The origin and allusions of traditional festivals 1
◆ The origin of May 4th Youth Day
May 4th is China Youth Day. 19 19 On May 4th, more than 3,000 students, mainly Peking University, held a protest rally in front of Tiananmen Square, demanding "fighting for state power abroad and punishing state thieves at home", "canceling Article 2 1" and "refusing to sign the peace treaty" broke out, which shocked China and foreign countries. In order to commemorate this historic day, 1939 Youth organizations in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region designated May 4th as China Youth Day. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the State Council, the Central People's Government, officially declared May 4th as China Youth Day in February. 1950 In April, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League decided to take May 4th as the anniversary of the founding of the Communist Youth League.
◆ The origin of Children's Day on June 1st.
Children's Day, also known as "June 1 International Children's Day", is held every June 1 day, which is a festival for children all over the world. 1949165438+1October, the board of directors of the International Democratic Women's Federation was held in Moscow. China and other countries have angrily exposed the crimes of killing and poisoning children by imperialists and reactionaries of various countries. In order to protect children's rights to life, medical care and education all over the world and improve their lives, the meeting decided to designate June 1 day as International Children's Day every year. Before that, many countries in the world had Children's Day. 1925, the International Association for the Happiness of Children initiated the establishment of Children's Day. Britain, the United States, Japan and other countries responded positively and set up their own Children's Day. Britain stipulates that July of 14 is Children's Day, and the United States stipulates that May of 1 year is Children's Day. Japan's Children's Day is very special, divided into boys' Children's Day and girls' Children's Day, boys' Children's Day on May 5th and girls' Children's Day on March 3rd. China also stipulated in 193 1 that April 4th is China Children's Day. Since 1 June 19491was established as the International Children's Day, countries all over the world have abolished the original Children's Day and unified it into "June 1 International Children's Day". In February, the central government of China announced that 1949, 1949 changed the original April 4th Children's Day to June 1 International Children's Day, and asked children to have a day off.
◆ The origin of Arbor Day
"Arbor Day" is a festival determined by some countries through legislation to stimulate people's feelings of loving forests and afforestation, promote land greening and protect the ecological environment on which human beings depend.
Arbor Day was first established in modern times in Nebraska, USA. In April 1872, 10, Morton put forward the proposal of establishing strong regulation at a meeting held by the Nebraska Landscape Architecture Association. The state adopted Morton's suggestion, designated April 10 as the state's Arbor Day, and issued the world's first Arbor Day stamp in 1932, showing two children planting trees.
1979 In February, the sixth session of the Fifth National People's Congress of China decided to designate March 12 every year as China Arbor Day. On March 12 of the following year, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued a set of four stamps entitled "Planting Trees and Greening the Motherland". At the initiative of Comrade Deng Xiaoping, the Fourth Session of the Fifth National People's Congress adopted a resolution on launching a nationwide voluntary tree planting campaign. 1990 March 12, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued a set of four stamps for "greening the motherland" again. The first stamp is "voluntary tree planting by the whole people".
◆ The origin of International Nurses' Day
May 12 every year is the International Nurses' Day. It was established in memory of Florence Nightingale (1820~ 19 10), the founder of modern nursing. From 1852 to 1856, the war between tsarist Russia and Turkey in Crimea was very cruel, with heavy casualties on both sides and a large number of patients left unattended. At that time. In Britain, a woman with medical expertise named Nightingale volunteered to organize a battlefield ambulance team to lead 38 female ambulance crews to take care of the wounded and sick. Under her leadership, the hospital management system was established, which improved the quality of nursing and reduced the mortality rate of the wounded and sick rapidly. 1860, she founded the world's first nursing school in St. Thomas Hospital, England, and made great contributions to promoting nursing work and developing nurse education in all countries of the world. In order to commemorate the founder of modern nursing education and carry forward Nightingale's dedication to patients, her birthday-May 12 was designated as the International Nurses' Day internationally.
◆ The origin of April Fool's Day
Every April 1, someone may play a kind joke on you and send you a fake message to make you fall for the last time. That's because this day is a traditional western folk festival-April Fool's Day.
April Fool's Day originated in France and was related to the calendar reform. 1564, France adopted the newly reformed calendar-Gregorian calendar (now the universal solar calendar) for the first time, with 65438+ 10/as the beginning of the year. However, some conformists opposed this reform and still stubbornly celebrated the New Year by giving gifts on April 1 day according to the old calendar. Advocates of reform laugh at these old-fashioned practices. Smart and interesting people give them fake gifts, invite them to fake receptions, and call the deceived conservatives "April Fools" and "Fish on the Hook". From then on, people fooled each other on April 1 day, which became a popular custom in France.
