萬(wàn)圣節(jié)將至 試看中外“鬼”風(fēng)俗

面對(duì)中、西方文化的比拼，比如西方情人節(jié)VS東方七夕節(jié)、西方感恩節(jié)VS中國(guó)重陽(yáng)節(jié)，孰是孰非，網(wǎng)上熱談高溫不退。對(duì)于明天的萬(wàn)圣節(jié)，有數(shù)據(jù)統(tǒng)計(jì)，中國(guó)的“鬼”精靈屆時(shí)會(huì)史無(wú)前例。大家在狂歡、惡搞的同時(shí)，不妨也再來個(gè)比較：西方萬(wàn)圣節(jié)VS中國(guó)鬼節(jié)。從這兩個(gè)節(jié)日的傳說來看，都是與鬼有關(guān)的。隨著時(shí)間流逝，萬(wàn)圣節(jié)的意義逐漸起了變化，變得積極快樂起來。而中國(guó)陰歷7月15日也被認(rèn)為是鬼門關(guān)大開，陰間的鬼魂回到陽(yáng)間來控望親人，但卻增加了幾分沉重，在這一天，中國(guó)民間有在河中放船燈的習(xí)俗。?
???
A spine-tingling statistic: China's ghost population will boom tomorrow.?

But there is no need to be frightened. This is only because Halloween is becoming more and more popular, with hordes of revellers dressing up as ghosts, goblins and witches.

This year the festival is being given a modern twist, as many young Chinese send e-Halloween cards and have online parties.

There is even a tug-of-war in cyberspace between supporters of Western ghosts in black cloaks, and fans of Chinese ones who stick out their long tongues. The latter group is calling for a revival of local ghosts as foreign ones begin to take over.

"There is a 'ghost festival' in China that is more than two thousand years old," one claimed at the popular online forum . "These 'expat ghosts' are not going to be the winners who take all."

No matter which side they are on, Chinese netizens have never shown such interest in ghosts.

Major websites in China such as , and are all offering e-greetings for Halloween on their home pages. A popular e-card at featuring a cute black-cloaked, green-faced ghost has been sent more than 20,000 times.

Halloween in China is a "crazy night" for young people now, according to Sheila Shi, a website editor in Beijing.

The revellers probably don't know the origins of Halloween, which go back to ancient Celtic traditions in Ireland. According to Celtic mythology, November 1 marked the end of summer, and it was then that the boundaries between the natural and the supernatural were believed to disappear, and spirits of the dead moved freely among the human world.

It's interesting to see certain parallels with the Chinese ghost festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival in southern China and Southeast Asia. It falls on July 15 of the lunar calendar, or mid-August of the Gregorian calendar.

On that day, Chinese legend says, the gate to hell is opened at midnight, and ghosts swarm into the world of human beings in search of food and money.

These ghosts, who have been starving for a whole year, will enter households if they cannot find enough delicacies in the street. Therefore, people in southern China traditionally put chicken, meat, vegetables, rice, tea and fruit on their doorsteps that day.

In other parts of the country people simply burn pieces of paper resembling currency notes, and in larger cities in East China, such as Shanghai and Hangzhou, the ghosts are now welcomed by candles lit along the street.

According to website editor Shi, the streets that night are empty in Chongqing, as few dare leave their house. "They say if a ghost finds you in the street and follows you back home, your family will have bad luck all year," she said.

"All in all, people should be very careful during the Chinese ghost festival; they have to keep away from ghosts and not offend them. It's really not as much fun as Halloween."

詞匯：
goblin: 頑皮的小鬼，被認(rèn)為常搞惡作劇
tug-of-war : 激烈的爭(zhēng)奪、斗爭(zhēng)；拔河
black-cloaked：穿黑色長(zhǎng)袍的（鬼）

?

相關(guān)鏈接：
每年的10月31日是西方傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日萬(wàn)圣節(jié)（Halloween），當(dāng)晚小孩會(huì)穿上化妝服，戴上面具，挨家挨戶收集榶果。

類似于圣誕節(jié)和復(fù)活節(jié)，萬(wàn)圣節(jié)也來自于基督教對(duì)其它宗教的節(jié)日的吸收、改造和重新詮釋。萬(wàn)圣節(jié)起源于不列顛凱爾特人的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，在10月的最后一天，他們相信這是夏天的終結(jié)，冬天的開始，這一天是一年的重要標(biāo)志，是最重要的節(jié)日之一，被稱為“死人之日”，或者“鬼節(jié)”。這一天各種惡鬼出沒，死去人們的靈魂也會(huì)離開身體，在世間游走，這一天的晚上也就格外危險(xiǎn)。人們會(huì)把食物放在門口吸引有主的鬼魂靈魂，而為了嚇走邪惡的鬼魂，凱爾特人會(huì)載上面具。

通常與萬(wàn)圣節(jié)扯上關(guān)系的事物有鬼魂、食尸鬼、巫婆、蝙蝠、黑貓、貓頭鷹、精靈、僵尸、骷髏和惡魔等，還有虛構(gòu)人物如吸血僵尸和科學(xué)怪人。黑色和橙色是萬(wàn)圣節(jié)的傳統(tǒng)顏色?，F(xiàn)代萬(wàn)圣節(jié)的產(chǎn)品也大量使用紫色、綠色和紅色。秋天的元素如南瓜和稻草人等，也成為萬(wàn)圣節(jié)的象征。