西方人过万圣节，家家户户都要给孩子们准备好充足的糖果，否则可能就要承受捣蛋鬼的恶作剧。为什么不是蛋糕、南瓜饼，而是糖果呢？为什么小孩子要在万圣节挨家挨户地讨糖果吃呢？这要从两千多年前的一个节日说起。
On October 31, hordes of children armed with Jack-o'-lantern-shaped buckets and pillow cases will take to the streets in search of sugar. Trick-or-treating for candy is synonymous with Halloween, but the tradition had to go through a centuries-long evolution to arrive at the place it is today. So how did the holiday become an opportunity for kids to get free sweets? You can blame pagans, Catholics, and candy companies.
10月31日，成群的孩子们会涌到大街上，带着南瓜形状的篮子和枕套找糖吃。作为万圣节的代名词，“不给糖就捣蛋”这一传统经历了数百年才演变成今天这个样子。那么这个节日是怎么变成孩子们获得免费糖果的机会呢？你可以将其归咎于异教徒、天主教徒和糖果公司。
Historians agree that a Celtic autumn festival called Samhain was the precursor to modern Halloween. Samhain was a time to celebrate the last harvest of the year and the approach of the winter season. It was also a festival for honoring the dead. One way Celtics may have appeased the spirits they believed still walked the Earth was by leaving treats on their doorsteps.
历史学家们一致认为，凯尔特人庆祝秋收的萨温节是现代万圣节的前身。萨温节是庆祝一年中最后一次收获的时节，也是迎接冬天到来的节日。萨温节还是纪念死者的节日。凯尔特人安抚那些依然在世间徘徊的幽灵的方式之一可能就是在自己的门口留下吃食。
precursor[priˈkɜːrsər]: n. 先驱，前导
appease[əˈpiːz]: v. 使满足；安抚，安慰
When Catholics infiltrated Ireland in the 1st century CE, they rebranded many pagan holidays to fit their religion. November 1 became the “feasts of All Saints and All Souls," and the day before it was dubbed "All-Hallows'-Eve." The new holidays looked a lot different from the original Celtic festival, but many traditions stuck around, including the practice of honoring the dead with food. The food of choice for Christians became "soul cakes," small pastries usually baked with expensive ingredients and spices like currants and saffron.
公元1世纪天主教徒入侵爱尔兰时，开始改造许多异教徒的节日，使其适应他们的宗教。11月1日成了万灵节，万灵节前夕被称为“万圣节前夜”。这一新节日和凯尔特人原来的节日大不相同，但凯尔特人的许多传统保留了下来，包括用食物来纪念逝者的行为。基督教徒选择的节日食物被叫作“灵魂蛋糕”，这是一种用昂贵的配料和红醋栗、藏红花等调料烤成的小点心。
Instead of leaving them outside for passing ghosts, soul cakes were distributed to beggars who went door-to-door promising to pray for souls of the deceased in exchange for something to eat. Sometimes they wore costumes to honor the saints—something pagans originally did to avoid being harassed by evil spirits. The ritual, known as souling, is believed to have planted the seeds for modern-day trick-or-treating.
基督教徒没有把“灵魂蛋糕”放在门口供鬼魂享用，而是分发给挨家挨户乞讨的人，这些乞丐承诺为逝者的灵魂祷告，以换取吃食。有时候乞丐们还会穿上纪念圣人的戏服——最初异教徒就是穿上这种服装来避免被恶灵纠缠。据认为，这一名为“索灵”的仪式为现代的“不给糖就捣蛋”埋下了种子。
