October 31 is Halloween. But many Americans have been preparing for the holiday for weeks. And businesses are hoping for good profits from Halloween purchases. 

10月31日是万圣节。但许多美国人已经为假期做准备了数周。企业希望从万圣节采购中获得丰厚利润。 

The National Retail Federation (N.R.F.) is the largest U.S. trade group representing sellers of material goods. It expects total Halloween spending in 2024 to reach about $11.6 billion. That sounds like a healthy amount, but it would be a drop from the year before. The N.R.F. says total Halloween spending in 2023 was a record-setting $12.2 billion. 

全国零售联合会 (N.R.F.) 是代表物质商品销售商的美国最大贸易组织。预计 2024 年万圣节总支出将达到约 116 亿美元。这听起来是一个健康的数字，但与前一年相比会有所下降。N.R.F. 表示 2023 年万圣节总支出将达到创纪录的 122 亿美元。 

So, you might wonder: What are Americans buying for Halloween and how do they celebrate the holiday? 

所以，您可能想知道：美国人在万圣节买什么以及他们如何庆祝这个节日？ 

Halloween traditions in America are linked to Celtic beliefs in ancient Britain. The Celts believed that spirits of the dead would return to their homes on October 31, the day of the autumn feast. Celts would build huge fires to frighten away any evil spirits that might return. 

美国的万圣节传统与古英国的凯尔特信仰有关。凯尔特人相信，死者的灵魂会在 10 月 31 日，即秋季盛宴的日子返回家园。凯尔特人会生火来吓走任何可能卷土重来的恶灵。 

People from Scotland and Ireland brought these ideas with them when they came to America. Some believed that spirits played tricks on people on the last night of October. 

来自苏格兰和爱尔兰的人们在来到美国时也带来了这些想法。有些人相信十月的最后一个晚上是鬼魂对人们进行的恶作剧。 

In modern America, the holiday mostly belongs to children. After dark, children wear special clothing, called costumes. They often appear as frightening creatures like vampires, ghosts and witches. The children walk around their neighborhoods, knocking on doors of homes. When someone answers a door, the children yell “trick or treat.” If the people in the homes do not give them a sweet treat, the children may play a trick on them. 

在现代美国，这个节日主要属于孩子们。天黑后，孩子们穿着特殊的衣服，称为服装。他们经常以吸血鬼、鬼魂和女巫等可怕的生物的形式出现。孩子们在社区里走来走去，敲着各家的门。当有人开门时，孩子们会大喊“不给糖就捣蛋”。如果家里的人不给他们甜食，孩子们可能会捉弄他们。

Some of the purchases people make for Halloween include candy and costumes. This year, the N.R.F. expects the superhero character Spider-Man to be the most popular children’s costume. 

人们为万圣节购买的一些物品包括糖果和服装。今年，N.R.F. 预计超级英雄角色蜘蛛侠将成为最受欢迎的儿童服装。 

Children are not the only Americans in costumes on Halloween, however. Adults also dress up in costumes and attend Halloween parties, parades and other events. These celebrations often include costume competitions, with prizes for the most frightening, inventive or humorous costumes. 

然而，孩子们并不是唯一在万圣节穿着服装的美国人。成年人也会盛装打扮，参加万圣节派对、游行和其他活动。这些庆祝活动通常包括服装比赛，为最令人恐惧、最有创意或最幽默的服装颁发奖项。 

Overall, the N.R.F. reports, total spending on costumes for Halloween 2024 is expected to reach a total of $3.8 billion. It says buyers will spend $3.5 billion on Halloween candy. 

NRF 报告称，总体而言，2024 年万圣节服装的总支出预计将达到 38 亿美元。它表示，买家将在万圣节糖果上花费 35 亿美元。 

Americans also enjoy decorating their homes for Halloween. 

美国人也喜欢在万圣节装饰他们的家。 

People hang fake skeletons, witches, spiders and other scary things around their doors and from trees and bushes. They also cut scary faces into pumpkins and light them to create a strange glow. 

人们把假骷髅、女巫、蜘蛛和其他可怕的东西挂在门上、树上和灌木丛上。他们还在南瓜上刻出可怕的面孔，并点燃它们以产生奇怪的光芒。 

Some people do a little decorating, others do a lot, and still others do none at all. But, the N.R.F. says researchers estimate Americans will spend about $3.8 billion dollars to dress up their houses for Halloween this year. 

有些人做了一点装饰，有些人做了很多，还有一些人根本不做。但是，N.R.F. 研究人员估计，今年美国人将花费约 38 亿美元来装扮他们的房屋以庆祝万圣节。