Why do we eat candy on Halloween?
西方人过万圣节，家家户户都要给孩子们预备好足够的糖块，不然或许就要接受捣蛋鬼的恶作剧。为什么不是蛋糕、南瓜饼，而是糖块呢？为什么小孩子要在万圣节挨家挨户地讨糖块吃呢？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”这一传统阅历了数百年才演变成今日这个姿态。那么这个节日是怎样变成孩子们取得免费糖块的时机呢？你能够将其归咎于异教徒、天主教徒和糖块公司。
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.
历史学家们共同以为，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终一次收成的时节，也是迎候冬季到来的节日。萨温节仍是留念死者的节日。凯尔特人安慰那些仍然在人间徜徉的鬼魂的方法之一或许便是在自己的门口留下吃食。
precursor:n. 前驱，前导
appease:v. 使满意；安慰，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世纪天主教徒侵略爱尔兰时，开端改造许多异教徒的节日，使其习惯他们的宗教。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本来的节日大不相同，但凯尔特人的许多传统保留了下来，包含用食物来留念逝者的行为。基督教徒挑选的节日食物被叫作“魂灵蛋糕”，这是一种用贵重的配料和红醋栗、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“魂灵蛋糕”放在门口供鬼魂享受，而是分发给挨家挨户乞讨的人，这些乞丐许诺为逝者的魂灵祷告，以交换吃食。有时分乞丐们还会穿上留念圣人的戏服——开端异教徒便是穿上这种服装来防止被恶灵羁绊。据以为，这一名为“索灵”的典礼为现代的“不给糖就捣蛋”埋下了种子。
Souling didn't survive the holiday's migration from Europe to the United States. In America, the first Halloween celebrations were a way to mark the end-of-year harvest season, and the food that was served mainly consisted of homemade seasonal treats like caramel apples and mixed nuts. There were no soul cakes—or candies, for that matter—to be found.
在欧洲的节日向美国迁徙时，“索灵”习俗没有留存下来。在美国，开端的万圣节庆祝活动是为了留念岁末的收成时节，节日食物主要是克己的应季美食，比方焦糖苹果和什锦坚果。那时分万圣节没有魂灵蛋糕，也没有糖块。
It wasn't until the 1950s that trick-or-treating gained popularity in the US. Following the Great Depression and World War II, the suburbs were booming, and people were looking for excuses to have fun and get to know their neighbors. The old practice of souling was resurrected and made into an excuse for kids to dress up in costumes and roam their neighborhoods. Common trick-or-treat offerings included nuts, coins, and homemade baked goods ("treats" that most kids would turn their noses up at today).
直到20世纪50年代，“不给糖就捣蛋”才在美国风行起来。大惨淡和二战完毕后，美国市郊开端昌盛起来，人们想找个由头乐一乐并结识街坊。所以，“索灵”的老习俗就复兴了，并让孩子们有托言扮装装扮，在街区游荡。给“捣蛋鬼”预备的东西一般包含坚果、硬币和克己的烘焙食物，今日的大多数孩子恐怕都看不上这些东西。
turn one's nose up at:对……不以为然
That changed when the candy companies got their hands on the holiday. They had already convinced consumers that they needed candy on Christmas and Easter, and they were looking for an equally lucrative opportunity to market candy in the fall. The new practice of trick-or-treating was almost too good to be true. Manufacturers downsized candies into smaller, bite-sized packages and began marketing them as treats for Halloween. Adults were grateful to have a convenient alternative to baking, kids loved the sweet treats, and the candy companies made billions.
后来糖块公司把手伸向了这一节日，状况就发生了改动。糖块商现已让顾客信任，他们需要在圣诞节和复活节吃糖块，所以他们开端寻觅一个在秋天营销糖块的相同有利可图的良机。“不给糖就捣蛋”的新习俗对他们而言简直是天赐的好运。制造商缩小了糖块包装，将一口一个的小糖块独立包装，并将其作为万圣节招待食物来推销。成年人很幸亏能够买到这么便利的零食而不必再亲手烘焙，孩子们喜爱这些糖块的滋味，糖块公司也因而大赚特赚。
Today, it's hard to imagine Halloween without Skittles, chocolate bars, and the perennial candy corn debates. But when you're digging through a bag or bowl of Halloween candy this October, remember that you could have been having eating soul cakes instead.
时至今日，现已不可思议没有彩虹糖、巧克力棒和终年备受争议的玉米糖的万圣节。可是本年十月，当你捧着一袋或一碗万圣节糖块大吃的时分，别忘了你本来或许吃的是“魂灵蛋糕”。
perennial:adj. 终年的；四季不断的
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