Names, Time and Activities of Three Foreign Festivals

The name "Christmas" is the abbreviation of "Christian Mass". Mass is a church service. Christmas is a holiday, and we celebrate it as the birthday of Jesus, so it is also called Christmas. On this day, all Christian churches in the world hold special ceremonies. But many Christmas celebrations have nothing to do with religion. Exchanging gifts and sending Christmas cards make Christmas a day of universal celebration.

Christmas is the biggest festival in the Christian world. At the beginning of the 4th century AD, 65438+1October 6th was a double festival for churches in the Eastern Roman Empire to commemorate the birth and baptism of Jesus, which was called Epiphany, also known as Epiphany, that is, God appeared to the world through Jesus. The only exception at that time was the church in Lulaleng, which only commemorated the birth of Jesus, not the baptism of Jesus. Later, historians found in the calendar used by Roman Christians that the page of 65438+ February 25, 354 AD recorded: "Christ was born in Bethlehem, Judah." After textual research, it is generally believed that Christmas on February 25, 65438 may have started in 336 AD. It spread to Antioch in Asia Minor in 375 AD and to Alexandria in Egypt in 430 AD. The church in Salem accepted it at the latest, while the church in Armenia still insisted that epiphany was the birthday of Jesus in 654381October 6.

65438+February 25th was originally the birthday of Mithra, the Persian sun god (that is, god of light), and it was a pagan festival. At the same time, the sun god is also one of the gods of Roman Catholicism. This day is also the winter solstice festival of the Roman calendar, and pagans who worship the sun god regard this day as the hope of spring and the beginning of the revival of everything. Perhaps for this reason, the Roman church chose this day as Christmas. This is one of the measures that the early church tried to christianize pagan customs. Later, although most churches accepted 65438+February 25th as Christmas Day, the calendars used by churches in different places were different, and the specific dates could not be unified. Therefore, the period from 65438+February 24th to 65438+1October 6th of the following year was designated as Christmas Tide, and local churches could celebrate Christmas during this period according to local conditions. Since February 25th, 65438 was recognized as Christmas by most churches, the Epiphany Day on June 6th, 65438/KLOC-0 was originally to commemorate the baptism of Jesus, but the Catholic Church designated June 6th, 65438 as the "Three Kings' Day" to commemorate the story that three kings (that is, three doctors) came to worship when Jesus was born. With the widespread spread of Christianity, Christmas has become an important festival for Christians and even non-Christians of all denominations. In many countries in Europe and America, people attach great importance to this festival and associate it with the New Year. The excitement and solemnity of the celebration greatly surpassed the New Year and became a national festival. The main commemorative activities on February 25th, 65438 are all related to the legend of the birth of Jesus.

There is a story about the birth of Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. God even sent the angel Gabriel to Yue Se in his dream, telling him not to abandon Maria because she was unmarried and pregnant, but to marry her and name the child "Jesus", which means to save people from sin. When Maria was about to give birth, the Roman government issued an order that everyone must declare their household registration when going to Bethlehem. Yue Se and Mary had to obey. When they arrived in Bethlehem, it was already dark, but they couldn't find a hotel for the night, only a stable could stay. At that time, Jesus was born! So Mary only gave birth to Jesus in a manger. In order to commemorate the birth of Jesus, later generations designated1February 25th as Christmas, and mass was held every year to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus on1February 25th, but no one knows his real date of birth. /kloc-In the 20th century, Christmas cards became popular, Santa Claus appeared, and Christmas became popular.

In western countries, there is a "Halloween" on June 3 1 every year, which is interpreted as "Halloween" in the dictionary and "Halloween night" in Chinese translation. Halloween is a traditional festival in western countries. This night is the most haunted night of the year, so it is also called "Ghost Festival".

Many ethnic groups hold a celebration party on Halloween, which is also called Halloween, Halloween, Halloween or Halloween. Finally, the agreement evolved into "Halloween" and the Chinese translation became Halloween night.

Thanksgiving originated from early settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts. These immigrants were called Puritans in England. Dissatisfied with the incomplete religious reform of the Church of England and the political repression and religious persecution of the king and the Church of England, these Puritans left the Church of England and went to Holland. Later, they decided to move to a desolate place on the other side of the Atlantic, hoping to live freely according to their own wishes.

