Hallowen

　Origin of Christmas 　　The name Christmas is short for "Christ's Mass". A Mass is a kind of Church service. Christmas is a religious festival. It is the day we celebrate as the birthday of Jesus. 　　There are special Christmas services in Christian churches all over the world. But many of the festivities of Christmas do not have anything to do with religion. Exchanging gifts and sending Christmas cards are the modern ways of celebrating the Christmas in the orld.　　The birth of Jesus had a story: In Nazareth, a city of Galilee. The virgin's name was Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was minded to put her away secretly. While he thought about these things, Gabriel, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him did not be afraid to take Mary as wife. And Mary will bring forth a Son, and he shall call his name, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.　　Before Jesus births, Joseph and Mary came to Quintus was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up out of Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and of the lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.　　　　And that, Christmas is the feast of the nativity of Jesus, is on 25th, December every year. But nobody know the actual birthday of Jesus. And the Christmas has become popular when Christmas cards appeared in 1846 and the concept of a jolly Santa Claus was first made popular in nineteenth Century.

http://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1007093003663


萬聖節 (Halloween) 是在每年的十月三十一日，當天晚上打扮得「鬼」模「鬼」樣，愈嚇人愈好。小孩子則忙著挨家挨戶要糖果，而且不忘說句「 Trick or treat， 」 (給糖吃，不然就搗蛋 )。
萬聖節究竟怎麼來的？其實在天主教會裡面，十一月一日是諸聖節 (All Saints Day)，隔天十一月二日則為萬靈節(All Souls Day，或譯為追思亡者節 )，可以說是萬聖節的起源。
天主教會將一些生前具有超高德性的信徒封為聖人，以表彰那些信徒，並立為其他信徒所遵循的模範。但因為具有非凡德性的信徒其實不少，只是不為人知而已，對於那些沒沒無聞的人來說，教會未將其立為聖人，好像有點不公平，所以在諸聖節那天，紀念所有被教會冊封的聖人及應該被封為聖人卻未被封聖的信徒。
其實，早在西元前數世紀，凱爾特人（Celts，居住在蘇格蘭、威爾斯及愛爾蘭等地）便在十月三十一日的時候，慶祝一個名為「 Samhain 」的節日。因為在十月底，活人世界跟死人世界之間的界線會變得模糊，因此死人的靈魂很容易進入活人的世界，跟我們農曆七月開鬼門的傳說很像。在那一天，大家會穿著奇裝異服，在外面遊行，希望能把外面的孤魂野鬼給嚇跑。
至於南瓜燈的由來，與愛爾蘭的一個傳說有關。相傳古時候有個人名叫 Jack，一天到晚喝醉酒。有一天大概又喝醉了，竟然將撒旦哄到樹上，又叫撒旦在樹上刻了一個十字架，結果撒旦被困在樹上下不來。後來Jack 就跟撒旦談條件，如果撒旦能保證他死後不會進地獄，就會把撒旦弄下來，撒旦果真答應。然而他不入地獄，卻也進不了天堂，只好在黑暗世界中不停地遊蕩。撒旦給他一個大頭菜挖空做成的燈籠，裡面放著炭火，讓他在黑暗的世界中能夠找到路。

http://www.his.ntnu.edu.tw/~m91160/second2.htm


Halloween萬聖節witch巫婆ghost鬼mask面具trick-or-treat不給糖果就搗蛋(一種小孩子萬聖節時玩的遊戲)jack-o-lantern南瓜燈(萬聖節時習慣在家門口擺一個南瓜做的燈)costume戲服(trick-or-treat時小孩子們都要打扮成別的東西)candy corn(一種三角錐形的糖果, 顏色是橘色、白色跟咖啡色, 萬聖節時一定看的到他)Frankenstein科學怪人Dracula德古拉(吸血鬼的始祖)vampire吸血鬼monster怪物skeleton骷髏spell咒語brew巫婆的湯