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Halloween is an annual celebration, but just what is it actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual?

The word itself, Halloween, actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, All Hollows Day (or All Saints Day), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year. 

One story says that, on that day, the disembodied spirits of all those who had died throughout the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. It was believed to be their only hope for the afterlife. The Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to intermingle with the living.

Naturally, the still-living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in all manner of ghoulish costumes and noisily paraded around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess.

Probably a better explanation of why the Celts extinguished their fires was not to discourage spirit possession, but so that all the Celtic tribes could relight their fires from a common source, the Druidic fire that was kept burning in the Middle of Ireland, at Usinach.

Some accounts tell of how the Celts would burn someone at the stake who was thought to have already been possessed, as sort of a lesson to the spirits. Other accounts of Celtic history debunk these stories as myth. 

The Romans adopted the Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of some of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples on Halloween.

The thrust of the practices also changed over time to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts, and witches took on a more ceremonial role.

The custom of Halloween was brought to America in the 1840's by Irish immigrants fleeing their country's potato famine. At that time, the favorite pranks in New England included tipping over outhouses and unhinging fence gates.

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts, but with a ninth-century European custom called souling. On November 2, All Souls Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for soul cakes, made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.

The Jack-o-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved an image of a cross in the tree's trunk, trapping the devil up the tree. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he would never tempt him again, he would promise to let him down the tree.

The Irish used turnips as their Jack's lanterns originally. But when the immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were far more plentiful than turnips. So the Jack-O-Lantern in America was a hollowed-out pumpkin, lit with an ember.

So, although some cults may have adopted Halloween as their favorite holiday, the day itself did not grow out of evil practices. It grew out of the rituals of Celts celebrating a new year, and out of Medieval prayer rituals of Europeans. And today, even many churches have Halloween parties or pumpkin carving events for the kids. After all, the day itself is only as evil as one cares to make it.

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Warm wishes at Thanksgiving.
在感恩节，衷心地祝福你们。

From all of us to all of you at Thanksgiving.
我们全体祝你们感恩节快乐。

Thanksgiving wishes for you and your family.
给你们全家感恩节的祝福。

I wish you could be here on Thanksgiving.
但愿你能来过感恩节。

Thanksgiving just won't be the same without you.
没有你，感恩节就不会一样了。

This will be our first Thanksgiving apart.
这将是我们第一次不在一起过感恩节。

It will be sad not to see you during the holiday when families get together.
家人团聚的节日里，不能看到你，我会感到难过。

This is to our first Thanksgiving together.
致我们第一次的感恩节相聚。

Our first Thanksgiving should be our best.
我们第一次共度的感恩节，是我们最美好的时光。

It may not seem like much, but it is our first Thanksgiving together.
也许看起来不太像，但这可是我们第一次共度感恩节哟。

I wouldn't want to spend Thanksgiving with anyone else.
我只愿和你共度感恩节。

This is the first in a long line of Thanksgivings to come.
这是未来无数感恩节的第一个。

What a wonderful time to be together.
在一起的时光多么快乐。

Thanksgiving is a time when I tell you that I love you.
感恩节就是我告诉你我爱你的时候。

The first Thanksgiving seems the most awkward, but filled with love.
第一次的感恩节似乎最糟糕，但充满了爱。

Thanksgiving is a great time to tell you that we love you kids.
孩子，感恩节这时刻，我们要说：我们都爱你们。

Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year.
感恩节是一年中最好的节日。

I love to eat, so I love Thanksgiving.
我爱吃，所以我喜欢感恩节。

I hope you are feeling thankful after your supper.
希望你吃过晚饭后，有感恩的心情。

At Thanksgiving we should think of the less fortunate.
在感恩节，我们要想到那些不幸的人们。

Let us observe a moment of silence for those who are not able to be so thankful.
让我们为那些无法心存感激的人们静默片刻。

To give thanks at Thanksgiving we should help the less fortunate.
在感恩节表达感谢之情时，我们应该帮助那些不幸的人。

We all have something to be thankful for.
我们多少都有应该感谢别人的地方。

I have you to be thankful for.
我感谢你。

Let's think about all the things we have to be thankful for.
让我们想想所有该感谢的人或事。

Save the dark meat for me.
为我留份儿鸡腿。

I am getting hungry just thinking about it.
一想到它我就饿了。

I will be home for Thanksgiving so save a little turkey for me.
我会回家过感恩节，所以请留点儿火鸡给我。

