One story about Jack, an Irishman, who was not allowed into Heaven because he was stingy with his money. So he was sent to hell. But down there he played tricks on the Devil (Satan), so he was kicked out of Hell and made to walk the earth forever carrying a lantern.
Well, Irish children made Jacks lanterns on October 31st from a large potato or turnip, hollowed out with the sides having holes and lit by little candles inside. And Irish children would carry them as they went from house to house begging for food for the village Halloween festival that honored the Druid god Muck Olla. The Irish name for these lanterns was Jack with the lantern or Jack of the lantern, abbreviated as Jack-o-lantern and now spelled jack-o-lantern.
The traditional Halloween you can read about in most books was just childrens fun night. Halloween celebrations would start in October in every elementary school.
关于万圣节有这样一个故事。是说有一个叫杰克的爱尔兰人，因为他对钱特别的吝啬，就不允许他进入天堂，而被打入地狱。但是在那里他老是捉弄魔鬼撒旦，所以被踢出地狱，罚他提着灯笼永远在人世里行走。
在十月三十一日爱尔兰的孩子们用土豆和萝卜制作杰克的灯笼，他们把中间挖掉、表面上打洞并在里边点上蜡烛。为村里庆祝督伊德神的万圣节，孩子们提着这种灯笼挨家挨户乞讨食物。这种灯笼的爱尔兰名字是拿灯笼的杰克或者杰克的灯笼，缩写为Jack-o-lantern 。
现在你在大多数书里读到的万圣节只是孩子们开心的夜晚。在小学校里，万圣节是每年十月份开始庆祝的。孩子们会制作万圣节的装饰品：各种各样桔红色的南瓜灯。
中英文对照：万圣节的介绍
Halloween
Halloween is an autumn holiday that Americans celebrate every year. It means holy evening, and it comes every October 31, the evening before All Saints' Day. However, it is not really a church holiday, it is a holiday for children mainly.
Every autumn, when the vegetables are ready to eat, children pick large orange pumpkins. Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put a burning candle inside. It looks as if there were a person looking out of the pumpkin! These lights are called jack-o'-lanterns, which means Jack of the lantern.
The children also put on strange masks and frightening costumes every Halloween. Some children paint their faces to look like monsters. Then they carry boxes or bags from house to house. Every time they come to a new house, they say,Trick or treat! Money or eat! The grown-ups put treat-money or candy in their bags.
Not only children, but most grown-ups also love Halloween and Halloween parties because on this day,they can disguise themselves as personages or ghost as their imaginations will lead them. This bring them the satisfaction of being young.
万圣节前夕
万圣节前夕是美国人年年都会庆祝的秋季节日。它的意思是神圣的夜晚，在每年的10月31日，也就是万圣节前夜。但实际上这不是一个真正的宗教节日，而主要是孩子们的节日。
每年秋天蔬菜成熟可以食用的时候，孩子们就会挑出大个儿的橙色南瓜。然后在南瓜上刻上一张脸，把一根点燃的蜡烛放在里面。看起来就好像有人在向南瓜外面张望。这些灯就叫做iack-o'-lantems，意思也就是杰克的灯。
每年万圣节前夕孩子们还戴上奇怪的面具，穿上吓人的服装。有些孩子把脸刷成怪物。然后他们拿着盒子或袋子挨家挨户串门。每来到一个新房子他们就说：不款待就捣乱!给钱还是吃的!大人们就会把用来招待的钱或糖放在他们的袋子里了。
不仅孩子，许多成年人也喜欢万圣节前夕和万圣节前夕晚会。因为这一天他们可以根据自己的想象把自己装扮成名流或幽灵。这会带给他们年轻的快感。
西方的鬼节，
和东方不同。
没有牛头马面狰狞，
却有诙谐搞笑的魔精。
南瓜的面具下，
藏着友爱欢情。
如果聂小倩参加这狂欢，
也许不会再有书生的光临。
加入今夜的派对，
在空宅内跳出踢踏舞齐鸣。
记得，
当时寻找你。
在菁菁校园，
操场上幽暗的路灯下，
光线明亮的宿舍里，
越过众多带笑的鬼脸，
看着张张吓唬人的妖面，
哪个是你在游戏？
墙角边，
平静的脸谱，
熟悉的身影，
孤单着安静。
这就是你，
万圣节里，
一个不吵不闹，
一直在等我找到的乖巧精灵
