(阅读材料2)Thanksgiving Day vs. Mid-Autumn Festival.doc

Thanksgiving Day vs. Mid-Autumn Festival（编辑：李英梅 校对：陈祖平）General IntroductionCelebrations of the Thanksgiving Day and Mid-Autumn Festival are both closely related to harvest: one has an origin about harvest (Thanksgiving) while the other occurs at harvest season, the autumn (Mid-Autumn Festival). Thanksgiving is one of Americas most popular holidays, which is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday in October. It is a day for expressing thanks for the good things in life, especially family and friends. The writer O. Henry called it the one day that is purely American. Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday, but it has spiritual meaning. Some Americans attend religious services on the day before Thanksgiving, or on Thanksgiving morning. Others travel long distances to be with their families. The holiday is a time of family reunion. They have a large dinner, which is the main part of the celebration. On Thanksgiving, people enjoy a long day of cooking, eating and talking. Thanksgiving today is, in every sense, a national holiday on which Americans of all faiths and backgrounds join in to express their thanks for the year s bounty (施舍) and reverently ask for continued blessings.Like Thanksgiving in the U.S., the Mid-Autumn Festival is also one of the most important festivities in China. According to Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month is the exact midst of autumn, so its called the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Western calendar, the day of the festival usually occurs sometime between the second week of September and the second week of October. The Mid-Autumn Festival is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes and appreciate the round moon. On that night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest. The full moon is a symbol for family reunion, which is why that day is also known as the Festival of Reunion 团圆节。.For Chinese people, the Festival has double meanings:It is a festival for family reunion. The festive night can be one of the most charming and picturesque (独特的) nights and the full moon is an auspicious (吉兆的) symbol of abundance, harmony and luck. For thousands of years, the Chinese people have related the vicissitudes (兴衰；枯荣) of life to changes of the moon as it waxes (月盈) and wanes (月亏); joy and sorrow, parting and reunion. In Chinese culture, the family represents an important circle of relations that cannot be broken. Because the full moon is round and symbolizes reunion, the festival is also known as the festival of reunion. All family members try to get together on this special day. Families set up tables in their courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and sharing offerings to the moon. Together, they enjoy the enchanting (醉人的) spell of night. Some Chinese families today still stay up late to observe the occasion eating moon cakes, sipping tea and gazing at the beautiful moon. It is regarded the perfect moment if someone catches the moons reflection in the center of his or her teacup. Those who can not return home watch the bright moonlight and feel deep longing for their loved ones. This day is also considered a harvest festival since fruits, vegetables and grains have been harvested by this time and food is abundant. With delinquent（未付的，拖欠的） accounts settled prior to the festival, it is a time for relaxation and celebration. Food offerings are placed on an altar set up in the courtyard. Apples, pears, peaches, grapes, pomegranates（石榴）, melons, oranges and pomelos（柚子） might be seen. Special foods for the festival include moon cakes, cooked taro（芋头）, edible snails from the taro patches or rice paddies cooked with sweet basil, and water caltrope（菱角）, a type of water chestnut resembling black buffalo horns. I Origin 1. The First Thanksgiving in AmericaIn 1620, the settlers, or Pilgrims 清教徒前辈移民：1620年，在新英格兰建立普利茅斯殖民地的英国主张脱离国教者。, sailed to America on the Mayflower 这些清教徒所乘坐的轮船的名字。, seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship. The Pilgrims were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with（对不再抱幻想） the Dutch way of life, regarding it as ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage (朝圣) to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the companys interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists.Their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was difficult. About one hundred Pilgrims landed just as autumn was turning to winter. Their first months in America were difficult, too. They had arrived too late to grow many crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring the Iroquois Indians 美国纽约州东北部易洛魁族印第安人。 taught them how to grow corn, a new food for the colonists. They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish. When summer ended, the Pilgrims had a good harvest of corn and barley. There was enough food to last through the winter. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief and 90 Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries 蔓越橘这种植物的果实，可用于做果酱、果冻、调味品和饮料。 and different kinds of corn and squash (南瓜属植物) dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn. That Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days. How Thanksgiving Became a National HolidayThe first Thanksgiving feast was not repeated the following year. But in 1623, during a severe drought, the Pilgrims gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain. When a long, steady rain followed the very next day, Governor Bradford 布拉德福，威廉(1590-1657)：美洲的英国清教徒殖民者。