世界节假日博览 第164期:阵亡将士纪念日

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.

阵亡将士纪念日是美国联邦政府的节日。这一节日是为纪念那些为祖国战死沙场的美军官兵。阵亡将士纪念日在美国人心中有着重要的地位，因为他们牢记着将士们为祖国人民的自由所做的牺牲。这一节日在5月的最后一个星期一举行。纪念日最初是为了纪念死于美国内战的联邦士兵,美国在第一次世界大战中战败之后，该节日变得更为重要了。美国政府决定在纪念日当天，人们可以纪念在任何战争、冲突或军事行动中伤亡的人员,人们会在这一天参观墓地和战争纪念碑。华盛顿的阿灵顿国家公墓会举行一场特殊的仪式，午饭前全国各地的国旗都要降半旗。


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.

阵亡将士纪念日源远流长。一位耶鲁大学的教授表示，第一个阵亡将士纪念日是由由自由奴隶1865年在南卡罗来纳州庆祝的。奴隶们把许多死于狱中的联邦士兵分别埋葬。纽约州滑铁卢声称自己是阵亡将士纪念日的发源地，自1868起，每年都会庆祝这一节日。“阵亡将士纪念日”这一名称出现于1882年，但直到第二次世界大战之后才被广泛接受，于1967年成为官方名称。1968年，美国国会决定阵亡将士纪念日与周末连在一起，共放假三天。1971年政府对这一节日做了最后一次更改，把纪念日的时间改到5月的最后一个星期一。几年后，所有美国人都按照政府规定的日期来庆祝这一节日。