美国重要的节日

Christmas Day

Christmas Day-December 25-which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the founder of the Christian religion, is the biggest and best-loved holiday in the Christian World.

According to the Bible, the holy book of Christians, God decided to allow his only son, Jesus Christ, to be born to a human mother and live on earth so that people could understand God better and learn to love God and each other more. "Christmas"- meaning "celebration of Christ "- honors the time when Jesus was born to a young Jewish woman Mary.

Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter, but before they came together, she was found to be with child. Because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Although the exact date of the birth of Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago is not known, the calendar on the supposed date divides all time into B.C. (Before Christ )and A.D. ( a Latin phrase, Anno Domini, "in the year of our Lord.") For the first 300 years, Jesus' birthday was celebrated on different dates. Finally, in the year 354, church leaders chose December 25 as his birthday.

圣诞节的传说：童贞女受孕上帝之子

12月25日的圣诞节是庆祝基督教创始人耶稣基督生日的日子，是基督教世界最大的、人们最喜爱的节日。

据基督教徒的圣书《圣经》说，上帝决定让他的独生子耶稣基督投生人间，找个母亲，然后就在人间生活，以便人们能更好地了解上帝、学习热爱上帝和更好地相互热爱。“圣诞节”的意思是“庆祝基督”，庆祝一个年轻的犹太妇女玛丽娅生下耶稣的时刻。玛丽娅已和木匠约瑟夫订婚。可是，在他们同居之前，约瑟夫发现玛丽娅已怀孕。因为约瑟夫是个正派的人，又不想把这件事说出去让她丢脸，所以他想悄悄地和她分手。他正在考虑这事时，上帝的天使出现在他的梦中，对他说，“不要嘀咕了，把玛丽娅娶回家。她怀的孩子来自圣灵。她将生下个男孩子，你们给孩子起名叫耶稣，因为他将从罪恶中拯救人们。”尽管耶稣的确切生日并不清楚，大约是在2000年前，但是日历按着假定日期把时间分为公元前（耶稣基督诞生前）和公元后（A.D. 是拉丁文缩写，意思是“有了我们主--耶稣的年代”）。

在公元后的头三百年间，耶稣的生日是在不同的日子庆祝的。最后，在公元354年，教堂的领导人把12月25日定为耶稣基督的生日。

Christmas

Although, for Christians, Christmas is not the most important of festivals, it is probably the most widely celebrated religious occasion in the West. This festival celebrates the birth of the messiah in Bethlehem Palestine about two thousand years ago. This messiah was Jesus Christ who, Christians believe, was sent to save mankind and absolve them from their sins. Nowadays, you might be forgiven for missing the religious element to this festival as it has descended somewhat into an orgy of consumerism and indulgence. Gifts are given amongst family and friends and cards wishing “Seasonal Greetings” sent between just about everyone. Father Christmas, otherwise known as Santa Claus, is said to squeeze his way down chimneys across the world on Christmas Eve and deliver presents to any children that have behaved well over the last year. Another important motif of the festival is the Christmas tree, around which traditionally people would dance around hinting at the pagan origins of this mid-winter celebration.

圣诞节

虽然对基督教徒来说，圣诞节并不是其最重要的节日，但是在西方，它却是一个最受广泛庆祝的节日。圣诞节庆祝的是两千多年前弥赛亚(犹太人盼望的复国救主)在巴勒斯坦伯利恒的诞生。这个弥赛亚就是耶稣(基督教信奉的救世主)。基督教徒相信，耶稣是被派来拯救人类并协助人们摆脱罪恶的救世主。如今，就算你已经忘记了这个节日的本来意义也不会有人怪罪你，因为，现在的圣诞节已经演变成为大肆消费、狂欢与纵情享受的节日。在这个节日里，亲人们、朋友间都会互送礼物，满载着“节日祝福”的贺卡也会送到每一个人的手中。“圣诞之父”（Father Christmas），也就是我们所熟知的“圣诞老人”（Santa Claus），据说会在圣诞节前夕顺着烟囱下来，给世界各地的孩子们送去礼物，这些收到礼物的孩子必定是那些在过去的一年中各方面表现都很优秀的孩子。圣诞节的另一个重点是圣诞树，在这一天，人们会围着圣诞树跳舞，这也表明圣诞树是圣诞节形成之前的隆冬节日的重要组成部分。

Easter

For religious, as opposed to cultural, Christians, this is the fundamental festival of Christianity. It celebrates the fact that Jesus Christ was crucified and died and then rose again a few days later. Jesus claimed in his life that he was the Son of God. The

Jews, viewing this as heinous blasphemy, had him handed over to the Roman governor of Palestine and demanded that he be executed. Following his death on the cross however, Jesus appeared to his disciples and told them to spread his gospel of love and forgiveness around the world. Despite the religious theme to Easter, to many people in the west, this festival is simply about the exchange of chocolate eggs, said

to be delivered by the Easter Bunny. Again, one can see, as with Christmas, hints of the pagan origins of this festival, onto which has been grafted the later Christian message of Easter. The early pagan concern was with the onset of spring and the rebirth of nature symbolized by an egg!

