День Всех Святых в США - Halloween

Задолго до 31 октября в США и других странах люди и, особенно дети, начинают готовиться к весьма своеобразному празднику ужасов: магазины предлагают, а покупатели выбирают маскарадные костюмы, пугающие и смешные, отвратительные и симпатичные. Те, кто хочет выделиться из общей, одинаково одетой массы, сооружают себе  из подручного материала нечто невообразимое. Главная цель - сначала вызвать испуг, а потом уже и смех. На улице можно наткнуться на таких персонажей, которые не приснятся в самом жутком кошмаре. Фантазия не ограничена ничем, а буйное веселье порой переходит границы здравого рассудка. Это всё - Хуллоун!

Halloween is an annual holiday observed on October 31, which commonly includes activities such as trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films.

The imagery of Halloween is derived from many sources, including national customs, works of Gothic and horror literature (such as the novels Frankenstein and Dracula), and classic horror films (such as Frankenstein and The Mummy). Among the earliest works on the subject of Halloween is from Scottish poet John Mayne in 1780, who made note of pranks at Halloween; "What fearfu' pranks ensue!", as well as the supernatural associated with the night, "Bogies" (ghosts), influencing Robert Burns' Halloween 1785. Elements of the autumn season, such as pumpkins, corn husks, and scarecrows, are also prevalent. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, the occult, or mythical monsters. Black and orange are the holiday's traditional colors.

Trick-or-treating is a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to a (mostly idle) "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. In some parts of Scotland children still go guising. In this custom the child performs some sort of trick, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, to earn their treats.

bonfire - костёр

apple bobbing - ловля яблок

haunted - любимое, часто посещаемое

play pranks -откалывать шутки

scary stories - страшные истории

horror films - фильмы ужасов

husk - листовая обёртка кукурузы

scarecrow - пугало

imagery - образы

monster - чудовище

idle - пустой, тщетный

guising - под маской, переодетый 

Costumes

Halloween costumes are traditionally modeled after supernatural figures such as monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Over time, the costume selection extended to include popular characters from fiction, celebrities, and generic archetypes such as ninjas and princesses. Halloween costume parties generally fall on, or around, 31 October, often falling on the Friday or Saturday prior to Halloween.

generic  - характерный

fall on - происходить, выпадать на

Games

There are several games traditionally associated with Halloween parties. One common game is dunking or apple bobbing, in which apples float in a tub or a large basin of water and the participants must use their teeth to remove an apple from the basin. A variant of dunking involves kneeling on a chair, holding a fork between the teeth and trying to drop the fork into an apple. Another common game involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings; these must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string, an activity that inevitably leads to a very sticky face.

The telling of ghost stories and viewing of horror films are common fixtures of Halloween parties. Episodes of television series and Halloween-themed specials (with the specials usually aimed at children) are commonly aired on or before the holiday, while new horror films are often released theatrically before the holiday to take advantage of the atmosphere.

dunking - обмакавание

tub -корыто, ёмкость

treacle - патока

scones - ячменная или пшеничная лепёшка

sticky - липкий

fixture - атрибут

be aired on - быть в эфире

Food

Because the holiday comes in the wake of the annual apple harvest, candy apples (known as toffee apples outside North America), caramel or taffy apples are common Halloween treats made by rolling whole apples in a sticky sugar syrup, sometimes followed by rolling them in nuts.

in the wake - по следам, следом за

treat - угощение