世界節(jié)假日博覽 第146期:勞動節(jié)

Labor Day is a national holiday in the United States. It is celebrated on the first Monday in September. It is a time for American workers to celebrate their efforts. It is also when most Americans mark the end of the summer. The holiday started in 1894. The Central Labor Union in New York City campaigned for “a day off for the working citizens”. Working conditions were much harder back then and there were few holidays and times for rest. Many people worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The original Labor Day celebrations were street parades and festivals for workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. There were also speeches by important men and women.

美國的勞動節(jié)在每年九月的第一個星期一舉行，是聯(lián)邦的法定節(jié)假日，用以慶祝工人的貢獻。對許多美國人來說，勞動節(jié)的到來也意味著夏季的結(jié)束。這一節(jié)日始于1894年。紐約的中心工會舉辦了“為工人放一天假”的活動。當(dāng)時工人的工作環(huán)境比現(xiàn)在艱苦得多，很少有假期和時間能休息。許多工人一星期七天連續(xù)工作，每天工作12個小時。最初的勞動節(jié)慶典是為工人和他們的家庭舉行的街道游行和慶?；顒印＿@成為勞動節(jié)的慶祝方式。重要人物也會進行演講。


Today, most Americans view Labor Day as a day of rest and an opportunity to look at street parades. Many families have picnics or barbecues in the daytime and attend fireworks displays in the evening. There are many community events, often involving sports. Families with children often use the holiday to go on a final trip before school starts again in September. Labor Day is an important date in the sporting calendar. It marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. The tradition of speeches continues, although the speeches tend to be by politicians trying to get more votes in the run-up to elections. The big speeches on labor issues happen on May Day, another holiday that celebrates workers.

如今，大部分美國人把勞動節(jié)視為休息日和看街道游行的機會。許多家庭都會在那天進行野餐或燒烤，參加晚上的煙火表演。同時勞動節(jié)也有很多社區(qū)活動，通常都是運動項目。許多有孩子的家庭都會利用這時間在九月開學(xué)前做最后一次旅行。勞動節(jié)在體育史上是重要的一天。它標(biāo)志著美國職業(yè)橄欖球聯(lián)盟和大學(xué)橄欖球賽季的開始。盡管很多政治家的演講是為了拉選票，但演講的傳統(tǒng)仍被保留了下來。關(guān)于勞動問題的大型演講在五一國際勞動節(jié)舉辦，以此來為勞動者們慶祝。