清明节感恩(4)

It is said that the Qing Ming Festival was originally held to commemorate a loyal man living in the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC), named JieZitui. Jie cut a piece of meat from his own leg in order to save his hungry lord who was forced to go into exile when the crown was in jeopardy. The lord came back to his position nineteen years later, and forgot Jie Zitui but later felt ashamed and decided to reward him. However, Jie had blocked himself up in a mountain with his mother. In order to find Jie, the lord ordered that the mountain should be set on fire. Later Jie was found dead with his mother. In order to commemorate Jie, the lord ordered that the day Jie died was Han Shi (Cold Food) Festival - the day that only cold food could be eaten. The second year, when the lord went to the mountain to sacrifice to Jie, he found willows revived, so he gave instructions that the day after Han Shi Festival was to be Qing Ming Festival. Later, the two festivals were combined as one.

Then let’s see the Thanksgiving Day in America. There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was held in the city of El Paso, Texas in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony. Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast. In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to become annual events. However, it was celebrated on different days in different communities and in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.

Comparing with these two festivals, we find something in common. There is the most obvious point that we cannot ignore. Both of them express a same idea is that being thankful. On Thanksgiving Day, people express gratitude to God for his blessings and give thanks to dear ones for their love and support. On Tomb Sweeping Day, people express their thanks to the ancient and people who helps him. Although different people from different culture background express their gratitude through various ways, they all present one idea is that being thankful.

英语1404班 刘瑞芳

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