词汇故事- 万圣节南瓜灯名字的由来

欢迎大家来到IT世界,在知识的湖畔探索吧!

And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. One of the most well-known signs of Halloween is the jack-o’-lantern.

现在是美国之音慢速英语单词故事节目。万圣节最著名的标志之一是杰克灯（也称空心南瓜灯）。

You can find jack-o’-lanterns on the front steps of countless American homes on October 31, Halloween night. Decorating a pumpkin for the holiday can be a lot of fun, especially for children.

在10月31日万圣节之夜，你可以在无数美国家庭的门前台阶上看到”杰克灯”。为节日装饰一个南瓜是十分有趣的，特别是对孩子们。

Many people buy a pumpkin from a store or from a real pumpkin patch on a farm. Making a jack-o’-lantern takes time and at least one good, sharp knife.

许多人从商店或农场里的真正南瓜地购买南瓜。做一个空心南瓜灯需要时间和至少一把锋利的好刀。

So, make sure you have plenty of both. This is why young children do this activity with someone older.

所以，你要确保这两个条件都具备。这就是为什么年幼的孩子们会和比自己大的人一起做这个活动。

First, cut off the stem, or top of the pumpkin. But don’t throw it out. You will need it later to finish the jack-o’-lantern.

首先，切掉南瓜的茎或顶部。但是不要把它扔掉。你以后会需要它来完成南瓜灯。

Now, reach your hands inside the pumpkin and remove everything inside. And yes — it will feel slimy.

现在，把手伸进南瓜里，把里面的东西拿出来。是的，感觉黏糊糊的。

Next, make a picture of a face or something else on the skin, or rind, of the pumpkin. Then, carefully cut along the lines of your artwork.

接下来，在南瓜的外皮上画一张脸或者其他什么东西。然后，沿着你所画的线条仔细地切割。

Finally, put a candle or some other lighting inside to light up the design you have cut. And there! You have turned a pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern.

最后，在里面放一支蜡烛或一些其他的照明来点亮你所切割的图案。看那里！ 你把南瓜变成了南瓜灯。

Now, you might have a few questions. For example, why does the term jack-o’-lantern have a man’s name — “Jack”?

现在，你可能有几个问题要问。例如，为什么”杰克灯”这个词里有一个男人的名字——”杰克”？

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary gives one explanation. It says people in England began using the term in the 17th century.

韦氏在线词典给出了一种解释。它说英国人在17世纪开始使用这个词。

It meant “a man with a lantern” or a night watchman. At that time, people living in England reportedly called a man they did not know “Jack”.

它的意思是”拿着灯笼的人”或守夜人。据说在那个时候，住在英国的人把一个他们不认识的人叫做”杰克”。

So, an unknown man carrying a lantern was sometimes called “Jack with the lantern” or “Jack of the lantern”. Your next question might be: But what does this have to do with Halloween?

因此，一个提着灯笼的不知名的人有时被称为”Jack with the lantern”或”Jack of the lantern”。你的下一个问题可能是：但这和万圣节有什么关系？

Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica both say the term “jack-o’-lantern” comes from a very old Irish story about a man named Stingy Jack.

韦氏词典和大英百科全书都说Jack -o’-lantern这个词”来自一个非常古老的爱尔兰故事，讲的是关于一个名叫Stingy Jack的人。

As the story goes, he tricked the Devil to get money. When Jack died, God refused to let him go to heaven.

据说，他骗了魔鬼得到了钱。杰克死后，上帝拒绝让他去天堂。

And the Devil, still angry about being tricked, did not allow Jack to go to hell either.?So, Jack’s punishment was to wander the earth forever.

魔鬼还在为自己被骗而生气，也不让杰克下地狱。所以，杰克的惩罚是永远在人间流浪。

His soul was stuck. And like most spirits trapped on Earth, he probably spent most of his time trying to frighten humans.

他的灵魂被禁锢住了。和大多数被困在人间的灵魂一样，他可能大部分时间都在试图吓唬人类。

At least, that’s what I imagine trapped souls would do. To protect themselves and frighten away Jack’s wandering soul,

至少，我想象认为受困的灵魂会这么做。为了保护自己和吓走杰克游荡的灵魂，

people in Ireland would carve scary faces on turnips. I suspect that turnips were a common root vegetable at the time.

爱尔兰人会在萝卜上刻上可怕的脸。我怀疑萝卜在当时是一种常见的根菜。

When Irish families moved to the United States, they brought this tradition with them. These immigrants began carving jack-o’-lanterns from pumpkins,

当爱尔兰家庭移居到美国时，他们也把这个传统带到了美国。这些移民开始用南瓜雕刻”杰克灯”，

which were more common than turnips in their new home. Halloween is based on the Celtic celebration from ancient times.

在他们的新家，南瓜比萝卜更常见。万圣节源于古代凯尔特人的庆祝活动。

It marked the end of summer. It was believed that during this time of the year, the souls of those who had died that year would return to visit their homes.

它标志着夏天的结束。人们相信，在一年中的这个时候，那些在那一年死去的人的灵魂会回来看望他们的家。

Encyclopedia Britannica goes on to explain that in the 8th century, the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints’ Day, a religious day, to November 1.

《大英百科全书》继续解释说，在8世纪，罗马天主教会将宗教节日万圣节移至11月1日。

This meant that All Hallows’ Eve, or Halloween, fell on October 31. Traditions from the old Celtic celebration remained,

这意味着万圣节前夜变成了10月31日。古老的凯尔特庆典的传统保留了下来，

such as wearing costumes to hide yourself from the souls of the dead and carving jack-o’-lanterns. Today, people who celebrate Halloween continue to do both!

比如穿上奇装异服来躲避死者的灵魂，雕刻”杰克灯”。今天，庆祝万圣节的人们继续做这两件事！

And that’s Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I’m Anna Matteo.

以上就是本期单词故事的全部内容。我们下次再见，安娜·马特奥为您播报。