那些幾乎已被世人忘卻的萬圣節(jié)習(xí)俗

A century ago, the rituals surrounding the celebration at the end of October emphasized love. Newspapers recommended parlor games that promised to reveal romantic fortune. Even the cast of characters was more oriented toward matters of the heart.

一個世紀(jì)以前，每逢10月底的這個節(jié)日，各種相關(guān)慶?；顒佣际菑?qiáng)調(diào)“愛情”的。報紙會推薦那些承諾能預(yù)測戀愛運(yùn)勢的室內(nèi)游戲(parlor games)。而且與節(jié)日相關(guān)的角色更多的是涉及戀情的。

“Halloween in the early 20th century had far less emphasis on blood, gore and scary monsters, and much more emphasis on courtship, romance and the opportunity for love,” Daniel Gifford, the former manager of museum advisory committees for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History explained in a museum blog post last year.

“在20世紀(jì)初，萬圣節(jié)不太關(guān)注鮮血，殺戮，以及可怕的怪物，而是更注重調(diào)情、浪漫和尋愛的良機(jī)，”史密森尼美國歷史國家博物館(Smithsonian National Museum of American History)顧問委員會前主席丹尼爾·吉福德(Daniel Gifford)在去年的一則博物館博客文章中解釋說。

“In fact, the image of Cupid was often interspersed among the more familiar black cats, witches and jack-o’-lanterns.”

“事實上，那個時候，小愛神丘比特(Cupid)的形象經(jīng)常散布在如今人們更熟悉的黑貓、巫婆和南瓜燈的形象當(dāng)中。”

Halloween games and traditions reflected that attention to themes of love, with many offering a peek at what the future holds. For women in a restrictive society, they offered a semblance of control.

當(dāng)時的萬圣節(jié)游戲和習(xí)俗表現(xiàn)出對愛情主題的重視，很多活動都聲稱能預(yù)測未來。在一個充滿限制的社會里，這樣的預(yù)測能為女性們帶來一些掌控自己生活的感覺。

Here’s a look at some of those largely forgotten customs.

下面來看看這些如今幾乎已被世人遺忘的習(xí)俗吧：

Snap Apple and Other Games of Love

預(yù)測戀愛運(yùn)勢的游戲

Apples played a starring role in many of Halloween’s romantic traditions.

蘋果在許多萬圣節(jié)的浪漫習(xí)俗中扮演著重要角色。

One game, Snap Apple, challenged participants to use only their teeth to bite an apple suspended from the ceiling by a string or ribbon, Ms. Arkins writes in her book.

一個名叫“咬蘋果”(Snap Apple)的游戲把一個蘋果用線繩或絲帶從天花板懸下來，參賽者們只能用牙齒來咬，阿金斯在她的書中寫道。

The first to succeed would be the first to marry. (In a more dangerous version of the game, the apple is speared by a stick with a lit candle on the opposite end.)

游戲中先咬到蘋果的人就能先結(jié)婚。(這個游戲還有一個危險一點的版本，蘋果被一個桿子刺穿，另一端則用蠟油黏上一支燃燒的蠟燭。)

In its heyday, the game was so popular that Halloween was sometimes called Snap Apple Night, according to various reports. But modern Americans may be more familiar with another, similar activity: bobbing for apples.

根據(jù)各種報道，這個游戲在全盛時期非常受歡迎，因此萬圣節(jié)有時候被稱為咬蘋果夜(Snap Apple Night)。但現(xiàn)代美國人更熟悉的可能是另一種類似的活動：叼蘋果(bobbing for apples)

According to tradition, a successful first attempt at that game — retrieving an apple with one’s mouth from a container filled with water — foretold true love reciprocated, Ms. Arkins writes. Repeated failure suggested that a less-than-ideal match awaited, or perhaps it was a warning to move on.

這個游戲就是用嘴從裝滿水的容器里叼出蘋果，根據(jù)傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)俗，第一個成功叼出蘋果的人會贏得真愛，阿金斯寫道。游戲中不斷失敗表明會遇到不怎么理想的對象，也可能是在告誡你，需要重新啟程了。

Other traditions were simpler. One old custom called for cutting a long strip of apple skin and tossing it over one’s shoulder. The landed peel was said to resemble the first initial of a suitor.

還有些更簡單的傳統(tǒng)活動。一個古老的風(fēng)俗讓人把蘋果皮削成細(xì)長的一條，從肩膀向后扔出去，據(jù)說，蘋果皮落地后的形狀就是求婚者名字的第一個字母。

Another tradition involved eating an apple in front of a mirror to conjure the image of one’s soul mate, just in time for him or her to ask for the last bite.

還有一個習(xí)俗是對著鏡子吃蘋果，以召喚靈魂伴侶的形象，讓他或她在結(jié)束前請求吃那最后一口。

The seeds within offered insight, too, with poems serving as guides to what they predicted. Here is one such poem, reproduced by Ms. Arkins and published in the “Kiddies’ Hallowe’en Book” in 1931:

蘋果核也能提供啟示，有一些詩歌專門用來指示蘋果核的涵義。阿金斯在書中就引用了這么一首，來自1931年出版的《孩子們的萬圣書》(Kiddies’ Hallowe’en Book)。

The Nut Crack Night

開堅果之夜

Nuts featured prominently enough in Halloween traditions that the day was also sometimes referred to as “Nut Crack Night.”

堅果在萬圣節(jié)也有重要作用，因此這一天有時也被稱為“開堅果之夜”。

According to one popular tradition, placing two chestnuts on a stove or fire, each representing a partner in a romantic pairing, would yield insight into the stability of a match.

