关于万圣节：你不知道的6件事

　　4. Trick or Treat

　　不给糖，就捣蛋

　　Trick or Treating has a short history. In 19th century Scotland and Ireland, there is some records of children travelling door-to-door praying for souls or performing for money or cakes on All Hallows Eve. However, the tradition is a short step from the medieval practice of souling, in which beggars went door to door on October 31 to pray for souls in return for food. The food given was often a Soul Cake, which was a small round cake which represented a soul being freed from Purgatory when the cake was eaten. Today Trick or Treat means “gives us a treat or we'll pull a prank on you”.

　　“不给糖，就捣蛋”历史较短。十九世纪，一些苏格兰和爱尔兰儿童在万圣节前夕，挨家挨户为灵魂祈祷，或进行表演，索要饼干或小费。然而，相比于中世纪时期乞丐们在10月31日挨家挨户地为灵魂祈祷以换取食物，这已经迈出了一小步。那时，给乞丐们的食物被称作灵魂饼，一种小圆饼。当饼干被吃掉的时候，一个灵魂就会从炼狱中释放出来。如今，不给糖就捣蛋的意思是“给我们糖果，不然我们就会给你来场恶作剧”。