一个让人兴奋的统计：一到明天中国的鬼魂数量会猛烈增长。

　　But there is no need to be frightened. This is only because Halloween is becoming more and more popular, with hordes of revellers dressing up as ghosts, goblins and witches.

　　不过这没有什么好恐惧的。都是因为万圣节这几年在中国越来越火，一到这个时候就有成群兴奋的人们或装扮成幽灵，或装扮成小鬼，巫婆。

　　This year the festival is being given a modern twist, as many young Chinese send e-Halloween cards and have online parties.

　　不过今年这样一个节日会有一点小小的变化，因为有不少的中国年轻人开始相互传递电子万圣卡，有的还在网上搞搞聚会。

　　There is even a tug-of-war in cyberspace between supporters of Western ghosts in black cloaks, and fans of Chinese ones who stick out their long tongues. The latter group is calling for a revival of local ghosts as foreign ones begin to take over.

　　在网上还有场“拔河比赛”呢，一边是披着黑色斗蓬的西方幽灵，一边是吐着舌头的中国鬼魂。一些外国幽灵形象现在风头更甚，中国鬼魂也在期待复活哦。

　　"There is a 'ghost festival' in China that is more than two thousand years old," one claimed at the popular online forum Tianya.com. "These 'expat ghosts' are not going to be the winners who take all."

　　一个天涯论坛的网友说：“早在两千多年前我们中国就有‘鬼节’这些流放他乡的“外来幽灵”是不会取胜的！”

　　No matter which side they are on, Chinese netizens have never shown such interest in ghosts.

　　谁站在哪一边并不重要，让人关注的是中国网民在这次“鬼魂”活动显现出了如此高涨的热情。

　　Major websites in China such as Sina.com, Sohu.com and 163.com are all offering e-greetings for Halloween on their home pages. A popular e-card at Sohu.com featuring a cute black-cloaked, green-faced ghost has been sent more than 20,000 times.

　　国内几家大的门户网站例如新浪，搜狐和163都在主页开放了提供万圣节电子贺卡的服务。搜狐推出的一张经典黑斗篷绿脸的鬼卡已被发送20000多次了。

　　Halloween in China is a "crazy night" for young people now, according to Sheila Shi, a website editor in Beijing.

　　北京某网站编辑Sheila Shi说，万圣节在中国的年轻人中间已经成为一个“疯狂之夜”。

　　The revellers probably don't know the origins of Halloween, which go back to ancient Celtic traditions in Ireland. According to Celtic mythology, November 1 marked the end of summer, and it was then that the boundaries between the natural and the supernatural were believed to disappear, and spirits of the dead moved freely among the human world.

　　不过这些兴高采烈的狂欢者们可能并不清楚万圣节的来历。万圣节要追溯到凯尔特人时期（古不列颠时期）。他们的神话相信，每年的11月1号标志着夏季的结束，这个时候自然和超自然力量之间的界限消失，逝者的灵魂就自由散布人间。

　　It's interesting to see certain parallels with the Chinese ghost festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival in southern China and Southeast Asia. It falls on July 15 of the lunar calendar, or mid-August of the Gregorian calendar.

　　有意思的是，在中国的东南部以及东南亚地区有与之类似的节日“饿死鬼节”。这个节日在每年农历的7月15号，阳历差不多是八月中左右。

　　On that day, Chinese legend says, the gate to hell is opened at midnight, and ghosts swarm into the world of human beings in search of food and money.

　　我们的传说里讲，这天午夜的时候阴间的门是敞开的，鬼魂就来到人间找吃的和钱。

　　These ghosts, who have been starving for a whole year, will enter households if they cannot find enough delicacies in the street. Therefore, people in southern China traditionally put chicken, meat, vegetables, rice, tea and fruit on their doorsteps that day.

　　这些“饿鬼”都是饿了一年的，如果它们在大街上找不到什么美味，它们就会进入人们家中。所以到了那一天家家户户都在门口台阶上放些鸡啊，肉啊，蔬菜，米饭，茶叶和水果。这也是中国东南一带的传统。

　　In other parts of the country people simply burn pieces of paper resembling currency notes, and in larger cities in East China, such as Shanghai and Hangzhou, the ghosts are now welcomed by candles lit along the street.

　　而在全国的其它地方，人们会烧纸钱。在东部的大城市，比如上海和杭州，人们会沿街点燃蜡烛欢迎“鬼们”的来临。

　　According to website editor Shi, the streets that night are empty in Chongqing, as few dare leave their house. "They say if a ghost finds you in the street and follows you back home, your family will have bad luck all year," she said.

　　那位编辑Shi说，在重庆，那一天街上都没人的。人们都老老实实呆在家里不敢出去。“他们说如果在街上碰到鬼魂还被它跟上的话，家里一整年都有厄运。”

　　"All in all, people should be very careful during the Chinese ghost festival; they have to keep away from ghosts and not offend them. It's really not as much fun as Halloween."

　　“总而言之呢，在中国过鬼节还是当心为妙。离鬼魂远一点，千万别冒犯它们。这还真不是西方万圣节那么好玩的。”