1620 In September, the ship Mayflower left England with 102 Puritans and their families for North America. After more than two months of hard sailing, it landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and settled down from then on. In the first winter, more than half of these Puritans died at once because of lack of food, cold weather, epidemic disease and overwork. The following spring, Masasuode, the chief of the local Indian tribe, led the kind Indians, gave grain seeds to the Puritans and taught them to hunt, grow crops and fish. With the help of Indians, the Puritans had a bumper harvest that year. William bradford, the first governor, suggested setting up a festival to celebrate the harvest and thank God for his gift. At the same time, I also want to use this festival to strengthen the harmonious relationship between whites and Indians. 1621165438+1On a Thursday in late October, the Puritans brought by Massasod and 90 Indians got together to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in American history. Male Puritans go out hunting and catch turkeys, while women cook delicious food with corn, pumpkin, sweet potato and fruit at home. In this way, whites and Indians ate, chatted, sang and danced around the bonfire, and the whole celebration lasted for three days.

Since then, Europeans who immigrated to the United States have basically followed the form of the first Thanksgiving celebration on the North American continent. 1789, Washington, the first president of the United States, officially stipulated that165438+1October 26th was the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the whole country. However, for a long time, each state has set a holiday date according to its own situation. 194 1 year, the US Congress passed a bill approved by President Roosevelt, announcing the fourth 1 1 year every year.

2. Western Halloween-Halloween

In western countries, there is a "Halloween" on June 3 1 every year, which is interpreted as "Halloween" in the dictionary and "Halloween night" in Chinese translation. Halloween is a traditional festival in western countries. This night is the most haunted night of the year, so it is also called "Ghost Festival".

More than two thousand years ago, the Catholic Church in Europe designated 1 65438+1October1as "Halloween". "Saint" means saint. Legend has it that since 500 BC, Celts living in Ireland, Scotland and other places have moved this festival forward by one day, that is, 65438+1October 3 1. They think that this day is the day when summer officially ends, that is, the beginning of the new year and the beginning of the severe winter. At that time, people believed that on this day, the dead souls of the deceased would return to their former homes to look for all beings, so as to be reborn, which was the only hope of being reborn after death. Living people are afraid of dead souls to take life, so people put out fire and candlelight on this day, so that dead souls can't find living people and dress up as monsters to scare away dead souls. After that, they will rekindle the candlelight and start a new year's life. Legend has it that Celtic tribes also had the custom of killing the living to commemorate the dead on June 3 10.

By the 1 century, the Romans who occupied the territory of Celtic tribes gradually accepted the custom of Halloween, but the barbaric practice of burning the living to sacrifice the dead was abolished. Roman festivals celebrating harvest were combined with Celtic rituals, wearing terrible masks and dressed as animals or ghosts to drive away demons wandering around them. This is why most people in the world celebrate Halloween with strange costumes today. With the passage of time, the meaning of Halloween has gradually changed, becoming active, joyful and festive. The idea of the deceased seeking the reincarnation of body double was gradually abandoned and forgotten. Today, most images and pictures symbolizing Halloween, such as witches and black cats, have friendly, lovely and interesting faces.

Facial makeup is a traditional Halloween program.

The emergence of the word "Halloween"

Many ethnic groups hold a celebration party on Halloween, which is also called Halloween, Halloween, Halloween or Halloween. Finally, the agreement evolved into "Halloween" and the Chinese translation became Halloween night.

Halloween custom-trick or treat.

An interesting content of Halloween is "trick or treat", but this custom did not originate from Ireland, but from the Christian church in Europe in the ninth century. At that time,165438+1October 2nd was called "All Souls Day" by Christians. On this day, believers trudged in the backcountry, begging from door to door for "soul bread" made of flour and raisins. It is said that people who donate cakes believe in the prayers of church monks, hoping to get God's protection and let their dead relatives enter heaven as soon as possible. This tradition of begging from house to house has evolved into a game, in which children carry pumpkin lanterns and beg for candy from house to house. When they met, the children dressed as ghosts threatened to make trouble without inviting them to dinner, but the host naturally dared not neglect and repeatedly said, "Please eat! Please eat! " At the same time, put the candy into the big pocket that the child carries with him.

