Halloween too scary for some kids, study finds	萬(wàn)圣節(jié)的恐怖氣氛嚇著孩子們了！
In a recent study of six- and seven-year-olds in the Philadelphia area, Penn State psychologist Cindy Dell Clark found that most parents underestimate just how terrifying Halloween can be for young kids. Halloween has been scaring the heck out of kids of all ages for centuries. Two thousand years ago, Celts living in what is now the United Kingdom celebrated their new year at the end of October. During these days of transition from the end of summer harvest to the beginning of winter, spirits were thought to roam among the living. The modern customs of candy and costume are rooted in medieval England. To avoid being recognized by the visiting spirits, people would dress up in masks whenever they left home. Bowls of food were placed outside to keep the ghosts happy. The practices have morph ed into Halloween as it is known today, with parents encouraging their own little ghosts and goblins to haunt the neighborhood. There have been few studies to examine how the holiday affects children. Child psychologists generally caution parents that the fright of some aspects of Halloween can be too much for the very young, and advise adults to keep a close eye on children and remind them of what is real and what is not. According to Clark, who interviewed parents and children after three Halloweens, younger children may be unwilling participants in the whole ritual. The key ingredient in the recipe of Halloween fright is, of course, death. "Intriguingly, Halloween is a holiday when adults assist children in behaviors taboo and out of bounds," Clark said, "It is striking that on Halloween, death-related themes are intended as entertainment for the very children whom adults routinely protect." For most kids, at an age when they're often not included in family funerals or witness to grave illnesses, Oct. 31 is often their first introduction to the subjects. Halloween also provides an opportunity for adults to confront usually uncomfortable topics like death. Kids as young as six and seven, however, don't differentiate between real death and the store-bought skeleton figures hanging in the trees and fake tombstones on the grass. (Agencies)	在最近一次對(duì)美國(guó)費(fèi)城地區(qū)六七歲年齡組孩子進(jìn)行的調(diào)查中，賓夕法尼亞州心理學(xué)家辛迪·戴爾·克拉克發(fā)現(xiàn)大多數(shù)父母都低估了萬(wàn)圣節(jié)可能會(huì)對(duì)孩子們帶來(lái)的恐懼。 幾個(gè)世紀(jì)以來(lái)，萬(wàn)圣節(jié)嚇壞了許多各年齡層的孩子們。 兩千多年前，現(xiàn)在英國(guó)的國(guó)土上的生活著很多凱爾特人，他們會(huì)在每年的10月底慶祝新的一年的到來(lái)。這時(shí)，夏天的收割已經(jīng)結(jié)束，而寒冷的冬天還沒(méi)有到來(lái)，人們認(rèn)為幽靈會(huì)在這段時(shí)間在人群中出沒(méi)。 現(xiàn)在盛行的要糖吃和穿奇裝異服的傳統(tǒng)起源于中世紀(jì)的英國(guó)，為了避免被降臨的幽靈認(rèn)出，人們出門時(shí)都會(huì)戴上面具偽裝自己。家門口還會(huì)放上幾碗米飯取悅前來(lái)光顧的幽靈。這種習(xí)慣漸漸演變?yōu)榻裉齑蠹宜熘娜f(wàn)圣節(jié)，現(xiàn)在父母?jìng)儠?huì)鼓勵(lì)自家小鬼們?nèi)ム従蛹已b神弄鬼。 很少有人研究萬(wàn)圣節(jié)到底對(duì)孩子會(huì)產(chǎn)生怎樣的影響。通常，兒童心理學(xué)家們會(huì)提醒家長(zhǎng)萬(wàn)圣節(jié)的某些驚悚情景不適合小孩子，他們建議成年人要照看好孩子，提醒他們什么是真的，什么不是。 克拉克曾經(jīng)三次在萬(wàn)圣節(jié)后采訪家長(zhǎng)和孩子，年紀(jì)較小的孩子們可能不愿意參加這樣的活動(dòng)。 萬(wàn)圣節(jié)恐怖秘訣的主要因素顯然是死亡。 "有意思的是，萬(wàn)圣節(jié)的時(shí)候大人們會(huì)幫助小孩子去做一些平時(shí)禁止做的事情。令人驚訝的是，在萬(wàn)圣節(jié)，和死亡有關(guān)的內(nèi)容話題成為孩子們的娛樂(lè)的內(nèi)容，而平時(shí)大人們都盡量保護(hù)孩子們免受這些話題不受傷害。" 對(duì)于大多數(shù)孩子來(lái)說(shuō)，在這個(gè)年紀(jì)他們通常還沒(méi)有參加過(guò)家庭的葬禮或親眼看到過(guò)嚴(yán)重的疾病，他們往往是通過(guò)每年10月31日這個(gè)節(jié)日開(kāi)始接觸這些事情。 萬(wàn)圣節(jié)同時(shí)也為大人們提供機(jī)會(huì)，去面對(duì)那些讓人不舒服的話題，例如死亡。但是，六七歲的孩子往往無(wú)法分辨真實(shí)的死亡和那些從商店買來(lái)的掛在街上的骷髏以及草地上的假墓碑有什么不同。   (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)站薛曉文編譯)