悼念日——緬懷我們的英雄
This Memorial Day Remember Our Fallen Heroes
悼念日——緬懷我們的英雄
Memorial Day, a Federal US holiday that is observed annually on the last Monday of May signifies differentthings to different people. For some it's a reminder to firm up summer vacation plans, for others it's an excuse to lounge around the pool with friends. What often gets forgotten is the real purpose of the holiday - to honor and remember the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces that sacrificed their lives to defend our right to freedom.
悼念日是美國的國立節日，它於每年5月最後一個星期一開始，針對不同人羣，有不同的意義。在民間，有些人把它看做是做夏季遊玩計劃的提醒，另一些人把它看做是泳池與朋友聚會的藉口。但是該節日的真實紀念意義卻常常被人們遺忘——緬懷美國軍隊中爲了人民自由權利犧牲的男女將士。
The holiday was first observed on May 30th, 1868 by General Logan. The National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic believed it would be a good way to unite the country that was still reeling from the American Civil War waged between the Northern and Southern States from 1861-1865. He called it Decoration Day and celebrated it by visiting the Arlington National Cemetery and placing flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.
該節日最初是在1868年的5月30日由Logen將軍帶領紀念的。這位共和大軍司令認爲，這是民衆遭受美國內戰(1861-1865)的重創之後，團結舉國上下很好的形式。他起先稱這一天爲“裝飾日”，在這天帶領士兵們到阿靈頓公墓，在南北軍的烈士墓前都獻上了鮮花。
It took a few years, but by 1890 all the Northern States began to observe Decoration Day. While the Southern States did not join in to celebrate this particular day, they did pick other days to honor their Civil War heroes. Following World War 1, the holiday was extended to honor all American soldiers that had sacrificed their lives for the country's freedom. This change finally convinced the Southern States to join in. While the name "Memorial Day" began to surface as early as 1882, it did not become popular until after World War II and was not declared official by Federal law, until 1967.
1890年該節日纔得到北方各州的認可。南方並不認同這一天，他們另擇他日來紀念烈士們。直到一戰後，陣亡將士紀念日逐漸演變爲普遍紀念那些在戰中死去的美國士兵而不僅是南北戰中死去的士兵。這時，南方各州才肯承認這個節日。“紀念日”的名稱首現於1882年，但到二戰後才被普遍傳開，1967年才被美國聯邦法律官方定爲次名稱。
Memorial Day was declared an official national holiday in 1971. To allow Americans to enjoy a three-day weekend, the date was moved from May 30th to the last Monday of May. This gave retailers a new opportunity to attract customers, leading to the tradition of Memorial Day Sales.
陣亡將士紀念日在1971年被定爲國家節日，爲了讓國人都能享受三天的假期，該節日由原來的5月30日改到了5月最後一個星期一。這給零售商提供了吸引顧客的機會，由此也產生了“紀念日打折季”的傳統。
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