-
Valentine's
Day(
情人节
)(February
14)
St. Valentine's Day
is an informal observance
(
非正式的庆祝
) of a
lover's holiday. Today, the observance
has no connection with the many
legendary
(
传说的
)
St.
Valentines,
and
holds
no
religious
significance.
The day is observed with exchanges of
love notes and cards, and other
tokens(
标志
) of
affection(
感情
), called
valentines. The symbols of the
heart
and Cupid(
丘比特
) are common in
cards, decorations of store
windows,candies and other
paraphernalia(
随身物品
).
Traditional
valentines
were
frilly(
装饰的
)
sweet,
and
tender(
温情的
)
affairs
made
of
red
and
white
paper
and
lace(
花边
)
with
cutouts(
剪下的图样
)
and
cupids.
The
custom
of
sending
cards,
giving
candy,
and
other
such
tokens
has
caught
a
great
deal
of
commercial
enthusiasm(
积极性
).
Many
stores,
for
instance,
decorate(
装饰
)
seasonally, or a according to calendar
holidays(
日历
).
Valentine's Day is the first excuse for
splashy(
显眼的
) valentine
theme(
主题
)
dominates stationery(
文具
)
stores, candy stores,
confectioneries(<
/p>
甜食制造业
),
and
quite
often
drug
stores
where
cards
and
candy
are sold.
Easter
（复活节）
(The first Sunday after the first
full moon following the vernal
equinox(
春分
))
Easter
is
important
for
several
reasons.
Primarily(
主要
)
it
is
a
time
for families to get
together much like Christmas or Thanksgiving. They
usually
have
a
large
meal
and
serve
traditional
（传统的）
dishes
such
as
baked
ham(
火腿
).
In
addition,
there
is
a
commercial
aspect(
商业特征
)
of
Easter. It is a time when
manufacturers(
制造商
) of candy
and chocolate
can sell their products.
They make chocolates in the shape of eggs and
rabbits
since
those
things
are
associated
with
（与……联系）
spring
and
Easter. Finally,
Easter is a religious holiday. Many Americans go
to
church
on
that
day
if
they
are
Christians
to
celebrate
the
res
urrection(
耶
酥复活
)
of Christ. Symbols(
象征
) which
we see at Easter are chicks,
flowers,
eggs, baskets for children to dye Easter eggs and
then to hide
them.
Other
children
look
for
the
eggs
and
collect
them
in
baskets.
People
often get new clothes for spring for
around Easter time.
Doll's Day
女儿节
(
初
)
The
third
of
March
is
an
exciting
day
for
little
Japanese
girls.
They
know it as Doll's Day.
On that day, any household which has a daughter
aged
between
three
and
seven
decorates
the
house
with
traditional
dolls.
They represent the royal family and
members of the court. They are
extremely delicate and finely dressed.
The dolls may have been in the
family
for
several
generations,
or
they
may
have
been
newly
presented
to
the
daughter
of
the
house,
usually
by
the
grandparents.
The
little
girls
do not merely look at the dolls
displayed in the house. They themselves
are
dressed
in
elaborate
kimonos,
again
of
traditional
design.
Then
their
parents
accompany
them
to
the
sacred
shrines.
After
they
come
back
home,
special rice cakes are eaten. Doll's
Day in Japan is for the girls, but
the
boys
have
their
own
turn
later.
Their
festival
occurs
on
May
5th,
and
this
time
the
house
are
decorated
with
armour,
emphasizing
a
traditional
male role
April Fool's Day
愚人节
(
初
)
April
Fool's
Day
is
the
first
day
of
April.
The
sport
of
the
holiday
is
to
play
silly
but
harmless
jokes
on
family
members,
co-workers,
and
friends. A victim of one
of these pranks is called an April fool. If
one succeeds in tricking someone, one
laughs and says, `April Fool`,
and then
the person who has been tricked usually laughs,
too. This
holiday originated in France.
When the French first adopted the
Gregorian calendar in 1564, some people
continued to use the old
calendar
to
celebrate
New
Year's
Day
on
April
people
were
called
April
Fools. The custom of playing tricks on this day
became popular
in
France
and
then
spread
to
many
other
countries.
April
Fool's
jokes
are as ingenious, humorous, or cruel as
the people who perform them.
Here are
some typical pranks: __Telling somebody to call
the zoo and
ask to speak to Mr Fox.
__Putting salt in the sugar bowl. __Setting
the
clock
back
an
hour.
__Saying
to
friends,
'Oh
my!
You
have
four
holes
in
your coat-buttonholes! __Trying a string to a
wallet and leaving
the wallet in the
middle of the sidewalk. When someone stops to pick
it up, the pranker yanks it out of
reach. In the United States today,
April
Fool's
jokes
are
mostly
played
by
children,
who
enjoy
the
holiday
immensely.
Notes:
April
Fool:
在愚人节受骗的人
.
prank
：玩笑；恶作剧
.
Trick:
计谋
;
欺诈
. Originate:
开始
;
源自
.
cruel:
残忍的
.
ingenious:
坦率的
.
Popular:
受欢迎的
. Immensely:
极大的
;
无限的
.