五月花密约的签署人和普利茅斯种植园的开拓者，被推选为30个一年任期的总督之一，领导殖民地度过了艰难的早期岁月。 proclaimed another day of Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends. On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown 查尔斯顿：美国马萨诸塞州东部一个从前的城市，现在的波士顿最早的一部分，建于1629年。1775年6月17日，朋克山战役在这儿的布利兹山展开激战。, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of Thanksgiving. It is notable that this Thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists recent victory over the “heathen（未开化的；不文明的） natives”.October of 1777 marked the first time that all 13 colonies joined in a Thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga 萨拉托加：美国纽约东部从前的一个村庄，位于哈得孙河两岸，萨拉托加斯普林斯以东。1777年10月17日约翰伯戈因将军率领的英军在此被打败并投降，标志着激烈的萨拉托加战役的结束(6月-10月），此役是美国独立战争的一个重要转折点。. But it was a one-time affair.George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few Pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson托马斯杰斐逊（1743-1826）：第三届美国总统(1801-1809年）。 scoffed (嘲笑) at the idea of having a day of Thanksgiving. The creation of a national Thanksgiving holiday resulted from the efforts of one woman, Sarah Josepha Hale. In the Eighteen-Twenties, she began a campaign to officially establish the holiday. Missus Hale was a writer. She wrote stories about a national day of Thanksgiving in a publication for women. She also wrote many letters to public officials, including American presidents. She urged them to support her idea for a national Thanksgiving holiday.Support for her idea grew slowly. Finally, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as a national holiday of Thanksgiving. At that time, the United States was fighting a civil war. President Lincoln liked the idea of a Thanksgiving holiday that would also celebrate national unity. After the war, Congress established Thanksgiving as a national holiday, but widespread national observance caught on only gradually. Many Southerners saw the new holiday as an attempt to impose Northern customs on them. However, in the late 19th century Thanksgivings emphasis on home and family appealed to more and more people in the United States. In 1939 U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt富兰克林德拉诺罗斯福（1882-1945）：美国第三十二任总统(1933-1945年）。 shifted the day of Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to one week earlier. Retail merchants had petitioned (向请愿) the president to make the change to allow for an extra week of shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many Americans objected to the change in their holiday customs and continued to celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of the month. Roosevelts political opponents in Congress also opposed the break with tradition and dubbed (起绰号) the early holiday “Franksgiving.” In May 1941 Roosevelt admitted that he had made a mistake and signed a bill that established the fourth Thursday of November as the national Thanksgiving holiday, which it has been ever since.2. History of Thanksgiving in Canada.The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher马丁弗罗比歇（1535-1594）：英国探险家，三次航行到加拿大北冰洋地区(1576, 1577, 1678年）寻找西北航线。, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now the province of Newfoundland 纽芬兰：加拿大东部的一个省，包括纽芬兰岛和附近岛屿以及拉布多的主要陆地和附属岛屿。 and Labrador 拉布拉多： 加拿大纽芬兰的陆地部分，位于拉布拉多半岛的东北部。, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This feast is considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving celebration in North America, although celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops had been a long-standing tradition throughout North America by various First Nations and Native American groups. First Nations and Native Americans throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo 普埃布洛族：美洲土著民族之一，包括霍皮人、祖尼人和陶人，居住在新墨西哥的北部、西部及美国亚利桑那州东北部的村庄中。, Cherokee 切罗基族(北美易洛魁人的一支)人, Creek 克里克族：一个早先居住在美国亚拉巴马州东部、佐治亚洲西南部及佛罗里达洲西北部的印第安族。 and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America. Frobisher was later knighted and had an inlet (河口港) of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him Frobisher Bay.At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed The Order of Good Cheer” and gladly shared their food with their First Nations neighbours.After the Seven Years War ended in 1763 handing over New France to the British, the citizens of Halifax 哈利法克斯：加拿大诺瓦斯克提亚的首府和最大的城市，位于濒临大西洋的这个省的南部中心位置。 held a special day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving days were observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year. After the American Revolution, American refugees who remained loyal to Great Britain moved from the United States and came to Canada. They brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. The first Thanksgiving Day after Canadian Confederation was observed as a civic holiday on April 5, 1872 to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness.Starting in 1879 Thanksgiving Day was observed every year but the date was proclaimed annually and changed year to year. The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed year to year to reflect an important event to be thankful for. In the early years it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary.After World War I, both Armistice Day 第一次世界大战停战纪念日：11月11日，为纪念1918年签订第一次世界大战停战协议，原先在美国庆祝的停战纪念日。 