墨西哥幽灵有话对你说

As Halloween is 1)approaching, almost every supermarket in the United States is crammed with pumpkins, witches’ hats and ghost masks. Yet, October packs more than just Halloween. If you step across the southern border of the US, you’d find a huge celebration awaiting you right after Halloween.

The Day of the Dead

It is a traditional holiday in Mexico honoring the dead. It is celebrated every year at the same time as Halloween. The Day of the Dead is actually two days - All Saints Day and All Souls Day (November 1st and 2nd). All Saints Day is devoted to the children who have 2)departed. And All Souls Day is for 3)deceased adults.

The Day of the Dead is not a sad time, but instead a time of remembering and 4)rejoicing. The belief 5)underlying all ceremonies is that the spirits of the dead return to earth on this day to be with their families and loved ones - to eat, drink, be merry and 6)relive the good memories. Common to all, there are colorful 7)adornments and lively reunions at family burial plots, the preparation of special foods, offerings laid out for the departed on 8)commemorative 9)altars, and religious 10)rites that are likely to include noisy fireworks.

From mid-October through the first week of November, markets and shops all over Mexico are full of the special costumes for the Day of the Dead. These include all sorts of 11)skeletons, other 12)macabre toys, 13)intricate tissue paper 14)cutouts, 15)elaborate 16)wreaths and crosses decorated with paper or silk flowers, candles and 17)votive lights, and fresh seasonal flowers. Among the 18)edible goodies offered are skulls, coffins and such made from sugar, chocolate or special baked goods.

In homes, families use the purchases to elaborate decorations on altars honoring their dead relatives. The spirits of the dead are expected to pay a holiday visit home and should be provided with an 19)enticing 20)repast and adequate 21)sustenance for the journey. The offerings may include a pack of cigarettes for the after-dinner enjoyment of former smokers, or a selection of toys and extra sweets for deceased children.

Ghost Town, Mixquic

Mixquic is a little town to the southeast of Mexico City, the capital of the country. It is best known for its traditional celebration of the Day of the Dead.

Death held a significant place in the ancient Mexican civilizations. The Aztecs注1 believed that death was a 22)portal to other existences - a natural but mystical 23)occurrence.

Mixquic, once a farming island of the Aztec empire, is now a district of Mexico City that has retained something of a rural village 24)ambiance and its ancient 25)indigenous roots. The Day of the Dead is not a 26)morbid occasion but rather a festive time.

The 27)cemetery in Mixquic is next to the town church. As the church bells toll at 4 PM on the second day of November, signaling a 28)procession to the cemetery, people gather to present the traditional offerings of food, water, salt, 29)assorted flowers, 30)incense and candles. In the meantime, big crowds go to Mixquic every year to see the beautiful offerings in the ceremony. The town people put together plenty of food stalls and other arrangements selling random stuff, just like a street fair. The air in the cemetery was filled with smoke from the incense and copal, a kind of wood that releases a pleasant, incense-like odor when burnt.

The only lighting comes from thousands of candles. A candle is lit for each dead family member and one extra so that no one is left out. The candles, which represent hope and faith, burn during the night. By midnight, all the graves are lit by hundreds of candles which shine on the faces of those who have gathered. The lighting was pleasantly soft and warm. In the sounds of whispering, sobbing and laughing, a link is 31)renewed between those still living and their loved ones who have passed away.

This is a joyous time without tears. Tears are believed to make the return pathway 32)slippery. You will be definitely moved by the scene. Every year people come back to be together with their long-gone loved ones. But this year we invite you - and your dearly departed - to join us as we celebrate the Day of the Dead. Vamonos, hombres注2!

随着万圣节的来临，美国几乎每个超市的货架上都摆满了南瓜、女巫帽和鬼怪面具。然而，10月并不只万圣节这么简单。倘若你越过美国南部边境，你会发现万圣节才刚过，另一场盛大的庆典正等候着你。

亡灵节

这是一个纪念已故亲人的墨西哥传统节日，每年都与万圣节同期举行。亡灵节其实有两天―“幼灵节”和“成灵节”（11月1日和2日）。“幼灵节”是祭奠已故的小孩，“成灵节”则祭奠已故的成年人。

亡灵节并不是悲伤的节日，相反，这是一个缅怀过去，充满欢欣笑语的时刻。所有庆祝仪式的潜在含义乃是已故的灵魂会在这一天回到人间，与他们的家人、他们爱的人共度时光―一起吃饭畅饮，开开心心地重温美好回忆。节日当天最常见的，是墓地上五彩缤纷的装饰品和热闹的家庭团聚，人们还会准备特殊的食品，在纪念祭坛上为已故亲人摆放不同的祭品，在不少宗教仪式上还能听到喧闹的烟花轰鸣。

从10月中旬到11月的第一个星期，全墨西哥的超市、商店都摆满了亡灵节的独特服装，其中包括各式各样的骷髅服饰，还有其它恐怖玩具、复杂别致的剪纸、精心制作的装饰有纸花或绸花的花圈和十字架、蜡烛和祈祷灯，以及新鲜的应节花卉。在众多食用糖果中有用食糖、巧克力或特制烘焙食品做成的头骨、棺材和其它类似食物。

在各家各户里，人们用买来的物品将祭坛装饰一番，以此纪念他们已故的亲人。人们期待亡者的灵魂能返家探访，并以诱人的盛宴与充足的食物迎接他们归来。这些供奉物中可能有一包香烟，让生前是吸烟者的故人饭后享用，或者为已故孩子提供各款玩具和几颗糖果。

“鬼村”米斯基

米斯基是墨西哥首都墨西哥城东南面的一个小镇，以其对亡灵节的传统庆祝闻名。

死亡在古代墨西哥文明中具有举足轻重的意义。阿兹台克人相信死亡是通往其它生存方式―一件自然而神秘的事情―的入口。

米斯基曾是阿兹台克帝国的一个农耕小岛，如今则是墨西哥城的一个辖区，至今仍保留着几分乡村小镇的气息与古老的本土风貌。（在这里）亡灵节不是一个恐怖的节日，而是欢庆的时刻。

米斯基的墓地紧挨着镇上的教堂。当教堂在11月的第二日下午4点鸣钟时，人们在钟声的召唤下前往墓地。他们聚集起来，把食物、水、盐、各种花卉、熏香和蜡烛等传统祭品供奉给先人。与此同时，每年都有大批人前往米斯基观看庆祝典礼上美丽夺目的祭品。镇上的人们设了许多食物摊子，摆卖各式杂货，仿如一个街道集市。墓地上空弥漫着熏香和珂巴脂（一种在燃烧时释放出类似熏香的宜人气味的木材）的烟雾。

（墓地上）唯一的光芒来自成千上万的蜡烛。每支蜡烛为每一位已故的家人而点燃。人们会多点一支，这样就没有人会被漏掉了。象征着希望与信念的蜡烛彻夜不熄。到了午夜，所有坟墓都会被数百支蜡烛照亮起来，烛光映照在人群的脸上，特别柔和温暖。在低语声、呜咽声与欢笑声的相互交融之中，活着的人与他们心爱的已故亲人之间重新建立起联系。

这是一个没有眼泪的快乐时刻。人们认为眼泪会使故人返家的路变得湿滑。你一定会被这个场景所感染。每年，人们都会回来与他们离逝已久的亲人相聚。但今年我们邀请你―还有你挚爱的故人―一起与我们共度亡灵节。来吧，伙计们！