世界節(jié)假日博覽 第164期:陣亡將士紀念日

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday. It commemorates the American men and women who have died serving their country in the military. It holds an important place in the hearts of Americans as they remember sacrifices made for their freedom. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It first started to honour the Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. It took on greater importance after American losses in World War I. The U.S. government decided the day would remember American casualties in any war, conflict or military action. People visit cemeteries and war memorials on this day. A special ceremony takes place at Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. All around the country, flags fly at half-mast until lunch time.

陣亡將士紀念日是美國聯(lián)邦政府的節(jié)日。這一節(jié)日是為紀念那些為祖國戰(zhàn)死沙場的美軍官兵。陣亡將士紀念日在美國人心中有著重要的地位，因為他們牢記著將士們?yōu)樽鎳嗣竦淖杂伤龅臓奚?。這一節(jié)日在5月的最后一個星期一舉行。紀念日最初是為了紀念死于美國內(nèi)戰(zhàn)的聯(lián)邦士兵,美國在第一次世界大戰(zhàn)中戰(zhàn)敗之后，該節(jié)日變得更為重要了。美國政府決定在紀念日當天，人們可以紀念在任何戰(zhàn)爭、沖突或軍事行動中傷亡的人員,人們會在這一天參觀墓地和戰(zhàn)爭紀念碑。華盛頓的阿靈頓國家公墓會舉行一場特殊的儀式，午飯前全國各地的國旗都要降半旗。


There is quite a history to Memorial Day. A Yale University professor said it was first celebrated in 1865 by freed slaves in South Carolina. The slaves buried dozens of Union soldiers in inpidual graves. They all died in prison. Waterloo, New York claims to be the official birthplace of Memorial Day, observing it every year from 1868. The name “Memorial Day“came about in 1882 but was not widely accepted until after World War II. The name became official in 1967. In 1968, the U.S. Congress decided the day should be part of a three-day weekend. The last change came in 1971, when the government moved Memorial Day to the last Monday in May. It took a few years after that for all U.S. states to follow.

陣亡將士紀念日源遠流長。一位耶魯大學(xué)的教授表示，第一個陣亡將士紀念日是由由自由奴隸1865年在南卡羅來納州慶祝的。奴隸們把許多死于獄中的聯(lián)邦士兵分別埋葬。紐約州滑鐵盧聲稱自己是陣亡將士紀念日的發(fā)源地，自1868起，每年都會慶祝這一節(jié)日。“陣亡將士紀念日”這一名稱出現(xiàn)于1882年，但直到第二次世界大戰(zhàn)之后才被廣泛接受，于1967年成為官方名稱。1968年，美國國會決定陣亡將士紀念日與周末連在一起，共放假三天。1971年政府對這一節(jié)日做了最后一次更改，把紀念日的時間改到5月的最后一個星期一。幾年后，所有美國人都按照政府規(guī)定的日期來慶祝這一節(jié)日。