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 Halloween is
a festival that is celebrated on the 31st of October. This day is the eve of
All Saints' Day. The word "Halloween” is hundreds of years old. It comes from
medieval England. But the origin of Halloween dates back hundreds of years to
the Druid festival. They celebrated "All Hallows” Eve (in Old English "hallow”
means "saint”). Long before this Celtic pagan tribes inhabited the territories
of modern England. They thought that the year consisted of two parts – summer
(bright part) and winter (dark part). The God of the Sun was taken prisoner
during the winter. According to Celtic calendar the 1st of November was the day
when the Druid New Year began. So they believed that just before this day
witches and other evil spirits were playing tricks on human beings to mark the
beginning of "dark” winter and the reign of the Lord of Death. Many ghosts and
witches on the Earth and that they met on October 31 to worship the devil.
People lit bonfires and made sacrifice.
These old
traditions can still be found in countries of Celtic influence today. For
example, in the United States children wear scary costumes of ghost and
skeletons and masks (false faces) and go trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating
is the main Halloween activity for children. But what is trick-or-treating?
Children go from door to door saying "trick or treat”. The neighbors give
children treats like candies, fruit and pennies so that children do not play
tricks on them.
Another
Halloween tradition is making jack-o'-lanterns out of pumpkins. Jack-o'-lantern
is a carved hollowed-out pumpkin with a face carved on one side. They also
carve out rounded eyes in pumpkins and put a burning candle inside them so that
they become visible from far away. There is an Irish legend which says that
jack-o'-lanterns were named after the man called Jack. He was a miser and could
not enter heaven, neither could he enter hell because he had played jokes on
devil. As a result, Jack has to walk on the earth with his lantern until
Judgment Day.
Storytelling
about ghosts and witches and fortunetelling and are popular activities on this
day. Today, people do not believe in ghosts and witches but they like to tell
stories about them on Halloween. The custom of telling ghost stories on
Halloween comes from the Druids. Fortunetelling is an important part of
Halloween. Earlier a coin, a ring, and a thimble were baked into a cake. People
believed that the person who found the coin would become wealthy. The one who
found the ring would marry soon. And the person who found the thimble would
never get married.
Перевод некоторых слов:
Halloween = "All Hallows” Eve — Хэллоуин; канун Дня всех
святых, eve – канун, All Saints' Day – День Всех Святых, Medieval –
средневековый, the Druid – друид, Celtic pagan tribes – Кельтские язычески племена, to inhabit –
населять, to be taken prisoner – быть
захваченным в плен, to Celtic calendar –
Кельтский календарь, a witch – ведьма,
an evil spirit – злой дух, to play tricks – разыгрывать, a human being –
человеческое существо, the reign of the Lord of Death – правление Князя тьмы, a
ghost – приведение, to worship –
поклоняться, devil – дьявол, to light bonfires
– зажигать костры, to made sacrifice – совершать жертвоприношение, to
influence – влиять, to wear scary costumes
– носить страшные костюмы, a skeleton – скелет, to trick-or-treat —
выпрашивать угощение, "Trick or treat!”
– "угощайте, а не то подшутим" / "Угощай или
пожалеешь!", a treat – угощение, a jack-o'-lantern – фонарь, сделанный из
тыквы, a pumpkin – тыква, carved hollowed-out pumpkin — тыквы, пустые внутри,
to carve out – вырезать, a burning
candle – горящая свеча, a miser — скряга, скупец, heaven – рай, hell – ад,
Judgment Day — Судный день, Fortunetelling — гадание, coin — монета, ring —
кольцо, thimble — наперсток, to bake into a cake – запекать в пирог. 
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