第二十二章节：Holidays and Festivals 节日和假期
1． By long custom, American nationally observed holidays include Christmas, Thanksgiving Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, New Year’s Day, Columbus Day, Washington’s birthday, Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day.在美国有以下节日是全国同庆的节日：圣诞节，感恩节，劳动节，独立纪念日，新年，哥伦布纪念日，华盛顿诞辰纪念日，阵亡将士纪念日和退伍军人节。
2． Easter Sunday, which comes from the ancient Norwegian festival of Spring sun, is the second of the two most important religious holidays for Christians. Egg rolling, the original Easter tradition by the colonists, is held on Easter Monday morning every year on the Whiter House Lawn. Of all the symbols, the egg and the hare are considered to represent fertility and new life.复活节源于古挪威的春天太阳节，是两上最重要的基督教节日中的第二个，滚彩蛋是殖民者最初的复活节传统，至今仍每年在白宫草坪举行，鸡蛋和野兔被认为是多产和新生活的象征，是复活节的象征物。
3． To celebrate Memorial Day, a grand ceremony is always held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C为庆
祝阵亡纪念日，盛大仪式通常在华盛顿特区附近的阿灵顿国家公墓的无名将士墓前举行。
4． Independence Day is American’s most important patriotic holiday patriotic holiday, the birthday of the nation. Now Independence day is celebrated in all states. The army marks the occasion by firing a thirteen-gun salute every year. Many people bring their children to visit the birthplace of the country - Philadelphia.独立日纪念是美国最重要的爱国节日，也是国家的生日，军队每年都会鸣放13响礼炮来庆祝。家长们也往往带孩子们去参观美国的诞生地-费城
5． Halloween(All Hallows’ Eve) is a nighttime children’s holiday. Children with curious masks go from house to house to frighten friends of neighbors and threaten them with :Trick or treat”. Since 1950, more and more children have asked for pennies for UNICEF to help children in other countries, for which the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to American children.万圣节除夕是孩子们的节日衣晚，你想挨捉弄还是款待我们“是万圣节的孩子们常说的话，1965年，美国儿童获得诺贝尔和平奖。
6。Veterans''Day ,which was called the Armistice Day before, originally celebtated the signing of the 1918 Armistice.退伍军人节，以前称作休战日，最初是为了纪念1918年第一次世界大战停战协议的签订。
7。Thanksgiving Day is a typical American holiday. The theme of Thanksgiving has always been peace and plenty, health and happiness. Thanksgiving Day is historical, national, and religious holiday that began with the Pilgrims. The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by the English settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Decenber 13,1621. On Thanksgiving day, people have such traditional food as roast turkey, pumpkin pie, apples, cranberry sauce, squash, etc.感恩节的主题一直是和平，丰收，健康和快乐，感恩节是由清教徒发起的，第一个感恩节是于1621年12月13日由居住在普利茅斯的英国移民庆祝的，烤火鸡，南瓜饼，越橘酱和南瓜是感恩节的传统食品。
8。Christmas Day, which celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ, is the biggest and the best-loved holiday in the United states, in many areas,, after the Thanksgiving Day is the biggest shopping day of the year-the first day of Christmas gift shopping.圣诞节是美国最大的，最受美国人喜欢的节日，在许多地区，感恩节后的第一个星期五是一年中最在的购物日---是购买圣诞节礼物的第一天。
