1、西方节日：1 月 1 日： 元旦节(New Years Day)， 每年 1 月 1 日庆祝新的一年开始。人们举办各种各样的新年晚会，到处可以听到“辞旧迎新“ 的钟声， 为美国的联邦假日。 New Years Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome. With most countries using the Gregorian calendar as t
2、heir main calendar, New Years Day is the closest thing to being the worlds only truly global public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnightas the new year starts. January 1 on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January 14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on t
3、hat date that followers of some of the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the New Year.2 月 14 日：圣瓦伦丁节（St. Valentines Day ），每年 2 月 14 日， 是 3 世纪殉教的圣徒圣瓦伦丁逝世纪念日。情人们在这一天互赠礼物，故又称“情人节“ （the lovers day）。Saint Valentines Day, commonly shortened to Valentines Day, is an annual commemoration held on February
4、14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions 亲密的伴侣. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrsnamed Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. It is traditionally a day
5、on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery 糕点, 糖果, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines“). The day first became associated with romantic lovein the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love
6、flourished.Modern Valentines Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.3 月 22 日至 4 月 25 日：复活节（Easter Day, Easter Sunday），每年在教堂庆祝的复活节指的是春分月圆后的第一个星期日，如果月圆那天刚好是星期
7、天，复活节则推迟一星期。因而复活节可能在 3 月 22 日至 4 月 25 日之间的任何一天。该节是庆祝基督 ( Jesus Christ)的复活，过节人们吃复活节彩蛋( Easter Eggs)，为美国的联邦假日。 Easter is observed on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family. The egg is another popular symbol of Easter. E
8、ggs were dyed and eaten during spring festivals in ancient Egypt, Persia 波斯, Greece and Rome. Colored eggs were not associated with Easter until the 15th century. Many Americans follow old traditions of coloring hard-boiled eggs and giving children baskets of candy 糖果. On the next day, Easter Monday
9、, the president of the United States holds an annual 每年的 Easter egg hunt on the White House lawn 草坪 for young children.The Story of EasterEaster is a time of springtime festivals. In Christian countries Easter is celebrated as the religious holiday commemorating the resurrection （复活） of Jesus Christ
10、, the son of God. But the celebrations of Easter have many customs and legends that are pagan in origin and have nothing to do with Christianity.Easter is the time of springtime festivals, a time to welcome back the Tulips, the Crocuses and the Daffodils. Its a time of new suits, new dresses and pat
11、ent leather shoes. And a time of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and colored eggs! 4.1 April Fools DayOnce upon a time, back in 16th-century France, before computers, people celebrated New Years Day on March 25, the advent of spring. It was a festive time. They partied steadily until April 1.
12、 In 1564, when the calendar reformed and became Gregorian, King Charles I proclaimed, perhaps pompously, that New Years Day should be celebrated on January 1 instead of in the spring. Diehard conservatives resisted the change (or perhaps didnt hear about it due to the absence of e-mail) and continue
13、d to celebrate New Years from March 25 to April 1. During this period of spring festivity, the more flexible French mocked the rigid revelers by sending them foolish gifts and invitations to non-existent parties. The victim of an April Fools Day prank was called a “poisson davril,“ or an “April fish
14、,“ because at that time of year, the sun was leaving the zodiacal sign of Pisces. April Fools Day hit its stride (avoiding the banana peel) in England in the 18th century, and was brought to colonial America by the English, Scottish, and French. No fooling.Mothers DayIn the United States Mothers Day
15、 was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as a day dedicated to peace. In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mothers Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mothers church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mothers Day on the second anniversary of her mother
16、s 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, by 1911 Mothers Day was celebrated in almos
17、t every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mothers Day 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
18、 countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mothers Day on the second Sunday of May.Junefathers day historyFathers Day, contrary to popular misconception, was not estab-lished as a holiday in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more card
19、s. In fact when a “fathers day“ was first proposed there were no Fathers Day cards! Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a “fathers day“ in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (
20、Mrs. Dodds mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in rai
21、sing his children as a single parent.The first Fathers Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities across America other people were beginning to celebrate a “fathers day.“ In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a nation
22、al Fathers Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Fathers Day. Fathers Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all be honored on Fathers Day. The red or white rose is recognized as the official Fathers Day flower. The sons and daughters usually also honour their fathers with small thank you presents, such as a tie or a pair of socks, as well as by sending greeting cards.