There is also a story about pumpkins carved into lanterns. This comes from ancient Ireland. The story is about a man named Jack. He is drunk and likes playing practical jokes. One day, Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree, and then carved a cross on the stump, threatening the devil not to come down. Then Jack made an agreement with the devil to let him come down from the tree on the condition that the devil promised to cast a spell so that Jack would never commit a crime. After Jack died, his soul could neither go to heaven nor go to hell, so his ghost had to wander between heaven and earth with a small candle.

Demons dance with ghosts.

In the ancient Irish legend, this small candle was placed in a hollowed-out radish, which was called "Jack's lantern", while the ancient radish lantern evolved to today, and it was made of pumpkin lantern. It is said that soon after the Irish arrived in America, they found that pumpkins were superior to radishes in source and carving, so pumpkins became Halloween pets.

Children's favorite festival

Halloween is a good time for children to have fun. In the eyes of children, this is a festival full of mystery. As night falls, the children can't wait to put on colorful costumes, strange masks and a "Jack-o-lantern" and run out to play. "Jack-o 'lantern" looks very cute. The way is to hollow out the pumpkin, carve smiling eyes and a big mouth on the outside, and then put a candle in the pumpkin and light it, so that people can see this innocent smiling face from far away.

After packing, groups of children dressed as monsters ran to the neighbor's door with "pumpkin lanterns" in their hands, threatening to shout "trick or treat" and "want money or eat" If adults don't give candy or change, those naughty children will do as they say: OK, I'll play a trick on you if you don't give it. Sometimes they soap other people's doorknobs and sometimes color other people's cats. These little pranks often make adults laugh and cry. Of course, most families are happy to entertain these naive little guests. Therefore, on Halloween, children are always full and have bulging pockets.

3. Thanksgiving Day

165438+ The fourth Thursday in October is Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is an ancient festival created by the American people, and it is also a festival for Americans to reunite with their families, so Americans always feel very cordial when they mention Thanksgiving.

The origin of Thanksgiving can be traced back to the beginning of American history. 1620, the famous "Mayflower" arrived in America with 102 Puritans who could not bear the persecution of English religion. In the winter at the turn of 1620 and 162 1, they encountered unimaginable difficulties and were hungry and cold. After winter passed, only 50 immigrants survived. At this time, the kind Indians brought necessities to the immigrants, and specially sent people to teach them how to hunt, fish and grow corn and pumpkins. With the help of Indians, the immigrants finally got a bumper harvest. On the day of celebrating the harvest, according to religious traditions and customs, immigrants set a day to thank God and decided to invite them to celebrate the festival together to thank the Indians for their sincere help.

On the first Thanksgiving, Indians and immigrants gathered together. They fired a salute at dawn, marched into a room used as a church, expressed their sincere thanks to God, then lit a bonfire and held a grand banquet. On the second and third days, wrestling, running, singing and dancing were held. The first Thanksgiving was a great success. Many of these celebrations have been circulated for more than 300 years and have been preserved to this day.

At first, there was no fixed date for Thanksgiving, which was decided temporarily by the states. It was not until the United States became independent that Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday.

On Thanksgiving Day, the whole country in America is very lively. People go to church to pray for gratitude according to custom, and there are costume parades, theatrical performances or sports competitions everywhere in urban and rural towns. Old Yan Fei's relatives who have been flying for a year will also come back from all over the country, and the whole family will be round and round, enjoying the delicious Thanksgiving turkey.

Thanksgiving food is full of traditional characteristics. Turkey is the traditional main course of Thanksgiving. Usually, the turkey will be stuffed with all kinds of spices and mixed food, and then the whole turkey will be roasted and sliced by the owner with a knife and distributed to everyone. In addition, traditional Thanksgiving food also includes sweet potato, corn, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce and so on.

After Thanksgiving dinner, people sometimes play some traditional games. For example, in the pumpkin competition, contestants push pumpkins with small spoons. The rule is not to touch the pumpkin, and the first one to reach the finish line wins. The smaller the spoon used in the game, the more interesting the game is.

