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第8章 April Fools Day愚人节

April 1st in the 21st Century looks like it will continue to be a day on which we fools must be wary!

April Fools Day

This is a festival that has become infamous infamous adj.声名狼籍的 everywhere. With no religious religious adj.信奉宗教的, 虔诚的, 宗教上的, 修道的, 严谨的 content this festival is purely about fun, at other peoples expense. The source of this days antics antics n.滑稽的动作, 古怪的姿态 is not certain.

在21世纪的今天,4月1日是“傻子”们需要提高警惕性的一天。

愚人节

一个在世界各地都很盛行的节日。这个节日在宗教上并没有什么特定含义,纯粹是一个想方设法在别人身上找乐子的日子。至于这一古怪的节日从何而来,谁都说不清楚。

However, it is usually explained as that in France in the 16th Century Charles IX switched the calendar to the Gregorian Gregorian adj.罗马教皇 Gregory 的 form. By doing this January 1st became New Years Day rather than April 1st.

However, communicationscommunications [计] 通信 being what they were at the time news of this change never reached some while others chose to ignore this reform. Such people were labeled fools and became generally the butt of many jokes.

The British, with their acute acute adj.敏锐的, [医]急性的, 剧烈 appreciation of a good prank prank n.胡闹, 开玩笑, 恶作剧 vt.装饰, 打扮 , soon picked up on the tradition. When America was colonized the French and British carried the festival with them.

April 1st in the 21st Century looks like it will continue to be a day on which we fools must be wary!

然而,有一个比较流行的说法是:在16世纪的法国,查尔斯9世舍弃了当时使用的日历,转而使用罗马日历,这样一来,每年的1月1日就成了新年,而不是原来的4月1日。

由于当时的信息传播比较落后,有些人根本不知道这件事情,因此忽略了这次日历改革。正是这批人被冠上了“傻子”的头衔,并成了众人的笑柄。

喜欢搞恶作剧的英国人很快喜欢上了这个节日,于是把它当成了英国的传统节日。当时,美国还是法国和英国的殖民地,因此美国人也过上了这个节日。

在21世纪的今天,4月1日仍旧是“傻子”们需要提高警惕性的一天。

这是一个我们越来越熟悉的外国节日,他们一天天地接近于我们的生活。如今在这个充满全球化趋势的今天,作为强势文化的西方欧美文化也在影响着我们这个有着五千年灿烂文明历史的古国。虽说是顺潮流而动,但我们在接受西方文明的同时,也不要把我们自己的传统文化丢弃。