Humorous:
幽默的
. .
Halloween(
万圣日
)
(October 31)
This is a holiday widely celebrated
with different name in many
countries
.Although it originated(
发源
)
as a religious holiday, it has
lost
its
religious
connections
in
the
United
States.
It
is
now
celebrated
largely as a children's day, and many
American children look forward to
it
for days and weeks beforehand. The orange pumpkin
is harvested(
收获
)
at
this
time
of
year
and
is
hollowed(
挖空
)
out,
a
funny
face
cut
into
it,
and
a
candle
placed
inside
as
a
decoration(
装饰
)
in
the
window.
City
folks,
nowadays,
sometimes
use
paper
pumpkins
for
decorations.
Some
years
ago,
the
holiday was celebrated by dressing up in strange
and frightening
costumes(
戏服
)
and
playing
tricks(
戏弄
)
on
one's
neighbors
and
friends,
such as ringing
door bells, throwing bits of
corn(
谷物
) on the window
panes(
窗格玻璃
), and
in other ways making minor
disturbances(
小骚扰
).
Note: originated(
发源
)harvested(
收获
)hollowed(
挖空
)decoration(
装
饰
)costumes(
戏服
)tricks(
戏弄
)corn(
谷物
)panes(
窗格玻璃
)di
sturbances(
小
骚扰
)
Boxing Day
节礼日
(
初
)
In the English-speaking world, the day after
Christmas Day has a
special name. We
call it Boxing Day.
This
makes
it
sound
like
a
day
on
which
everyone
has
a
fight,
but
the
name
has
nothing
to
do
with
the
sport
of
boxing.
It
derives
from
the
custom
in
former
times
of
presenting
servants
and
tradesmen
with
a
Christmas
box
or gift. Here in Britain
we still talk about giving the milkman or
newspaper-delivery boy a Christmas box,
when we mean a sum of money or
present.
The
expression
dates
from
the
time
when
the
money
would
have
been
put into an actual box.
Boxing
Day
in
modern
times
is
a
quiet
day.
Most
people
are
recovering
from
the
large
meals
they
ate
the
day
before.
The
children
have
new
toys
to keep them happy, and
the adults are content to watch them play.
Perhaps
it
would
be
a
good
idea
of
Boxing
Day
actually
was
made
to
honor
that
sport.
Then,
on
other
days,
we
could
celebrate
Football
Day,
Cricket
Day, Hockey Day, and
so on. There are probably enough different sports
to allow each day of the year to have
one to itself.
Christmas Day
圣诞节
(
中
)
Christmas is a joyful religious
(
宗教的
) holiday when
Christians
celebrate
the
birth
of
Jesus
Christ.
The
Christmas
story
comes
from
the
Bible
(
圣经
).
An
angel
appeared
to
shepherds
(
牧羊人
)
and
told
them
that
a Savior
(
救世主
) had been born to Mary
and Joseph in a stable in
Bethlehem.
Three
Wise
Man
from
the
East
(the
Magic)
followed
a
wondrous
star which led them
to the baby Jesus to whom they paid homage
(
表示
敬意
) and
presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
To people
all over the world, Christmas
is a season of giving and receiving
presents. In Scandinavian and other
European countries, Father
Christmas,
or
Saint
Nicholas,
comes
into
houses
in
the
night
and
leaves
gifts for the
children. Saint Nicholas is represented as a
kindly man
with
a
red
cloak
and
long
white
beard.
He
visited
houses
and
left
gifts,
bringing people happiness in the
coldest months if the year. Anther
character (
人物
) ,
the Norse God Odin, rode on a magical flying horse
across
the
sky
in
the
winter
to
reward
people
with
gifts.
These
different
legends
(
传说
)passed the ages to make
the present-day Santa Claus.
Immigrant
settlers
brought
Father
Christmas
to
the
United
States.
Father
Christmas's name was gradually changed
to Santa Claus, from the Dutch
name
for
Father
Christmas,
which
is
Sinter
Claus
Although
he
has
origins
(
渊源
) in Norse and
pre-Christian mythology (
神话
)
, Santa Claus took
shape in the United
States. American gave Santa Claus a white beard,
dressed him in a red suit and made him
a cheery old gentleman with red
cheeks
and
twinkle
in
his
eye.
Several
American
towns
maintain
the
spirit
of Santa Claus. The
New England State of Connecticut has a Christmas
village
where
and
his
elves
give
out
gifts.
In
New
York,
a
small
town
called
the
North
Pole
was
designed
for
Santa
Claus.
There
is
a
post
office, a church and a
blacksmith shop, to repair the shoes of the
reindeer. Santa Claus exists only in
our imagination. But he, Saint
Nicholas,
and
Father
Christmas
are
spirits
of
giving,
Christmas
has
been
associated
with
gift
giving
since
the
Wise
Men
brought
gifts
to
welcome
the newborn Jesus
Christ.
Christmas Tree
圣诞节
(
中
)
One thing that most homes
in America have at Christmas time is a
Christmas tree, even in Hawaii where
trees must be brought in by ship.
But
why
a
tree
at
Christmas?
