教你正确用(二十九)
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In Part One of this series on holidays, we talked about important holidays up to the month of September. Today, as promised, we’ll pick up where we left off and take a look at holidays in the fall and winter months.
Holiday in October
Columbus Day The second Monday in October is designated a national holiday to celebrate Christopher Columbus’ landing on the American Continent on October 12, 1492. Believing that the world was round and by sailing directly west he would have a shortcut to reach India and China, Columbus started his discovery voyage from Spain on August 3, 1492, and landed on today’s San Salvador① two months later, which he believed to be India. Columbus soon reached Cuba and thought it was Japan. For his vision, courage, and accomplishments, Columbus symbolizes the spirit of pioneering and the land he discovered. Indeed, in the 1800’s, the United States of America was actually called “the United States of Columbia.” “Columbia” is a more poetic version of “Columbus.”
Columbus Day was first celebrated in the U.S. in 1791, one year short of the 300th anniversary of his discovery of the American Continent. However, Columbus’ discovery has generated controversies in recent years. American Indians, now known as Native Americans, claimed that Columbus’ discovery of the new world only benefited European colonialists, who took land and recourses away from the natives but, in return, brought diseases and later genocides to the local inhabitants. More interestingly, some researchers have been arguing for the past couple of years that the Chinese voyager, Zheng He (郑和), led his great fleet to reach America in 1421, some 70 years before Columbus’ journey. They say Zheng He wrecked② one of his ships somewhere near today’s San Francisco.
Holidays in November
Election Day The American democracy is built on the concept of “self government③,” where officials are publicly elected to represent the interest of their constituencies④. Therefore, the primary right of a citizen is to VOTE. To encourage people to come out to vote, the federal government established the Tuesday following the first Monday in November a holiday. Election Day always falls between November 2 and November 8 each year. While we elect the president every four years, there are always senators, congressional representatives⑤, governors, and local officials running for election or re-election each year. Election Day is always a busy and fun day. Indeed, “bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote,” so never forget to cast your vote.
Veterans Day The First World War ended at the 11th hour of the 11th month, and the 11th day in 1918, when Germany signed the armistice⑥. During the four-year conflict, more than 8.5 million soldiers from the Allied and Central Powers⑦ were killed. The world hoped that this was the war to end all wars. Many countries honor November 11 as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. In the U.S., November 11 is a holiday to pay tribute and gratitude to all those who served in the country’s armed forces, as some observed: “the freedom is never free”.
Thanksgiving Day Families get together to celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November. Many also call this day the “Turkey Day”, since the holiday dinner usually includes a stuffed, roasted turkey. This holiday tradition goes back to early 1620’s. After surviving their first severe winter in the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts, the settlers from Europe celebrated with their harvest to thank God and especially to local Native Americans for teaching them how to catch eel and grow corn. Thanksgiving is about love and relationships, and it is truly a national holiday, where people of all cultures, ethnicities, and religions show gratitude to and enjoy the company of friends and loved ones. Even the president will pardon a live turkey on Thanksgiving Day, so that the big bird can live peacefully for the remainder of its life. Last year President Bush pardoned a turkey called “Flyer”, and who knows which bird will be the lucky one for this year. “Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart,” and that goes for turkeys too.
Holiday in December
Christmas Day I’m sure there’s no need to give an extended introduction of Christmas to our readers. Many people in China celebrate this holiday. During the holiday season, Christmas trees with shining lights line the streets of Beijing, giving the city an air of festivity in the cold and dreary winter days. Of course, Christmas is a holiday to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday on December 25; he was born (depending on when you read this column) 2008 years ago. A Christian festival, Christmas is the only legal holiday of a religious nature in the U.S.. But, “Christmas” is changing too ...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Well, up to this point I have been writing in English for this holiday series, and I’m tired of doing that. I’m going to talk about changes in the Christmas season in Chinese. Yes, I do speak Chinese.
圣诞快乐与节日快乐
每年的 12月25号是圣诞节。大家都以“Merry Christmas”相祝贺。但近几年在美国听到说“Merry Christmas”的越来越少，而更多听到的是 “Happy Holidays”。这是怎么回事？
近二三十年，不断的民权运动及大量移民的进入使美国的经济、政治、文化生活发生了重大变化。20世纪90年代出现了一个新词叫 “Politically Correct”，意思是要照顾全面，说话做事时不要触犯他人。比如在制定政策时要照顾到各个群体的利益，不但有白人的，还有黑人的、西班牙裔人的、亚裔人的、太平洋岛屿居民的；不但有男人的，还有女人的、小孩的、老人的、同性恋者的，等等。 如今又出了一个新词“Culturally Sensitive”，有时也说 “Culturally Competent”，意思是要了解本身以外的文化，不要把自己的文化习惯强加给别人。
圣诞节是基督教的节日，虽说大部分美国人信基督教，也有不少美国人信其他教，比如犹太教、伊斯兰教、佛教等，当然还有不信教的。另外，紧接着圣诞节的“阳历”新年也是来自以基督教为本的日历。各宗教有自己的节日，不一定每个人都过圣诞节；各种文化有自己的新年，不一定每人都过阳历新年。所以，把两个假日连起来，说句 “节日快乐――Happy Holidays(注意复数)”，既 “Politically Correct”又“Culturally Sensitive”，皆大欢喜。
【解释】
① San Salvador:加勒比海中的岛国。
② Wreck a ship:发生海难，沉船; 名词为 shipwreck。
③ Self government:自治政府。
④ Constituency:选区; 选民为constituent。
⑤ Congressional representative:联邦国会众议员, 原为congressman，后因女性议员增多而改变。有些州称州众议员为assemblyperson。
⑥ Armistice:停战协议。
⑦ Allied Powers in WWI:Led by Britain, France, Russia, and the U.S.; Central Powers in WWI―led by Germany.
I hope you have enjoyed this series on holidays. Send me an email at if you have a question. So long till next time.
（责编：张雯）