On April Fool's Day, people often organize family gatherings and decorate rooms with daffodils and daisies. The typical way is to decorate a fake environment. You can decorate the room like Christmas or New Year. When the guests arrive, congratulations on "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year" make people feel unique and interesting. The fish feast in April 1 day is also a must. Invitations to parties are usually colored fish made of cardboard. The dining table is decorated in green and white, with a fish tank and a small fishing rod in the middle. Each fishing rod is tied with a green ribbon and hung with a gift for the guests-a delicate celluloid fish or a fish-shaped box full of candy. It goes without saying that all the dishes at the fish feast are made of fish. However, the most typical activity of April Fool's Day is that everyone plays jokes on each other and plays tricks on each other with lies.
Origin and allusions of traditional festivals II.
◆ The origin of International Labor Day
/kloc-In the middle of the 0/9th century, American capitalist economic crisis continued, tens of thousands of factories closed down and millions of workers lost their jobs. The wages of working workers have been declining, but the working hours have been extended again and again, reaching 18 hours. Therefore, on May 1886 and 1 day, more than 400,000 workers in American1kloc-0/500 enterprises went on strike in an unprecedented scale, demanding the implementation of the eight-hour working system. The strike aroused strong repercussions in the American and international workers' movements and finally won. 1889 14 In July, the Second International held its inaugural meeting in Paris and adopted a historic resolution: May Day was designated as International Labor Day. As a result, the workers' struggle in May of 1 2000 went from the United States to the world, and more and more countries joined the ranks of commemorating May Day. May of 1 2000 became a day of international significance.
◆ The origin of March 8th.
On March 8th, 1908, 1500 women marched in new york, demanding shorter working hours, higher labor remuneration, the right to vote and the prohibition of child labor. Their slogan is "bread and roses". Bread symbolizes economic security and roses symbolize a better quality of life. In May, the American Socialist Party decided to take the last Sunday in February as the National Women's Day.
◆ The origin of Father's Day
American John celebrates Father's Day? Bruce? Mrs. Dodd initiated the establishment. Mrs. Dodd lost her mother in her early years, and she had five younger brothers. The burden of life for six brothers and sisters falls on her father. Father gets up early every day and cares about the growth of his children in every way. He is both a father and a mother, living a frugal life. Dodd personally felt his father's love, kindness and greatness. When she grows up, she deeply feels that her father's spirit of self-sacrifice should be commended, and her father should have a festival for the whole society to pay tribute to them like her mother. So she wrote a sincere letter to the Washington state government, suggesting that her father's birthday, June 5 every year, be regarded as Father's Day. Moved by her true feelings, the state government adopted this suggestion, but changed the date to the third Sunday of June every year. 1972, under the strong appeal of all parties, US President Nixon signed a parliamentary resolution to establish Father's Day, making it a national program. At present, this festival is recognized by people in many countries in the East and West. On this day, children always pay tribute to their hard-working parents.
Today, Father's Day and Mother's Day are celebrated in the same way, except that fathers' favorite gift may not be candy but cigars.
◆ The origin of Mother's Day
Setting up a special day to show people's respect for their mothers is not a modern invention, but a very old custom. Ancient Greece once held ceremonies in forests or caves to worship the goddess, the mother of God. When they arrived in ancient Rome, these activities became even larger, and the celebrations often lasted for three days. Of course, the worship of the goddess in ancient times was just a superstition, which is very different from the respect for motherhood today.
Mother's Day in America begins in May 1907. It was Anna of Philadelphia who advocated calling for Mother's Day. Jarvis suggested it. Mother's Day was founded by Anna? Jarvis. It is said that after the American Civil War, Anna? Jarvis's mother was then the director of the grafton City Mission School, and she was a part-time teacher of the Memorial Day course in the church. When telling the story of the hero who died in the battle, she couldn't help feeling deeply, and thought that mothers who lost their sons should be given a kind of comfort and an anniversary. At the same time, I sincerely hope that someone will create a mother's day to praise mothers all over the world. Her idea has been recognized by more and more people.
Anna? After Jarvis's mother died, she inherited a large inheritance from her mother, but she was particularly sad about the loss of her mother, and was determined to realize her mother's wish and establish Mother's Day to commemorate all mothers in the world and advocate filial piety. To this end, she appealed to the society, and as a result, she received enthusiastic support and good response from all sides, and invited her to give speeches in succession.
19 12, the international mother's day association was established in the United States. 19 13 in may, the us house of representatives unanimously passed a resolution calling on the president and cabinet, the Senate and the house of representatives, and all officials of the federal government to wear white carnations on mother's day. 19 14, the us congress officially named the second Sunday in may as mother's day, and asked the president to issue a declaration calling on government officials to fly the national flag on all public buildings.
