【万圣节的习俗】万圣节的一个有趣内容是“Trick or treat”，这习俗却并非源自爱尔兰，而是始于公元九世纪的欧洲基督教会。那时的１１月２日，被基督徒们称为 “ALL SOULS DAY”（万灵之日）。在这一天，信徒们跋涉于僻壤乡间，挨村挨户乞讨用面粉及葡萄干制成的“灵魂之饼”。据说捐赠糕饼的人家都相信教会僧人的祈祷，期待由此得到上帝的佑护，让死去的亲人早日进入天堂。这种挨家乞讨的传统传至当今竟演变成了孩子们提着南瓜灯笼挨家讨糖吃的游戏。见面时，打扮成鬼精灵模样的孩子们千篇一律地都要发出“不请吃就捣乱”的威胁，而主人自然不敢怠慢，连声说“请吃！请吃！”同时把糖果放进孩子们随身携带的大口袋里。
另外还有南瓜雕空当灯笼的故事。这又是源于古代爱尔兰。故事是说一个名叫 JACK 的人，是个醉汉且爱恶作剧。一天 JACK 把恶魔骗上了树，随即在树桩上刻了个十字，恐吓恶魔令他不敢下来，然后 JACK 就与恶魔约法三章，让恶魔答应施法让 JACK 永远不会犯罪为条件让他下树。 JACK 死后，其灵魂却既不能上天又不能下地狱，于是他的亡灵只好靠一根小蜡烛照着指引他在天地之间倘佯。
收拾停当后，一群群装扮成妖魔鬼怪的孩子手提“The Jack-o-lantern”(南瓜灯)，跑到邻居家门前，威吓般地喊着：“Trick or treating”。如果大人不用糖果、零钱款待他们，那些调皮的孩子就说到做到：好，你不款待，我就捉弄你。他们有时把人家的门把手涂上肥皂，有时把别人的猫涂上颜色。这些小恶作剧常令大人啼笑皆非。当然，大多数人家都非常乐于款待这些天真烂漫的小客人。所以万圣节前夜的孩子们总是，口袋装得满满的。
纽约市的万圣节大游行 (Halloween Parade) 堪称是纽约格林威治村 (Greenwich Village) 的年度盛事 (annual event)。这个游行源于1973年，刚开始只是一位面具制作家 (mask maker) 兼木偶操作师 (puppeteer) Ralph Lee 的简单想法。当时他带着几个小孩在社区内办了一次小型的万圣节游行。第二年，纽约剧院邀请他将此构想带上大街，开始了一年一度的大游行。后来10月的最后一周正式被定为"万圣周"(Halloweek)。
现在，每年大约有三万名化装的游行者和近二百万人前来观赏。阵容庞大的游行队伍里，随处可见各式各样的奇异装扮 (fancy costume)，即使是看尽千奇百怪的纽约人 (New Yorker)也对它啧啧称奇。此外，还有数人同时操作的巨大人偶 (giant puppet)，将奇幻的意象具体呈现出来。最后，游行路线 (route)会来到纽约市最狂野的同性恋区，大街小巷挤满了尽情表演的变装人 (cross-dresser)，为这场疯狂大聚会划下完美的句号。
大游行每年都会搭配不同的主题 (theme)，比如环保、爱滋病等。去年因为"9o11"恐怖袭击事件 (terrorist attacks)，格林威治村树立起(erect)一座振翅飞起的凤凰雕像 (statue of the phoenix)，象征纽约市的重生 (reborn after a baptism of fire)。今年的游行主题则是"玩乐" (play)，想必世界各地游行爱好者已经蠢蠢欲动，我们就拭目以待 (Let's wait and see) 吧。
There's a down town fairy singing out "Proud Mary" as she cruises Christopher Street And some Southern and mean where the docks and the Badlands meet
This Halloween is something to be sure Especially to be here without you There's a Greta Garbo and an Alfred Hitchcock and some black Jamaican stud There's five Cinderellas and some leather drags I almost fell into my mug
There's a Crawford, Davis and a tacky Cary Grant And some Homeboys here from the Bronx
But there ain't no Hairy and no Virgin Mary you won't hear those voices again And Johnny Rio and Rotten Rita you'll never see those faces again
This Halloween is something to be sure Especially to be here without you
There's the Born Again Losers and the Lavender Boozers and some crack team from Washington Heights The boys from Avenue B and the girls from Avenue D a Tinkerbell in tights
This celebration somehow get me down Especially when I see you're not around
There's no Peter Pedantic saying things romantic In Latin, Greek or Spic There's no Three bananas or Brandy Alexander Dishing all their tricks
It's a different feeling that I have today Especially when I know you've gone away
There's a girl from Soho with a teeshirt saying "I Blow" She's with the "jive five 2 plus 3" And the girls for pay dates are giving cut rates Or else doing it for free
The past keeps knock knock knocking on my door And I don't want to hear it anymore
No consolations please for feelin' funky I got to get my head above my knees But it makes me mad and mad makes me sad And then I start to freeze
In the back of my mind I was afraid it might be true In the back of my mind I was afraid that they meant you
The Halloween Parade At the Halloween parade At the Halloween parade See you next year - at the Halloween parade
脸。 
，口袋装得满满的。 
用嘴去咬苹果，谁先咬到，谁就是优胜者。
and mean
here from the Bronx
