商務禮節美語第76期:萬聖節前夕(2)

下班等公車遇到同事Susan , 問Susan明天公司開萬聖節派對準備穿什麼，Susan說中國不過萬聖節，只有鬼月，不知道二者是不是差不多。Lenny 回答說，

Susan: Halloween essentially the same thing as "ghost month?"

Lenny:Kind of. It actually has it origins in the ancient Celtic New Year. Celtic people believed that the door between the world of the living and the world of the dead became easier to pass through on October 31st. Over the centuries, many traditions merged to become the modern Halloween festival.

S:Wow! That's really similar to the Chinese ghost pt that it only lasts a day---not a month!

Lenny說，萬聖節最早起源於凱爾特人的新年，the ancient Celtic New Year. 凱爾特人相信，10月31號這一天，分隔陽世和陰間的大門很容易穿過。Susan說，這樣聽上去，中國的鬼月和西方萬聖節的起源有異曲同工之妙，唯一的區別在於，萬聖節是一天，而鬼月是整整一個月。

L:I love Halloween, but I wouldn't want it to last a whole month!

S:Why do you love Halloween?

L:Um...I think it's because Halloween lets me act like a kid again. I can dress up and play oween is really all about having fun!

S:So Christmas and Thanksgiving and other American holidays are more formal than Halloween?

L:That's right. Christmas and Thanksgiving are more family-oriented. Halloween is a chance to get crazy!

Lenny說，他之所以喜歡萬聖節是因爲這一天可以像孩子一樣肆無忌憚地尋開心。跟萬聖節相比，聖誕節和感恩節更 family-oriented 意思是更注重家庭團聚。oriented is spelled o-r-i-e-n-t-e-d, oriented, 意思是以什麼爲導向的，比如 career-oriented 更注重事業的，detail-oriented 重視細節的。

S:So if I come to the party, I have to wear a costume?

L:You don't have it's strongly encouraged. Come on! It'll be fun!

S:I'm really quite reserved. The idea of putting on a costume is completely out of character for me.

L:That's why it's fun! On Halloween you can forget about everything and just let loose!

S:So what's the deal? I have to be a vampire or a demon or something?

Susan說自己非常 reserved, reserved is spelled r-e-s-e-r-v-e-d, reserved. reserved是拘謹，放不開的意思。Susan還說，讓自己裝扮成妖魔鬼怪 is completely out of character. 完全不符合我的性格。Susan會同意參加萬聖節派對嗎？我們下次繼續聽。