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This Memorial Day Remember Our Fallen Heroes
悼念日——缅怀我们的英雄
Memorial Day, a Federal US holiday that is observed annually on the last Monday of May signifies differentthings to different people. For some it's a reminder to firm up summer vacation plans, for others it's an excuse to lounge around the pool with friends. What often gets forgotten is the real purpose of the holiday - to honor and remember the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces that sacrificed their lives to defend our right to freedom.
悼念日是美国的国立节日，它于每年5月最后一个星期一开始，针对不同人群，有不同的意义。在民间，有些人把它看做是做夏季游玩计划的提醒，另一些人把它看做是泳池与朋友聚会的借口。但是该节日的真实纪念意义却常常被人们遗忘——缅怀美国军队中为了人民自由权利牺牲的男女将士。
The holiday was first observed on May 30th, 1868 by General Logan. The National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic believed it would be a good way to unite the country that was still reeling from the American Civil War waged between the Northern and Southern States from 1861-1865. He called it Decoration Day and celebrated it by visiting the Arlington National Cemetery and placing flowers on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.
该节日最初是在1868年的5月30日由Logen将军带领纪念的。这位共和大军司令认为，这是民众遭受美国内战(1861-1865)的重创之后，团结举国上下很好的形式。他起先称这一天为“装饰日”，在这天带领士兵们到阿灵顿公墓，在南北军的烈士墓前都献上了鲜花。
It took a few years, but by 1890 all the Northern States began to observe Decoration Day. While the Southern States did not join in to celebrate this particular day, they did pick other days to honor their Civil War heroes. Following World War 1, the holiday was extended to honor all American soldiers that had sacrificed their lives for the country's freedom. This change finally convinced the Southern States to join in. While the name "Memorial Day" began to surface as early as 1882, it did not become popular until after World War II and was not declared official by Federal law, until 1967.
1890年该节日才得到北方各州的认可。南方并不认同这一天，他们另择他日来纪念烈士们。直到一战后，阵亡将士纪念日逐渐演变为普遍纪念那些在战中死去的美国士兵而不仅是南北战中死去的士兵。这时，南方各州才肯承认这个节日。“纪念日”的名称首现于1882年，但到二战后才被普遍传开，1967年才被美国联邦法律官方定为次名称。
Memorial Day was declared an official national holiday in 1971. To allow Americans to enjoy a three-day weekend, the date was moved from May 30th to the last Monday of May. This gave retailers a new opportunity to attract customers, leading to the tradition of Memorial Day Sales.
阵亡将士纪念日在1971年被定为国家节日，为了让国人都能享受三天的假期，该节日由原来的5月30日改到了5月最后一个星期一。这给零售商提供了吸引顾客的机会，由此也产生了“纪念日打折季”的传统。
译文属可可英语原创，仅供学习和交流使用，未经许可，请勿转载。
