300年后，佛罗伦萨美第奇家族的科西莫吞并了锡耶纳，争斗从此结束。科西莫成为托斯卡纳的第一个大功。为了庆祝这个重大的胜利，佛罗伦萨人设立了一个纸灯笼节。那时，人们带着午餐从周围各地聚来。午餐包括奶酪、面包、水果和添加了茴芹和茴香的糖果等。到了晚上，他们拿着彩色纸灯笼，一直走到阿尔诺河的河岸，让纸灯笼在河面上漂流。如今的庆祝活动仍然包括野餐和灯笼——同时还有彩车、民歌演唱、街头舞蹈。
练习
在意大利，全年大约有三分之一的日子属于节日。你还知道其他意大利特有的节日吗？
13 Greek New Year’s Day 希腊新年
The people of Greece hail September 1as their New Year’s Day because it marks the start of the Greek sowing season， a time of hope and promise.
To start things off right， farmers’ families take plates of seeds to church for the priest to bless. On the island of Kos， people fashion first-of-the-year wreaths of pomegranates， grapes， quinces， garlic bulbs， and plane-tree leaves—all of which are traditional symbols of abundance. Just before dawn on September 1， island children carry their house-holds’ wreaths down to the shore， the old year’s wreaths and the new ones， and they throw the old ones out to sea. They briefly immerse the new ones， for luck. Then they carry sea-water and pebbles home in a jar， to serve， along with the new wreath， as protective devices. Tradition calls for exactly forty pebbles and water collected from the tops of exactly forty waves. This is also a time of trepidation. One old folk belief is that on this day the Angel of Death writes down the names of all those unfortunates destined to die within the coming year.
Vocabulary 词汇
wreaths [ri：ez， ri：θs] n. 花环，花圈（wreath的复数）
pomegranate ["p？mɡr？nit， "p？mi"ɡ-] n. 石榴
quince [kwins] n. [植]温柏，柑橘
pebble ["pebl] n. 卵石，水晶透镜；
vt. 用卵石铺
trepidation ["trepidei？？n] n. 惊恐，恐惧，忧虑，颤抖
Practice
There are still some unique customs in different parts of Greece. For example， residents of the Crete Island should carry a boulder to master， and bless them have ample food and clothing， have a gold as big as huge stone. Do you know any other customs of Greek New Year？
译文
希腊人在9月1日欢庆新年，因为这一天标志着希腊播种季节的开始，这是一个充满希望和期待的季节。
为了有个好的开端，农家把种子放在盘子里，拿到教堂接受牧师的祝福。在科斯岛上，人们流行用石榴、葡萄、蒜头、悬铃树的树叶等编织新年花环。所有这些都是传统上丰裕的象征。9月1日黎明前，岛上的孩子们把家里的新旧花环都拿到海边。他们把旧花环抛到海里，把新的花环在海水里迅速浸泡一下以求好运。之后，他们用罐子装上海水和小鹅卵石带回家，海水和小鹅卵石连同新花环能帮助他们驱魔避邪。传统上要求要捡正好40块小鹅卵石和正好从40朵浪花上汲取的海水。这一天同时又是令人惶恐不安的日子。有一个古老的民俗认为，在9月1日，死亡天使会写下来年里将死去的所有不幸的人的名字。
练习
希腊各地还有些独特的习俗。例如，克里特岛的居民拜年时要携带一块巨石送给主人，并祝福他家丰衣足食，将拥有一块大如巨石的黄金。你还知道别的希腊新年习俗吗？
14 Pied Piper Day 彩衣魔笛手节
One summer day in the Middle Ages， a strange man in multicolored（that is， pied）clothing strode into the German town of Hamelin. Learning that the town was infested with rats， the stranger offered to dispose of the rodents （for a fee. When the burg hers gratefully agreed， the stranger whipped out a flute and played a mysterious tune that proved an irresistible rat lure. Rats swarmed out of every house in Hamelin and followed the Pied Piper to the banks of the Weser River. Then they followed him into the swirling waters and were drowned.
When the burghers refused to pay the piper， he devised a plan of revenge. Once again putting his pipe to his lips， he played yet another air—one that seduced not rodents but children. Parents watched helplessly as the Pied Piper， playing merrily， led all of Hamelin’s youngsters out of town， after which they were never seen again.
Although opinions vary on the exact d ate of the piper’s revenge， the German government holds with June 26， 1284. The town of Hamelin stages Pied Piper plays every Sunday from June to September. Children form the bulk of the cast， but as 130 was the alleged number who went with the piper on that fateful day in 1284， the cast of today’s productions is ritually limited to 130.
Vocabulary 词汇
multicolored ["m？lti"k？l？d] adj. 多色的，多彩的
flute [flu：t] n. 长笛；
vt. 用长笛吹奏；
vi. 吹长笛
irresistible ["iri"zist？bl] adj. 不可抵抗的，不能压制的，极为诱人的
seduce [si"dju：s， -"du：s-] vt. 引诱，诱惑，怂恿
alleged [？"led？d] adj. 所谓的，声称的；
v. 断言，宣称（allege的过去式）
Practice
There is a story The Piper of Hamelin in Grimm’s Fairy Tales roots in this legend， you can read it if interested.
译文
在中世纪的一个夏日里，一个穿彩衣的陌生人大步走进德国的哈默尔恩镇。他听说这个镇里老鼠成灾，表示可以消灭它们——不过要收一笔费用。当市民们感激地表示同意时，陌生人立即拿出一支笛子，吹出了一种神奇的曲调。这曲调对老鼠具有不可抗拒的诱惑力。于是老鼠从镇里的各家各户成群地跑了出来，跟着彩衣魔笛手来到威悉河岸，跟着他走进激流之中，统统淹死在河里。
可是市民们却拒不付钱给他，于是他想了一个办法报复他们。他再次把笛子拿到唇边，吹出了另一种曲调——这个曲调不是引诱老鼠而是引诱孩子的。父母们无奈地望着彩衣魔笛手吹起了欢快的笛声，带着所有的孩子走出了哈默尔恩镇。人们从此再没见到孩子们的踪影。
对于笛手究竟是在哪天进行报复的，人们众说不一，不过德国政府认为是在1284年6月26日。每年从6月到9月的每个星期天，哈默尔恩镇都要上演彩衣魔笛手的戏，由孩子们主演。据说在1284年那灾难的一天有130人跟着笛手走了，所以，演戏的演员通常都限定为130人。
练习
《格林童话》中有篇《彩衣吹笛人》，正是源自这一传说，有兴趣的话可以找来阅读。