世界节假日博览 第146期:劳动节

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.

美国的劳动节在每年九月的第一个星期一举行，是联邦的法定节假日，用以庆祝工人的贡献。对许多美国人来说，劳动节的到来也意味着夏季的结束。这一节日始于1894年。纽约的中心工会举办了“为工人放一天假”的活动。当时工人的工作环境比现在艰苦得多，很少有假期和时间能休息。许多工人一星期七天连续工作，每天工作12个小时。最初的劳动节庆典是为工人和他们的家庭举行的街道游行和庆祝活动。这成为劳动节的庆祝方式。重要人物也会进行演讲。


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，大部分美国人把劳动节视为休息日和看街道游行的机会。许多家庭都会在那天进行野餐或烧烤，参加晚上的烟火表演。同时劳动节也有很多社区活动，通常都是运动项目。许多有孩子的家庭都会利用这时间在九月开学前做最后一次旅行。劳动节在体育史上是重要的一天。它标志着美国职业橄榄球联盟和大学橄榄球赛季的开始。尽管很多政治家的演讲是为了拉选票，但演讲的传统仍被保留了下来。关于劳动问题的大型演讲在五一国际劳动节举办，以此来为劳动者们庆祝。