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第9章 The Story of Mothers Day母亲节的故事

While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mothers Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries also celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May.

The Story of Mothers Day

The earliest Mothers Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday”. Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 day period leading up to Easter), “Mothering Sunday” honored the mothers of England.

目前有许多国家都以不同的日子作为本国的母亲节,不过也有一些国家和美国在同一天庆祝母亲节,即五月的第二个星期天。

母亲节的故事

最早的母亲节可追溯到古希腊为纪念瑞意(Rhea,古希腊神话中的诸神之母)而举行的春季庆祝活动。 在公元17世纪,英国出现了一个叫做“妈妈的星期天”的节日。一般是在每年四旬斋活动(即为庆祝耶酥复活而举行的长达40天的宗教活动)的第四个星期天举行。“妈妈的星期天”其实就是专门为英国的母亲们而设立的节日。

During this time many of the Englands poor worked as servants for the wealthy wealthy adj.富有的, 丰裕的, 充分的n.富人, 有钱人. As most jobs were located far from their homes, the servants would live at the houses of their employers.

On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive festive adj.庆祝的, 喜庆的, 欢乐的, 节日的 touch.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe the celebration changed to honor the “Mother Church”—the spiritual power that gave them life and protected them from harm. Over time the church festival blended blended (酒等)数种混合的 with the Mothering Sunday celebration.

People began honoring their mothers as well as the church.

在那时,许多英国穷人都在有钱人家做仆人。因为这些穷人住的地方往往距离主人家较远,所以他们常常就住在雇主的家中。

而在每年的“妈妈星期天”这一天,主人常常会给他的仆人放一天假,鼓励他们回家去与自己的母亲共度此日。同时,为了庆祝这一天,人们还常常会带一种特殊的蛋糕(称为“母亲蛋糕”)回家给自己的母亲。

随着基督教在欧洲的广泛传播,这一天逐渐演变为“母亲礼拜日”, 以纪念给予基督徒生命和保护他们不受伤害的精神力量。再以后,对“母亲礼拜日”和“妈妈的星期天”逐渐合为一体。

此后,人们在这一天中就既庆祝母亲的节日又举行基督教的礼拜。

In the United States Mothers Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as a day dedicated dedicated adj.专注的, 献身的 to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mothers Day meetings in Boston, massmass n. 大多数, 质量, 群众, 大量vi.聚集 ever year.

In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish establish vt.建立, 设立, 安置, 使定居, 使人民接受, 确定v.建立 a national Mothers Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mothers church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mothers Day on the second anniversary of her mothers death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mothers Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia.

Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mothers Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mothers Day was celebrated in almost every state.

在美国, 1872年在茱丽亚·沃德·豪建议下设立了母亲节。这一节日是为在战争中失去了亲人的母亲们而设的,纪念她们为和平所付出的牺牲。每逢这一天,豪小姐还会在波士顿举行母亲节的庆祝大会。

1907年,来自费城的安娜·佳维斯开始为建立国际母亲节而四处活动。佳维斯小姐说服了位于格来夫顿的她母亲的教会以及西弗吉尼亚在五月的第二个星期天,即安娜母亲逝世后的第二个纪念日庆祝母亲节。次年,费城也举行了母亲节活动。

佳维斯小姐和她的支持者开始写信给大臣们,商人,和政客,要求他们设立全国性的母亲节。到1911年的母亲节,他们的这一建议终于被采纳了,从此,全国都在这一天庆祝母亲节。

President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mothers Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mothers Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May.

伍德罗·威尔逊总统在1914年正式宣布,此后每一年五月的第二个星期天都是全国庆祝母亲节的日子。

目前有许多国家都以不同的日子作为本国的母亲节,不过也有一些国家(如丹麦、芬兰、意大利、土耳其、澳大利亚、和比利时)和美国在同一天庆祝母亲节,即五月的第二个星期天。

前苏联作家高尔基曾经说过:“世界上的一切光荣和骄傲,都来自母亲。”母亲节就是人们为了纪念自己伟大的母亲而设立的节日。人间最贵是亲情,而亲情里最被人歌颂的是母爱,任劳任怨,慈爱无私的母亲形象存在于我们每个人的心中。每一个日日夜夜对母亲心中都涌动着感激、思念、祝福、歉疚……