复活节

对基督徒来说，复活节在宗教上的意义与在文化上的意义是不一样的，它是基督教中最重要的节日。它纪念的是耶稣在十字架上受刑死后几天内又复活这件事。耶稣声称自己是“上帝的儿子”。犹太人认为这是极其恶毒的亵渎话，因此把耶稣交给了当时在巴勒斯坦的罗马统治者，要求将这个“狂妄之徒”处死。在十字架上被钉死后，耶稣又出现在他的信徒们面前，号召大家把爱和宽容的信仰散播到世界各地。忽略了宗教上的本来意义，现在的许多西方人只把这个节日当成了一个互换“复活节彩蛋”的节日，还美其名曰是“复活兔”赠送的。大家可以看到，就像圣诞节一样，以前的宗教成份已经融入到了复活节当中，在复活节形成之前，人们正是利用“彩蛋”来暗示春天的到来和自然万物的新生。

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very important cultural festival in the United States. It takes place on the last Thursday of November and its purpose, as its name suggests, is to give thanks for all that we have. The Mayflower pilgrims held the very first Thanksgiving. After having barely survived a harsh winter and following an abundant harvest, they decided to hold a feast to give thanks. Largely redolent of the traditional English Harvest Festival, a significant and unique element to this original Thanksgiving was that the pilgrims invited 91 local Indians to whom they felt indebted for assisting their survival in that first bleak year. This spirit of friendship did not last however, a few years on and the pilgrims were condemning the Indians as heathen. Nowadays, the festival is a chance for family to get together and enjoy the traditional food such as roast turkey and pumpkin pie that no Thanksgiving could do without.

感恩节

在美国，感恩节是一个非常重要的节日。感恩节是在11月的最后一个星期四，

它的纪念主题正如它的名字本身所提到的，感谢我们所拥有的一切。最早开始庆祝这个节日的是“五月花号”上的清教徒们。在渡过了一个难熬的严冬后，他们获得了一次大丰收，于是，他们决定举行一个盛大的宴会来表达他们的感激之情。在英国传统的“收获感恩节”中，“感恩节”还有另外一个重要的因素，那就是清教徒们邀请91个当地的印第字安人共同庆祝这个节日，这91个人正是在那个寒冬中给了他们极大支持的人，确实是他们需要感谢的人。然而，这种友谊并未能延续多长时间，几年之后，清教徒们一致谴责这些印第安人是野蛮人。如今，这个节日演变成了一个有机会让家庭成员聚集在一起的节日。在这个节日中，大家在一起享用传统美食，如烤火鸡，南瓜馅饼等这些节日特色食物。

Mother’s Day

Mothering Sunday was an English observance whereby people were encouraged to return on the 4th Sunday of Lent to the church in which they were baptized, their “Mother Church”. Naturally, this often meant returning to their hometown. At the time it

was common for children as young as 10 to be away from home working so it became the custom that they were on this day allowed to return to visit their families. This evolved into a day for showing respect and love for one’s mother. Mother’s Day in the USA, on the second Sunday of May, has a different origin. It did not develop from another practice as in England, but was instigated in the early 20th Century as a day specifically for expressing gratitude to the Nation’s Mothers. Father’s Day, not as is often believed invented by card companies, actually originated in the USA only a little later, inspired by Mother’s Day.

