英美概况论文-节日篇.docVIP

课 程 论 文 课 程 名 称Survey of Britain and America 题 目On Cross-cultural Communication 姓 名 班 级 学 号 任 课 教 师 所 在 学 院 外语学院 2011年 6 月 American Festivals 1)Brief Introduction of these holidays a.Valentines day is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as valentines). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. At present,the Valentines day is celebrated by many people from other countries. b. Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday(also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday). The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and 36. Easter marks the end of Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. The last week of the Lent is called Holy Week, and it contains Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Easter is followed by a fifty-day period called Eastertide or the Easter Season, ending with Pentecost Sunday. As with other Christian festivals, the celebration of Easter extends beyond the church. Since its origins, it has been a time