布兰城堡入口, 布拉索夫, 罗马尼亚 Entrance of Bran Castle in Bran, Brașov, Romania (© blue sky in my pocket/Getty Images)

在万圣节的魔咒之下 Under the Halloween spell

万圣节快乐！

今夜，万圣节的魔咒笼罩大地——而地球上仅有少数地方能与罗马尼亚的布兰城堡比肩，承载着如此深邃的谜团。这座建于14世纪的堡垒历经战火洗礼，见证君王更迭与帝国兴衰。但在此地，传说比历史更响亮。这座城堡坐落于以阴森传说闻名的特兰西瓦尼亚与昔日由弗拉德三世·德古拉统治的瓦拉几亚之间，散发着令人心悸的遗迹气息。弗拉德的残暴名声启发了布拉姆·斯托克1897年创作的小说《德古拉》。尽管故事背景并非布兰城堡，但它巍峨的轮廓与关于弗拉德幽灵出没的传闻，让真实与传说交织模糊，永远将这座城堡与人类最持久的传说之一紧密相连。

故事书的篇章之外，布兰城堡还低语着许多幽灵传说。据当地传闻，哀伤的白衣女子在庭院中飘荡；被封墙困住的僧侣脚步声在墙后回响；看不见的孩子们嬉闹的笑声在走廊间流转。闪烁的幽光、骤起的寒意与无形之声的传闻，更添几分不安。值此万圣之夜，布兰城堡的灵魂已超越石砌的躯壳。记忆在此扭曲成神话，现实与超自然的界限变得惊心动魄地模糊。

Happy Halloween!

Tonight, Halloween casts its spell—and only a few places on Earth carry a mystery quite like Bran Castle in Romania. The fortress was built in the 14th century and has withstood wars, monarchs, and shifting empires. But here, legends speak louder than history. Perched between the regions of Transylvania—renowned for its chilling tales—and Wallachia, once ruled by Vlad III Dracula, the castle evokes a haunting legacy. Vlad's ruthless reputation inspired Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic novel 'Dracula.' Though the story is not set at Bran Castle, its looming form and persistent rumors of Vlad's presence blur fact and legend, forever linking it to one of humanity's most enduring tales.

Beyond the pages of storybooks, Bran Castle whispers many other haunted narratives. According to local accounts, the sorrowful White Lady drifts through the courtyard; a monk's muffled steps echo from behind the walls that sealed him in; and the playful laughter of unseen children carries through the corridors. Reports of flickering lights, sudden chills, and disembodied voices heighten the unease. On this Halloween, Bran Castle rises beyond the stones that shape it. Here, memory twists into myth, and the line between reality and the supernatural grows thrillingly thin.

巴黎圣母院的奇美拉，法国 Chimera of Notre-Dame de Paris, France (© scaliger/Getty Images)

万圣节时冷冰冰的凝视 Stone-cold stares on Halloween

万圣节快乐！

你有被恐怖的事物吓着的时候吗？如果有这样的经历，那说明你有着适度的娱乐感和恐惧感。一年中，没有什么日子比万圣节更适合沉迷于各种恐怖事物中了。我们今天所知的万圣节其实是由多个古老的文化和宗教传统演变而来，其中包括凯尔特人的萨温节，罗马人的“费拉里雅”，以及中世纪基督教的活动。今天，乔装打扮后的人们穿梭于大街小巷，就像祖先们披着兽皮来占卜未来或颂扬圣人和英烈一样。

在像“不给糖就捣蛋”、雕刻南瓜灯以及举办万圣节派对等现代的节日活动中，你可能会发现一些令人毛骨悚然的装饰品，例如今天图片中的巴黎圣母院的奇美拉。这种神话中的生物高高地栖息在城市上空，它经常被误解是滴水嘴兽（一种建筑输水管道喷口终端的雕饰），与这些喷水的“表亲”不同，奇美拉只是纯粹的装饰品。因此，当我们在欢庆万圣节时，也不要忘记这个节日背后的神秘生物和传说！万圣节快乐！

Happy Halloween!

Do you sometimes get spooked? If you do, that means you have a healthy sense of fun and fear. And what better day of the year than Halloween to indulge in all things scary? The holiday we know today traces its roots to ancient traditions, including the Celts' Samhain, the Romans' Feralia, and medieval Christian observances. Today, costumed people mingle in the streets, not unlike their ancestors who donned animal skins to divine the future or celebrate saints and martyrs.

Amid modern festivities like trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, and parties, you might spot a few spooky decorations that look like the one pictured here—a chimera of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perched high above the city, this mythical creature is often mistaken for a gargoyle, but unlike its waterspout cousins, the chimera is purely decorative. So today, let's remember the shadows and stories that dance around the edges of our brightly lit celebrations. Happy Halloween!

牛顿市的一片南瓜地，美国马萨诸塞州 A pumpkin patch in Newton, Massachusetts (© Frank Debonis/EyeEm/Alamy)

Pumpkin

It's not too late to pick up a pumpkin to add some Halloween flair to your doorstep. Although pumpkins are grown across the country, most of the 2 billion pounds produced in the US come from five states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas. While California grows the most pumpkins headed for the jack-o'-lantern market, Illinois wins in poundage, though, most of its crop ends up as pie filling or other processed products—perhaps even your pumpkin spice latte?

And while we're talking orange orbs, what is a pumpkin exactly? You might think they're vegetables, but botanists say they're the fruit of pumpkin vines. They're considered fruit because pumpkins contain seeds and grow from the same part of the plant that produces flowers. Whether you opt to consume or carve, we invite you to enjoy this fruit of the spookiest season!

南瓜

现在还来得及拿起一个南瓜来给你的门阶增添万圣节的气息。尽管南瓜在全国各地都有种植，但美国生产的20亿磅南瓜中的大部分来自五个州：加利福尼亚州、伊利诺伊州、印第安纳州、宾夕法尼亚州和得克萨斯州。虽然加利福尼亚州种植的南瓜最多，销往南瓜灯市场，但伊利诺伊州的南瓜收成却以手续费取胜，尽管如此，它的大部分南瓜收成都是馅饼馅料或其他加工产品，甚至是你的南瓜香料拿铁？

当我们谈论橙色球体时，南瓜到底是什么？你可能认为它们是蔬菜，但植物学家说它们是南瓜藤的果实。南瓜之所以被认为是水果，是因为南瓜含有种子，并且是从植物的同一部位生长而成的。无论您选择消费还是雕刻，我们都邀请您享受这个最恐怖季节的水果！

万圣节之夜在黑暗的树篱 Halloween night at the Dark Hedges (© Audio: Emmett Cooke/Shutterstock; Cedric Hommel/Getty | Video: VanderWolf Images, Lario Tus, Parinya/Shutterstock; mputsylo/Getty Images)

'Twas a night just like tonight…

In the late 18th century, a wealthy landowner built an estate in County Antrim in what is now Northern Ireland. To make a scenic but imposing entryway, he had 150 beech trees planted on either side of the road (90 trees survive). The trees grew to form the Dark Hedges—a tunnel of trees leading up to the property. In the right conditions—say a gloomy autumn night with the moonlight casting shadows through the tree canopy—this road can be a little spooky.

If that isn't enough to tingle your spine, many travelers who've made their passage down Dark Hedges have reported seeing the Grey Lady—a spectral woman who crosses the path, only to vanish into the trees. And according to local lore, on Halloween, the Grey Lady is joined in her wanderings by the occupants of the nearby graveyard. We love a good ghost story on Halloween but, do you mind if we turn on the lights?