母亲节

“母亲节”是英国的传统节日，在“四旬斋月”的第四个星期天，人们都要回到自己接受“洗礼”时的教堂－“母亲教堂”去做礼拜。自然而然地，这也代表了回到家乡的意思。那时，年仅10岁的孩童出外打工是很平常的事，因此，在那天回到家中跟家人团聚也就成了一种习俗。渐渐地，这一天变成了对母亲表示尊敬和爱戴的节日。在美国，“母亲节”是在五月的第二个星期天，它的来源跟英国的不大一样。它并不象英国那样是从某一个习俗转变过来的，而是在二十世纪早期兴起，为感谢所有的母亲而特别设立的节日。至于“父亲节”，许多人一直认为是由贺卡制造商发起的，事实并不是这样。在美国，“父亲节”的建立只略微比“母亲节”晚些，是在“母亲节”的推动下产生的。

Labor Day

Labor Day，the first Monday in September，is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It

constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength,prosperity，and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance，there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire，general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor，was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire"s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire，a machinist，not Peter McGuire，founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire，later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson，N.J.，proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

Labor Day

May 1st, International Labor's Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and the holiday began in the 1880s in the United States, with the fight for an eight-hour work day.Till today, Labor's Day is an annual legal holiday that is over 100 years old and celebrated the economic and social achievements of workers all over the world.

Over the years, it has evolved from a purely labor union celebration into a general "last fling of summer" festival.

Many people choose to travel. And some others will go to the cinema. Some will go to parks. And others will stay at home.

Working is glorious, and we should respect workers.

五月一日,国际劳动节是纪念全世界劳动人民历史性斗争的节日.这节日源于19世纪八十年代美国工人争取八小时工作制的斗争.至今,劳动节作为一年一度法定假日已有一百多年,庆祝全世界工人争取经济和社会胜利的节日.

多年来,劳动节已从仅仅劳动者联合庆祝转为平常"夏日最后疯狂"节日.许多人选择旅游.一些人去戏院,一些人去公园.还有人留在家里.劳动是光荣的.我们必须尊重劳动人民.

New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though other dates were also

used in Rome). In all countries using the Gregorian calendar, except for Israel, it is a public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts. January 1 on the Julian calendar corresponds to January 14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on that date that followers of some of the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the New Year.

January 1 marks the end of a period of remembrance of a particular passing year, especially on radio, television, and in newspapers, which usually starts right after Christmas Day. Publications often have year-end articles that review the changes during the previous year. Common topics include politics, natural disasters, music and the arts, and the listing of significant individuals who died during the past year. Often there are also articles on planned or expected changes in the coming year, such as the description of new laws that often take effect on January 1.

This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s has become an occasion for celebration the night of December 31, called New Year's Eve. There are often fireworks at midnight. Depending on the country, individuals may be allowed to burn fireworks, even if it is forbidden the rest of the year.

It is also a memorable occasion to make New Year's resolutions, which they hope to fulfill in the coming year; the most popular ones in the western world include to stop tobacco smoking or drinking alcohol, or to lose weight or get physically fit.[1]

Halloween

Halloween is an autumn holidaythat Americans celebrate every year. It means "holy evening," and it comes every October 31, the evening before All Saints' Day. However, it is not really a church holiday, it is a holidayfor children mainly.

Every autumn, when the vegetables are ready to eat, children pick large orangepumpkins. Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put a burningcandle inside. It looks as if there were a person looking out of the pumpkin! These lights are called jack-o'-lanterns, which means "Jack of the lantern".

The children also put on strange masks and frightening costumes every Halloween. Some children paint their faces to look like monsters. Then they carryboxes or bags from houseto house. Every time they come to a new house, they say,"Trick or treat! Money or eat!" The grown-ups put treat-money or candyin their bags.

Not only children, but most grown-ups also love Halloween and Halloween parties because on this day,they can disguisethemselves as personages or ghostas their imaginations will lead them. This bring them the satisfaction of being young.

万圣节前夕

万圣节前夕是美国人年年都会庆祝的秋季节日。它的意思是“神圣的夜晚”，在每年的10月31日，也就是万圣节前夜。但实际上这不是一个真正的宗教节日，而主要是孩子们的节日。

每年秋天蔬菜成熟可以食用的时候，孩子们就会挑出大个儿的橙色南瓜。然后在南瓜上刻上一张脸，把一根点燃的蜡烛放在里面。看起来就好像有人在向南瓜外面张望。这些灯就叫做“iack-o'-lantems”，意思也就是“杰克的灯”。

每年万圣节前夕孩子们还戴上奇怪的面具，穿上吓人的服装。有些孩子把脸刷成怪物。然后他们拿着盒子或袋子挨家挨户串门。每来到一个新房子他们就说：“不款待就捣乱!给钱还是吃的!”大人们就会把用来招待的钱或糖放在他们的袋子里了。

不仅孩子，许多成年人也喜欢万圣节前夕和万圣节前夕晚会。因为这一天他们可以根据自己的想象把自己装扮成名流或幽灵。这会带给他们年轻的快感。

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