and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays, and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day 纪念日。.3. The Historical Development of the Mid-Autumn FestivalThe festival has a long history. The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back to more than 2,000 years ago. In feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the night of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. The word “Mid-Autumn” first appeared in the famous ancient book “Zhou Li” ( the Zhou Rituals, a book telling the rituals in the Zhou Dynasty) . In the western district of Beijing is the Yuetan Park, which originally was the Temple of Moon, and every year the emperor would go there to offer a sacrifice to the moon.It became prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) that people enjoyed and worshiped the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), however, people sent round moon cakes, as gifts, to their relatives in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. When it turned dark, they gazed up at the full silver moon or went sightseeing by lakes, to celebrate the festival. Since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration has become unprecedentedly (史无前例地) popular. Together with the celebration appeared some special customs in different parts of the country, such as burning incense（烧香）, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances, etc. Whenever the festival sets in, people would look up at the full silver moon, drinking wine to celebrate their happy life, or thinking of their relatives and friends far from home and extending all of their best wishes to them.The moon looks extremely round, big and bright on the 15th day of each lunar month. People selected the August 15 to celebrate because it is a season when crops and fruits are all ripe and weather pleasant. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, all family members or friends meet outside, putting food on tables and looking up at the sky while talking about life. How splendid a moment it is!Legendary Origins of the Festival Almost every traditional Chinese festival has a connection with legends. The most well-known stories of the Mid-Autumn Festival are Chang E flying to the moon, Jade Rabbit making heavenly medicine, and Wu Gang chopping the cherry bay. Those stories have been passed down from generations to generations alongside the celebrations of the festival itself. Today for young children, listening to the stories is still an important part of their way to celebrate the Moon Festival. 1) Chang E Flying to the MoonIt is said that long ago there used to be 10 suns in the sky. Each day, one of the suns would travel around the sky on a carriage driven by Xihe, the mother of the suns. One day, unexpectedly, all 10 suns simultaneously appeared in the sky, which instantly dried the crops and caused disaster to the people on earth. Hou Yi, a local archer, had great sympathy for peoples sufferings from the blistering（极热的） weather and decided to help them out. Hou Yi climbed up to the summit of Kunlun Mountains and shot down the suns leaving only one to benefit people. After he shot down the sun, Hou Yi became a hero who was revered by local people.Later, Hou Yi married a beautiful girl Chang E. The young couple lived a happy and sweet life. Hou Yi was so famous for his perfect archery skills that he had a lot of apprentices, including the unrighteous（邪恶的） Peng Meng. One day when Hou Yi was on the way to visit his friends, the Queen Mother of the West gave him an elixir（长生不老药）as a reward for his heroic deed. Meanwhile, she warned Hou Yi, “Do not swallow this pill before preparing yourself with prayer and fasting for a year”. Hou Yi gave the elixir to Chang E for safekeeping and she took it as a treasure and hid it in her jewelry box. Unfortunately, Peng Meng found this secret and made a plan to steal it. Several days later, when Hou Yi and his apprentices went out for hunting, Peng pretended to fall ill and stayed at home. After they left, Peng forced Chang E to give him the elixir. Chang E, knowing that she could not defeat Peng, swallowed the elixir herself, and immediately she felt herself floating up and flying to the sky. With deep love for her husband, Chang E chose to be an immortal（神仙）on the moon, closest to the earth; then she could see her husband every day.In late afternoon, Hou Yi came back and was told what had happened. Heart-stricken, Hou Yi went to the back garden and called his wifes name ceaselessly. Surprisingly, he found the moon was extremely clean and bright that night; and that there was a moving figure like Chang E in the moon. Hou Yi desperately tried to catch up with the moon, but he could not do it. Hou Yi then asked servants to set a table in his back garden with his wifes favourite snacks and fruits on it. In a short time, more and more people heard about the news that Chang E had become an immortal, and they also put tables under the moon to pray to Chang E for good fortune and safety. From then on, the custom of worshipping the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival began to spread in China.2) Jade Rabbit Making Heavenly MedicineThis legend is considered to be an extension of Chang E Flying to the Moon. It tells about three sages（圣人，圣贤） who transformed themselves into pitiful old men. One day they met a fox, a monkey and a rabbit, and they begged for food. The fox and the monkey shared their food with the old men; but the rabbit, with nothing to share, jumped into a blazing fire to offer his own