for children will keep their front door light on to indicate that children are welcome to come to their home for candy.

* Costume party——化妆舞会

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Costume parties are held for all ages – children and adults. Attendees will dress up and normally there will be a contest to judge the best costume.

* Jack-O-Lanterns——鬼节南瓜灯

A typical activity during Halloween is to carve pumpkins. You cut off the top of the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, then carve a design. At night, if you put a candle inside, the pumpkin will glow.

* Apple Bobbing——苹果跳跳

A fun game played during Halloween is bobbing for apples. Participants try to bite into an apple that is floating in water without using their hands.

结合雅思口语考试，思考雅思第二部分的一个问题：

Describe a party you attended before.

使用雅思口语高分公式：Describe events in the past 回答

英语答题思路：

1. Say what is was and when it happened

2. Say why it happened, where it happened and who was there

3. Say what happened

4. Say Why the event was special and how you felt about it.

使用雅思口语高分公式，用答题思路教你知道说什么，高分语言点教你如何说，获取雅思口语高分。

下载更多雅思口语高分公式。

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