Trees
have
always
been
given
a
special
place
in
the myths(
神话
),
legends
（传说）
, traditions, and
religious beliefs
（宗教信仰）
.
Germany---The
Christmas
tree
really
started
in
Germany.
Some
historians think that the Christmas
tree was a kind of
Christian(
基督
教的
)
hope for spring to come soon. Why? Well, first of
all, Christmas
Day
comes
right
after
the
longest
winter
night,
and
people
in
the
far
north
would
soon
expect
the
days
to
come
longer.
And,
of
course,
Christ's
birth
was
associated
with
（与
......
相联系）
the
bringing
in
new
life.
Second,
an
evergreen
tree
(one
that
stayed
green
all
winter
long)
was
eventually
also
connected
by
Christians
with
the
idea
of
everlasting
(
永恒的
)life,
which
Jesus
Christ
said
he
was
bringing
from
God
to
Mankind.
Paradise
(
天
堂
)tree---
In
addition,
Christians
had
for
centuries
honored
Adam
and
Eve
on
December
24th
by
bringing
into
their
house
an
evergreen
tree
the
called
the
paradise
tree.
(Paradise
was
one
name
used
in
the
Bible
for
the
Garden
of
Eden(
伊甸园
), the home of the
first human Adam and Eve.) And they
decorated
their
Paradise
Tree
with
red
apples.
(By
Harvey
M.
Taylor,
Ph.D.
Special Days Special Ways, Peking
University Press )
NEW YEAR’S DAYS
新年
(
中
)
throughout
the
United
States
on
January
First
has
a
counterpart
in
every
land.
The words may be different and the dates may vary,
but New Year
greetings everywhere
express the hope for renewed life and happiness.
Whether the New Year's Eve party is
in a luxurious hotel ballroom or
in
modest
home,
it
will
be
gay,
noisy
and
glittery.
The
music
will
be
loud
and carefree, and there
will be bright colors , festive foods, and high
good
spirits
to
make
this
last
night
of
the
year
one
of
fun
and
frivolity.
At celebrations
in restaurants, clubs and shipboard salons, guests
are
given silly paper hats and
noisemakers (n.
狂欢时时用以发出噪音的器物
)
and
as
the
evening
goes
on
no
one
remains
a
stranger.
At
midnight
everyone
joins hands and signs,
Syne.
Preparation
for
the
party
includes
planning
what
one
will
wear.
If
it
is
a
formal
affair,
men
will
wear
tuxedos
and
the
ladies
will
put
on
their
most
elegant
gowns.
And
even
small
parties
mean
up.
But
if
it
is
a
masked
ball
（
n.
假面舞会）
,
up
takes
another
form.
The
guests
vie
(vi.
竞争
)
for
the
most
original,
exotic,
dignity
and
appealing
costume.
Hidden
behind
a
mask
or
domino.
Dignity
and
care
are
cast
aside,
and
not
until
unmasking
at
midnight
must
the
party-goers
discard
the
illusion
of
their changed personalities.
Not everyone goes to a party, but
almost everyone makes an occasion
of
New Year's Eve. A favorite place to see the old
year out is New York
City 's Times
Square. Thousands of New Yorkers and tourists
crowd this
famous
spot
(at
the
intersection
of
Broadway
and
Seventh
Avenue)
and
crane
their
necks to watch for
electronically
controlled sign tract that circles the Allied
Chemical
Tower.
When
the
moment
arrives
bedlam
（
n.
喧闹声）
breaks
forth.
Bells
ring,
whistles blow, people
cheer with unrestrained
exuberance(n.
充溢
).
This
chaotic
scene
is
repeated
in
public
squares
throughout
the
country,
but
not
at
the
same
moment.
Because
of
the
four
time
zones
in
the
United
States
the New Year comes to the central States one hour
later, to the
Mountain
States
two
hours
later,
and
finally
to
the
Western
States
three
hours
after
the
Eastern
States
have
noisily
said
good
bye
to
another
year.
So by following the
radio and television broadcasts everyone can enjoy
the festivities in other parts of the
country as well as their own.
Then
with the arrival of the new year, thoughts turn to
the future-a
future viewed
optimistically and hopefully. Greeting cards and
spoken
messages
convey
wishes
for
health,
wealth
and
long
life.
A
new
year
allows
a fresh start and New
Year's resolutions abound.
Grown-
ups and children alike enthusiastically vow
（
v.
发誓）
to get
rid of their bad habits and resolve to
lead better lives. Children are
apt(a.
易于的
) to
write down their resolutions with solemn ceremony:
To
show
their
seriousness
they
sign
their
names
and
deliver
the
paper
to
a
parent
for
safe-
keeping.
Adults
make
equally
ambitious
resolutions:
Despite
the
sincerity
of
the
resolutions,
no
one
seems
surprised
that
the
determination
to
over
a
new
leaf
disappears
before
the
new
year
is well started.
Although
New
Year's
traditions
in
the
United
States
stem
from
as
many
cultures
as do the people themselves, they have gradually
assumed a
typical
American
flavor.
The
giving
of
gifts,
for
instance,
an
important
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