Mother’s Day

　　Mothering Sunday was an English observance whereby people were encouraged to return on the 4th Sunday of Lent to the church in which they were baptized, their “Mother Church”. Naturally, this often meant returning to their hometown. At the time it was common for children as young as 10 to be away from home working so it became the custom that they were on this day allowed to return to visit their families. This evolved into a day for showing respect and love for one’s mother. Mother’s Day in the USA, on the second Sunday of May, has a different origin. It did not develop from another practice as in England, but was instigated in the early 20th Century as a day specifically for expressing gratitude to the Nation’s Mothers. Father’s Day, not as is often believed invented by card companies, actually originated in the USA only a little later, inspired by Mother’s Day.

　　母亲节

　　“母亲节”是英国的传统节日，在“四旬斋月”的第四个星期天，人们都要回到自己接受“洗礼”时的教堂－“母亲教堂”去做礼拜。自然而然地，这也代表了回到家乡的意思。那时，年仅10岁的孩童出外打工是很平常的事，因此，在那天回到家中跟家人团聚也就成了一种习俗。渐渐地，这一天变成了对母亲表示尊敬和爱戴的节日。在美国，“母亲节”是在五月的第二个星期天，它的来源跟英国的不大一样。它并不象英国那样是从某一个习俗转变过来的，而是在二十世纪早期兴起，为感谢所有的母亲而特别设立的节日。至于“父亲节”，许多人一直认为是由贺卡制造商发起的，事实并不是这样。在美国，“父亲节”的建立只略微比“母亲节”晚些，是在“母亲节”的推动下产生的。

　　关键词

　　messiah / / n. 救世主

　　sin / / n. 罪恶

　　descend / / v. 继承；遗传

　　squeeze / / v. 挤；挤过

　　crucify / / v. 把(某人)钉死在十字架上

　　heinous / / adj. 极凶恶的

　　blasphemy / / n. 亵渎神祗的行为或言语

　　gospel / / n. 原则；主义；信条

　　pilgrim / / n. 朝圣者；清教徒

　　harsh / / adj. 严厉的；无情的

　　redolent / / adj. 有强烈气味的

　　conspirator / / n. 阴谋家

　　torture / / v. 折磨 n. 刑讯

　　dummy / / n. 仿制品

　　defy / / v. 违抗；藐视

　　martyr / / v. 使(某人)殉难 n. 烈士

　　antic / / n. 滑稽或夸张的动作

　　butt / / n. 笑柄

　　prank / / n. 恶作剧

　　baptize / / v. 为(某人)施洗礼

　　instigate / / v. 鼓动；怂恿

　　gratitude / / n. 感激；感谢