Episode Details

October 31 is Halloween. But many Americans have been preparing for the holiday for weeks. And businesses are hoping for good profits from Halloween purchases. 

10月31日是万圣节。但许多美国人已经为假期做准备了数周。企业希望从万圣节采购中获得丰厚利润。 

The National Retail Federation (N.R.F.) is the largest U.S. trade group representing sellers of material goods. It expects total Halloween spending in 2024 to reach about $11.6 billion. That sounds like a healthy amount, but it would be a drop from the year before. The N.R.F. says total Halloween spending in 2023 was a record-setting $12.2 billion. 

全国零售联合会 (N.R.F.) 是代表物质商品销售商的美国最大贸易组织。预计 2024 年万圣节总支出将达到约 116 亿美元。这听起来是一个健康的数字，但与前一年相比会有所下降。N.R.F. 表示 2023 年万圣节总支出将达到创纪录的 122 亿美元。 

So, you might wonder: What are Americans buying for Halloween and how do they celebrate the holiday? 

所以，您可能想知道：美国人在万圣节买什么以及他们如何庆祝这个节日？ 

Halloween traditions in America are linked to Celtic beliefs in ancient Britain. The Celts believed that spirits of the dead would return to their homes on October 31, the day of the autumn feast. Celts would build huge fires to frighten away any evil spirits that might return. 

美国的万圣节传统与古英国的凯尔特信仰有关。凯尔特人相信，死者的灵魂会在 10 月 31 日，即秋季盛宴的日子返回家园。凯尔特人会生火来吓走任何可能卷土重来的恶灵。 

People from Scotland and Ireland brought these ideas with them when they came to America. Some believed that spirits played tricks on people on the last night of October. 

来自苏格兰和爱尔兰的人们在来到美国时也带来了这些想法。有些人相信十月的最后一个晚上是鬼魂对人们进行的恶作剧。 

In modern America, the holiday mostly belongs to children. After dark, children wear special clothing, called costumes. They often appear as frightening creatures like vampires, ghosts and witches. The children walk around their neighborhoods, knocking on doors of homes. When someone answers a door, the children yell “trick or treat.” If the people in the homes do not give them a sweet treat, the children may play a trick on them. 

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