有一種非常流行的傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)俗是把兩個栗子放在爐子里或火里，它們分別代表著戀愛中的雙方，最后的結(jié)果可以看出這段感情是否穩(wěn)定。

A pair that cozied up to each other and burned brightly foretold a happy relationship, Utah’s Ogden Standard explained in 1915. But if one nut cracked or popped, that partner’s love could prove fickle.

根據(jù)1915年猶他州《奧格登旗幟報》(Ogden Standard)的解釋，如果這對栗子彼此靠近，燃燒出明亮的火花，表明這段關(guān)系會很幸福。但是如果一個栗子爆出裂紋或者爆開了，這個伴侶的愛意可能無常易變。

By adding a third nut, one could compare multiple partners: “The nut which burns longer and more quietly betokens the more constant lover,” the Ogden Standard reported.

再加一個栗子，就可以在多個伴侶之間進(jìn)行對比。“燒得更長久，更安靜的栗子象征著更能持之以恒的戀人，”《奧格登旗幟報》寫道。

In her book, Ms. Arkins describes a different kind of ritual, involving “boats” made of walnut shells filled with wax. Colored candles affixed to each represented potential partners. They were then set in motion in a tub of water, with the candles lit.

在書中，阿金斯描述了另一種儀式，用核桃殼當(dāng)“小船”，里面灌上蠟。然后把彩色的蠟燭固定在核桃殼里，每支蠟燭象征一個潛在的伴侶。然后點燃蠟燭，把它們放進(jìn)一大盆水中。

The boats that sailed together symbolized a match meant to be. The person whose boat first reached the opposite side would be first to wed. An extinguished candle indicated a lonely future.

行駛在一起的“小船”象征著命中注定的一對。哪條小船先到達(dá)另一頭，它所代表的那個人就會第一個結(jié)婚。如果蠟燭熄滅就象征著孤單的未來。

Yet another superstition featured a walnut tree. The rules, according to a 1914 article in The Evening Public Ledger in Philadelphia, were straightforward: On a moonlit Halloween night, circle the tree three times while chanting, “Let him that is to be my true love bring me some walnuts.”

還有一種迷信是同核桃樹有關(guān)的。根據(jù)1914年費(fèi)城《公共分類晚報》(Evening Public Ledger)的一篇文章，規(guī)則很簡單：在萬圣節(jié)之夜的月光下，繞著栗子樹走三圈，口中唱道，“未來的真愛啊，給我點栗子吧。”

Once complete, the participant would see his or her future spouse picking walnuts in the tree.

三圈走完，他或她就會看見自己未來的戀人在樹上摘栗子。

Mirror, Mirror

鏡子，鏡子

While apples and nuts featured prominently — harking back to Halloween’s roots as a harvest celebration — other romantic traditions took hold as well.

蘋果和堅果的重要性可以追溯到萬圣節(jié)的源頭，它原本是慶祝豐收的節(jié)日。此外還有一些浪漫的傳統(tǒng)影響也很廣。

One game, described by The Evening Public Ledger in 1914, called for a participant to walk backward in bright moonlight while staring into a hand mirror and reciting an incantation. If done properly, the face of his or her future spouse would materialize in the mirror. (In her book, Ms. Arkins describes a similar version of the game involving a mouthful of salt and a backward walk down cellar stairs.)

根據(jù)1914年的《公共分類晚報》，有個游戲是讓參加者在明亮的月光下倒著走，手里拿著一面小鏡子照著自己，并且念誦一段咒語。如果做得對，他或她未來伴侶的臉就會出現(xiàn)在鏡子里。(阿金斯在她的書中描寫了一個類似的游戲，需要在嘴里含一口鹽，倒著走下地窖的樓梯。)

Another game described in The Ledger involved burying three items — a dime, a ring and a thimble — in mashed potatoes. The food was then served to guests at a party. The guest who received the ring would marry soon; the one with the thimble would spend most of his or her life alone; while the guest who got the dime could expect fame or fortune.

《公共分類晚報》上還有一個游戲：把一枚一角錢硬幣、一個戒指和一個頂針藏進(jìn)搗爛的土豆泥里。吃到戒指的客人會很快結(jié)婚，吃到頂針的客人會孤獨一生;吃到硬幣的客人有望出名或者發(fā)財。

Fading Superstition

逐漸淡化的浪漫習(xí)俗

As varied and popular as the romantic Halloween customs were, they began to lose their hold on the American public in the early 20th century.

雖然萬圣節(jié)的浪漫習(xí)俗多種多樣，流傳甚廣，到了20世紀(jì)初，它們開始在美國公眾中失去了魅力。

Women, the traditional party hosts and targets of such games, were gaining greater agency over their lives, eroding the appeal of rituals that underscored their lack of power.

傳統(tǒng)上，女人是派對的主人，也是這類游戲的目標(biāo)群體，隨著她們對自己的生活獲得了更多掌控，這種暗示她們?nèi)狈αα康膬x式也就漸漸喪失了吸引力。

At the same time, a figure re-emerged in popular culture: the powerful witch. And unlike some modern depictions, she was alluring.

與此同時，另一個形象重新走進(jìn)了流行文化之中，那就是強(qiáng)大的女巫。和某些現(xiàn)代描寫不同，她其實是很有魅力的。

“The beautiful witch had both power and attractiveness, and could use both to make her own decisions about romance, suitors and the future of her love life,” Mr. Gifford explained.

“美麗的女巫既有力量又有魅力，可以運(yùn)用二者，在戀愛、追求者與未來的愛情生活方面做出自己的決定，”吉福德解釋說。

The witch had no need for fortunetelling games: She could create her own destiny.

這樣的女巫不需要什么算命游戲，她可以創(chuàng)造自己的命運(yùn)。