For many years, the custom of celebrating Thanksgiving has been passed down from generation to generation. Whether on the rocky west coast or in beautiful Hawaii, people celebrate Thanksgiving in almost the same way. Thanksgiving Day is a traditional festival celebrated by Americans of all faiths and nationalities.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is a unique festival in North America, which began at 162 1. 1863, American President Lincoln designated it as a national holiday, and stipulated that the fourth Thursday of 10 every year is the American Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving has four days off. During the long vacation, many people will go home to celebrate the festival. So Thanksgiving in the United States is not as lively as Mid-Autumn Festival in China.

/kloc-At the beginning of the 7th century, the Puritans in England were persecuted. 1September 620, 102 The Puritans boarded the sailboat "Mayflower" and arrived in Plymouth Harbor, USA on February 26, 65438, ready to start a new life. However, these immigrants simply can't adapt to the local environment. Only 50 people survived after the first winter. The next spring, the local Indians gave them many necessities and taught them how to farm on this land. This autumn, the immigrants got a bumper harvest. 165438+1At the end of October, immigrants invited Indians to enjoy delicious food made of corn, pumpkin and turkey, thanking them for their help and thanking God for giving them a bumper harvest. Since then, Thanksgiving Day has become a fixed holiday in America.

Eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day:

Thanksgiving is a traditional festival in western countries. We have a three-day holiday and get together with our families. At the festival banquet, there is an indispensable special dish-"roast turkey". Why do you eat turkey on Thanksgiving? This starts with the origin of Thanksgiving. 1920, a group of Puritans who advocated reform in Britain withdrew from the state religion and became independent Protestants because their ideals and ambitions could not be realized, which aroused the hatred of British politicians. Unable to bear the persecution and discrimination of the rulers, these Puritans fled to the Netherlands first. In early September, they crossed the ocean and prepared to go into exile in the United States. The ship drifted in the rough sea for 65 days, and finally arrived at the east coast of the United States in 5438+065438+ 10, and landed in Provis Town, Rhode Island. At that time, it was still a desolate virgin land, and wild animals such as turkeys could be seen everywhere. It's cold winter now, and they come to a strange place, lacking clothes and food, and the harsh environment threatens their lives. At this critical moment, the local Indians deprived them of food, daily necessities and production tools, and helped them build their own new homes.

After settling down in their new home, these British people thanked the Indians who helped and supported them in times of crisis, and also thanked God for giving them "gifts". On the fourth Thursday in June, 1 1, the celebration lasted for three days. Since then, such a celebration will be held every year on the fourth Thursday of June165438+1October. In addition to holding roast turkeys for Indians, sports competitions such as archery, running and wrestling will be held together, and at night, we will sing and dance around the bonfire and have fun. 194 1 year, the US Congress officially designated the fourth Thursday in June 1 1 as "Thanksgiving Day". Since then, this festival has become popular in western countries. So how is the turkey cooked?

Turkey is the key to turkey, also known as seven-sided chicken. Originally wild, it has been domesticated as a meat bird. The whole body is covered with black, white and dark yellow feathers. The upper part of the head and neck is exposed, and there are red coral-like skin tumors and drooping meat under the throat, and the color can change from red to purple. The tail feathers of a male turkey can be fanned out and there is a tuft of hair balls on the chest. The female turkey weighs 8-9 kilograms, and the annual output of turkey eggs is 50-80, each weighing 20-80 grams. At present, the breeding varieties are mostly "bronze turkey" and "white turkey".

Turkey attracts people's attention because of its large size, fast growth, strong disease resistance and high lean meat rate. It can be compared with broilers and is known as "meat making machine". Turkey is not only tender and light in meat, but also has the advantages of "one high and two low" in nutritional value. One is that the content of protein is high, above 30%; Erdi is considered as an ideal health food for patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases abroad. At the same time, turkey is also a good food for invigorating qi and spleen. At present, many countries in the world use turkey instead of beef, pork, mutton and duck.

The most popular game on Halloween is "biting apples". In the game, people let the apples float in a basin filled with water, and then let the children bite the apples with their mouths instead of their hands. Whoever bites first wins.