（本文编辑：Nini） 

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Those Childhood Days
When you came into the world, she held you in her arms.
You thanked her by weeping your eyes out.
When you were 1 year old, she fed you and bathed you.
You thanked her by crying all night long.
When you were 2 years old, she taught you to walk.
You thanked her by running away when she called.
When you were 3 years old, she made all your meals with love.
You thanked her by tossing your plate on the floor.
When you were 4 years old, she gave you some crayons.
You thanked her by coloring the dining room table.
When you were 5 years old, she dressed you for the holidays.
You thanked her by plopping into the nearest pile of mud.
When you were 6 years old, she walked you to school.
You thanked her by screaming, "I'm not going!"
When you were 7 years old, she bought you a baseball.
You thanked her by throwing it through the next-door-neighbor's window.
When you were 8 years old, she handed you an ice cream.
You thanked her by dripping it all over your lap.
When you were 9 years old, she paid for piano lessons.
You thanked her by never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old, she drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastics to one birthday party after another.
You thanked her by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, she took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked her by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, she warned you not to watch certain TV shows.
You thanked her by waiting until she left the house.
童年时光
你来到人世，她抱你在怀。
你报答她，哭得天昏地暗。
你1岁时，她为你哺乳，为你洗澡。
你报答她，哭了个通宵。
你2岁时，她教你走路。
你报答她，她一叫你就跑。
你3岁时，她满怀爱心为你备三餐。
你报答她，把盘子一抛摔在地。
你4岁时，她给你几支彩笔。
你报答她，把餐桌涂成大花脸。
你5岁时，节日里她盛妆打扮你。
你报答她，扑通一声摔进旁边一堆泥巴里。
你6岁时，她步行送你去上学。
你报答她，扯着嗓子叫：“我就是不去！”
你7岁时，她给你买来个棒球。
你报答她，把邻居的玻璃砸得稀里哗啦。
你8岁时，她递给你一支冰淇淋。
你报答她，膝盖上滴的全是它。
你9岁时，她掏钱让你学钢琴。
你报答她，从来不费心去练它。
你10岁时，她整天开车为你忙，从足球场到健身房，到一个又一个的生日会场。
你报答她，跳下车，头也不回背朝她。
你11岁，她带你和朋友去影院。
你报答她，请她坐到另一排。
你12岁，她警告你有些电视不要看。
你报答她，等她离开偏要看。

Those Teenage Years
When you were 13, she suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked her by telling her she had no taste.
When you were 14, she paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked her by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, she came home from work, looking for a hug.
You thanked her by having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, she taught you how to drive her car.
You thanked her by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, she was expecting an important call.
You thanked her by being on the phone all night.
When you were 18, she cried at your high school graduation.
You thanked her by staying out partying until dawn.
少年岁月
你13岁，她建议你把发型剪得体。
你报答她，对她连说没品味。
14岁时，她掏钱送你进夏令营。
你报答她，整月没有一封信。
15岁时，她下班回到家，期望有人拥抱她。
你报答她，把房门反锁不理她。
你16岁时，她手把手教你开她的车。
你报答她，逮着机会就玩车。
你17岁，她在等一个重要电话。
你报答她，电话粥煲了一通宵。
18岁你高中毕业时，她喜极而泣把泪洒。
你报答她，在外面聚会通宵达旦不回家。

Let us take a moment of the time just to pay tribute and show appreciation to the person called mom though some may not say it openly to their mother. There's no substitute for her. Cherish every single moment. Though at times she may not be the best of friends, may not agree to our thoughts, she is still your mother!!!
　　让我们花一小会儿时间，对那个叫“妈”的人表示敬意，表达感谢，虽然有些人当着面说不出口。妈妈是不可替代的。珍惜与她在一起的每一时刻吧。虽然有时候，她可能不是我们最好的朋友，可能不同意我们的想法，但妈妈就是妈妈！！！

She will be there for you...to listen to your woes, your braggings, your frustations, etc. Ask yourself...have you put aside enough time for her, to listen to her "blues" of working in the kitchen, her tiredness? Be tactful, loving and still show her due respect though you may have a different view from hers. Once gone, only fond memories of the past and also regrets will be left.
　　她始终陪伴你身边，听你的伤心事，听你吹大牛，听你把沮丧倾诉……。扪心自问，你是否曾经抽出过足够的时间陪伴她，听她讲围着灶台转的“伤心事”，讲她也会疲劳？？？就算你与她意见不一，也要委婉，充满爱心，对她表示出应有的尊敬。一旦她去了，剩下的就只有对过去岁月的美好回忆，还有就是终生的遗憾。

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Love her more than you love yourself. Life is meaningless without her ...
　　不要以为，与你心最近，你就理所应得。爱她，要甚于爱你自己。生命中没有了她，将了无意义……

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