May Day

王超

The first of May， or May Day as it's best known， has long been significant. It marks the approach of summer，  a  new  season  of  fertility.  In  pre-Christian times， the day was part of a major festival during which huge bonfires were lit to honour the sun.

May Day has been a festival of dancing， merrymaking， and flowers from earliest times. It is thought to have had  its  beginning  in  the  ancient  Roman  festival   in  honour of Flora， the goddess of flowers. In England and many other countries， May Day was celebrated by dancing around the maypole and playing games. Baskets filled with spring flowers were left at the homes of friends. Some of these customs are still observed. In some cities in the United States maypoles are erected in the parks and playgrounds， and a number of fetes are held for the school-children at various times during the month of May.

Young people in particular observed numerous customs throughout England. They collected leaves and flowers to decorate their homes. They crowned a young girl “Queen” for the day. They decorated a pole， and danced round it， and washed their faces in the morning dew which was believed to have magical properties on May Day.

Nowadays with the exception of a few customs such as choosing the May Queen or dancing round the maypole， the first of May is rarely celebrated as before. Instead， it's becoming increasingly political with speeches and processions by trade union organizations， and since 1978 it's been a public holiday in Britain on the first Monday in May.

五月一日是人人皆知的五朔節，很久以来就具有纪念的意义。它标志着一个丰富多产的新季节——夏天的到来。在基督教产生之前，这一天是一个重大的节日的一部分，人们在这一天燃起熊熊大火，向太阳致敬。

从古至今，五朔节就是个跳舞、娱乐、处处鲜花的节日。据猜测，这个节日源于古罗马的一个纪念花神——弗洛拉女神的花日。在英国和其它许多国家，人们围绕着五月花柱（用鲜花装饰的柱子）跳舞游戏，来庆祝五朔节。一篮篮春天的鲜花送到朋友家作礼物。今天，五朔节的某些风俗仍保留着。在美国有些城市里，五月柱竖立在公园里和游乐场。在那里五月份期间常为小学生们举行各种庆祝活动。

在英格兰各地，许多人，尤其是年轻人按照传统的风俗过五朔节。他们找来树叶和鲜花装饰自己的家园，把一位年轻姑娘立为这个节日的“皇后”。他们装饰一个花柱，围着花柱跳舞。他们早晨用朝露洗脸，因为他们相信，五朔节早晨的露水具有魔术般的奇异特性。

今天，除了推选五月皇后和围着五月花柱跳舞等风俗外，五朔节不再像从前那样庆祝了。取而代之的是越来越多地带有政治色彩，如发表演说，或工会组织游行。自1978年以来，五朔节在英国成了公共假日，时间在五月里的第一个星期一。