Holidays and Festivals 美国的节假日

I. New Year’s Day 新年

Welcoming the new year is one of the oldest and gayest customs the world over. In the United States, it is a legal holiday. The celebration of this holiday begins the night before——on New Year’s Eve. It is a good time to make New Year’s decisions. In many places people stay up late to watch the old year out and the new year in. One of the biggest and most exciting places is Times Square in New York City. On the first day of the New Year, there are a lot of activities. Mummers Parade held in Philadelphia is one of the most popular New Year’s Day activities. The Rose Tournament is held in Pasadena, California.

Ⅱ. Martin Luther King’s Day (Third Monday of January)

马丁·路德·金诞辰纪念日（一月的第三个星期一）

Martin Luther King was a black minister, who became a great leader of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. On August 28, 1963, he led over 250,000 Americans on a march in Washington D.C. to fight for the Civil Rights Law to guarantee equality for all people, and delivered his best-known speech “I Have a Dream” before the Lincoln Memorial. The “dream” is a dream of fraternal love and equality for black and white. Thus he was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1964. But he was tragically murdered four years later. Though he died, he was greatly respected and loved by the Americans, both white and black. By vote of Congress in 1968, the third Monday of every January is now a federal holiday in Marin Luther King’s honor.

Ⅲ. Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12) 林肯诞辰纪念日（2月12日）

Abraham Lincoln is one of America’s most admired presidents. He is truly a great hero, a man who lived out the American Dream that one can rise from the log house to the White House through honesty and hard work. In 1860, he became America’s sixteenth President, on January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which officially freed all slaves in the United States. He led the Northerners to fight the Civil War to victory and saved the Union. The famous Lincoln Memorial designed by Henry Bacon is situated in West Potomac Park, Washington D.C. as a symbol of liberty and justice.

Ⅳ. Valentine’s Day (February 14) 情人节（2月14日）

Valentine’s Day is a day for lovers, and one of the loveliest holidays in the United States. It is very popular to send cards decorated with hearts and flowers to express love. Sometimes they put their love message in a heart-shaped box of chocolate, or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons. Candy, perfume, jewelry or a picture with a Heart and Cupid (the Roman God of love) armed with bow and arrow are also sent to express love. Many couples arrange romantic dinners by candle light for this occasion. Universities also hold a Sweethearts’ Ball for the young students to celebrate the Valentine’s Day.

V. Washington’s Birthday (February 22) 华盛顿诞辰纪念日（2月22日）

George Washington is remembered as a great general, as one of the founders of the Republic, as the first President of the United States of America, and also as “the Father of his Country”. He led the Continental Army to fight against the British troops and finally won independence. Thus Washington was chosen to be the first President. Americans remember Washington as a man who throughout his life always tried to do his best whatever his tasks were. The tall, white Washington Monument in the capital is a national memorial. He was surely the “first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.” As a legal holiday his birthday is generally celebrated by public ceremonies, banquets and formal balls.

VI. Easter Sunday (A Sunday in March or April) 复活节（3月或4月的一个星期天）

A. Easter Sunday, which comes from the ancient Norwegian festival of Spring sun, is the second of the two most important religious holidays for Christians. It is on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after March 21, and it is for celebrating the rising of Jesus Christ from his tomb.

B. Americans like this holiday. On the Easter morning people gather to salute another Easter dawn, for there is a rising of hope and joy as the earth reawakens to another spring.

C. There are several symbols for Easter. The egg and the hare are those most frequently associated with Easter.

D. The Ester Parade is very popular in the United States. The most famous one is along the Fifth Avenue in New York City.

E. University students usually have a week-long “Spring Break” to return home to spend the holiday with their parents.

Ⅶ. Memorial Day (Last Monday in May) 阵亡将士纪念日（5月的最后一个星期一）

A. Americans celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday in May is a day to honour the memory of those who have given their lives for their country.

B. This day, originally called “Decoration Day”, was first celebrated after the Civil War.

C. Today Americans celebrate it in various ways. The Navy often set afloat small boats with flower to remember the fighting men lost at sea. A grand ceremony is always held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C. It is also a time for people to visit and decorate the graves of their families and friends on this day.

Ⅷ. Independence Day (July 4) 美国独立日（7月4日）

A. Independence Day is a legal holiday throughout the United States. It’s America’s most important patriotic holiday, the birthday of the nation.

B. On July 4,1776, the Continental Congress passed and adopted the Declaration of Independence, which cut the tie with Britain and established a new nation.

C. Now Independence Day is celebrated in all the states. The army marks the occasion by firing a thirteen-gun salute every year. In Washington D.C. the President traditionally holds open house at the White House and large national banquets.

Ⅸ. Halloween (October 31) 万圣节前夕（10月31日）

Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve) is a night-time children’s holiday. Children with curious masks go from house to house to frighten friends or neighbors and threaten them with “Trick or treat”

Since 1950 children have asked for pennies instead of candies for UNICEF to help children in other countries, for which the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to American children.

X. Veteran’s Day (November 11) 美国退伍军人节（11月11日）

A. Veterans’ Day, which was called the Armistice Day before, originally celebrated the signing of the 1918 Armistice (end of World War I). Now it honors the memory of all men who have ever fought in defense of the country.

B. People spend the day quietly at home and keep two minutes of silence at 11﹕00 A. M. hoping that future wars will be avoided forever and that people will live in a peaceful, friendly world. Those families who have lost sons and daughters in war often attend memorial services this day.

XI. Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday of November) 感恩节（11月的第四个星期四）

A. Thanksgiving Day is a typical American holiday. It is an annual day of thanks for the blessings people have enjoyed during the year. The theme of thanksgiving has always been peace and plenty, health and happiness.

B. It is historical, national and religious holiday that began with the Pilgrims. The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by the English settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts on December 13, 1621. After that it was celebrated irregularly. The Congress declared the fourth Thursday in November to be a national day in 1941.

C. Today the Americans usually hold a big family dinner to celebrate the holiday. They have such traditional food as roast turkey, pumpkin pie, apples, cranberry sauce, squash and so on. American football games are also played everywhere.

XⅡ. Christmas Day (December 25) 圣诞节（12月25日）

A. Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, is the biggest and the best-loved holiday in the United States. It is a time of warmth and love, hospitality and good will. Generally speaking, the Christmas season and excitement last from right after Thanksgiving Day to New Year’s Day on January 1st.

B. The Christmas tree is very popular during this time because people think it can bring good luck. Since 1933, Rockefeller Center in New York City has put up a very tall Christmas tree with beautiful ornaments and lights. Each year in Washington D.C. there is a national tree lighting ceremony. The President of the United States pulls the switch that lights the brightly decorated new community Christmas tree on the White House lawn.

C. Most people exchange presents and send Christmas cards to their friends, relatives and business associates.

D. Many families go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Then they come home to enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner.

E. Christmas is a time for singing. In a word, it is a great occasion for children and all people with emphasis on love, and it is the most pleasant time of the year.