Wearing carnations on the chest, the color is exquisite. People whose mothers died still wear white carnations, while those whose mothers are alive wear red carnations. On this day, people always try their best to make their mothers spend the festival happily, and thank and compensate them for their hard work over the past year. The most common way is to send mother's day cards and gifts to mother. During the festival, every mother will be filled with joy and accept roses or other bouquets, sweets, books and souvenirs presented by her children and husbands, especially when they receive cards made by their children, which say "Mom, I love you" childishly with crayons. But the most precious and generous gift is to free them from daily housework and relax for a whole day. On this day, husbands and children in many families do all the housework. Mom doesn't have to cook, wash dishes or wash clothes. Many families also have the custom of waiting on their mothers to have breakfast in bed.
◆ The origin of Valentine's Day
Version 1: Valentine? "S day" is the English name of Valentine's Day. Literally, it is difficult to see the connection between Chinese and western appellations. There is a touching story hidden in it.
It was in Rome in the 3rd century, when Caesar had been dead for nearly 300 years and the tyrant Claudius was still in power. At that time, there were frequent wars inside and outside Rome, and the people were in dire straits. In order to replenish men and carry the war to the end, Claudius ordered all men who reached a certain age to join the Roman army and serve the country with their lives. From then on, the husband left his wife and the teenager left his lover. So the whole of Rome was shrouded in a long acacia. The tyrant was very angry at this. In order to achieve his own goal, he even ordered that China people be forbidden to hold wedding ceremonies, and even asked married people to break their contracts.
However, tyranny cannot forbid love. In the tyrant's country, there lived a respected monk, and he was our hero Valentine. He couldn't bear to see such a couple in Where Are You Going, so he secretly presided over God's wedding for the couple who came to ask for help. For a time, this exciting news spread all over the country, and more couples secretly came to the monks for help.
However, it was soon known by the tyrant, so he showed his cruel face again-put the monk in prison and eventually tortured to death. The date of the monk's death was February 14, and February 14, 270.
In order to commemorate this man who dared to fight the tyrant, people gradually took February 14 as a festival. Many centuries have passed, and people no longer remember Claudius's name, his scepter and sword, but they will still remember the Valentine brothers, because it was Valentine's Day? Valentine's Day is Valentine's Day.
Version 2: In ancient Rome, 14 February was a festival to show respect for Jonah. Jonah was the queen of the Roman gods, and the Romans regarded her as the goddess of women and marriage. The following February 15 was called "Lupsala Festival" to show respect for other gods under Jonah.
In ancient Rome, the lives of boys and girls were strictly separated. However, on Lupsala Festival, boys can choose the name of a girl they love and carve it on a vase. In this way, during the festival, young people can dance with the girl of their choice to celebrate the festival. If the selected girls are interested in boys, they can always pair up and eventually they will fall in love and get married in church. For this reason, future generations designated February 14 every year as Valentine's Day.
Third Edition: An English dictionary indicates that Valentine's Day falls on February 14, which originated from the faun festival in ancient Rome. It is said that birds begin to mate on this day. It was the custom at that time: during the Animal Husbandry Festival, every young man drew lots from a box with a note with a young woman's name written on it. The person drawn will become the sweetheart of young people. Later, the festival was changed to commemorate a saint named Valentine.
St. Valentine, a young Roman missionary, ventured to spread Christ and was arrested and imprisoned. He touched the old jailer and his blind daughter and got their careful care. Before he was executed, Saint Valentine wrote a letter to the girl, expressing his deep affection for her. On the day when he was executed, the blind girl planted an apricot tree with red flowers in front of his grave to express her feelings. This day is 14 February. Now, on Valentine's Day, many young men also make postcards of courting St. Valentine into exquisite handicrafts and cut them into butterflies and flowers to show their sincerity and determination. Girls put laurel leaves on pillows at night, hoping to dream about their lovers. Usually on Valentine's Day, a red rose is given to express the feelings between lovers. Take a half-opened red rose as the best gift for girls on Valentine's Day, and girls take a box of heart-shaped chocolates as a gift.
It is said that phenylethylamine, one of the ingredients of chocolate, can cause hormonal changes in the human body, similar to the feeling in love.
Articles on the origin and allusions of traditional festivals;
1. Origin, myths and legends of traditional festivals
2. Legends of traditional festivals in China
3. Legends of traditional festivals in China
4. Myths and legends of traditional festivals
5. The origin and story of the Spring Festival
6. Fairy stories about festivals