大千世界，無奇不有。除了我們耳熟能詳?shù)膫鹘y(tǒng)中外節(jié)日——國慶節(jié)、中秋節(jié)、情人節(jié)、圣誕節(jié)——之外，許多國家都有那么幾個讓人覺得不可思議甚至古怪的節(jié)日，慶祝的方式也是千奇百怪。當你坐在家中吃西紅柿的時候，某個西班牙城市的人們正在打西紅柿仗取樂；當你穿著羽絨服哆哆嗦嗦地走在寒風里的時候，日本也許正在舉行裸體大游行……古怪歸古怪，這些節(jié)日也都是一國文化的組成部分。

By Wendy Stenberg

李殊 選 言佳 注

Celebrations and traditions hold a special place in a country. It is a time of national solidarity when the families come together and forget the day-to-day grind and celebrate a holiday, for a particular purpose. It is a way for the people to express themselves.

Besides the national festivals and celebrations, many places enjoy some whacky celebrations. Here are just five whacky festivals:

Henley-on-Todd Regatta

托德河腳行船賽

If you want something quieter, trip over to Alice Springs in the dry heart of Australia. There you will find the Todd Regatta in a riverbed that normally has no water. The boats are bottomless and without paddles, or motors. They are usually constructed from beer cans, which have been eagerly emptied by the boat builders. The teams run up the riverbed with their feet sticking out of the bottom of their boats. In 1993 the race was cancelled because of the threat of a once in a blue moon rain storm.

World Black Pudding Throwing Championship

扔黑布丁比賽

In Greater Manchester UK they throw black puddings. Black pudding is traditionally made of cooked pig blood, fat and rusk, encased in a length of intestine. The contest dates back to the 1850s. Competitors from across the world have gathered at a pub in Greater Manchester for the World Black Pudding Throwing Championship. The aim is to knock Yorkshire puddings off a 20-foot shelf by throwing black puddings at them.

Sauna Bathing Championships

桑拿浴大賽

If you prefer it hot, Finland is the place for you to compete in the Sauna Bathing Championships. Every 30 seconds the heat is turned up, but the contestants must keep their naked bums firmly on the wooden seat, while remaining seated in an upright position. The last person left in the sauna is the winner.

The La Tomatina Festival

西班牙西紅柿節(jié)

Every August thousands of Spaniards take part in the La Tomatina Festival in Bunol. Truckloads of tomatoes are pulled in each year and dumped in the city centre. The people throw tomatoes at each other for the whole day, but the only rule is that the tomato must be flattened in the hand first, before being thrown. Even elderly grandmothers have been known to take part.

The Naked Festival

日本裸體節(jié)

Japan hosts the Naked Festival. All male contestants are dressed in oversize diapers and parade through the winter streets. Bystanders throw cold water over the contestants, who drink copious amounts of sake in an effort to stop from freezing.

While some say festivals express something about the people who celebrate them, I wonder! It is important however, as a universal community we respect without censure , how and what others choose to celebrate. Each festival meets a particular need in the individuals of that country and becomes an integral part of a way of life. Maybe you can come up with some whacky celebration of your own.

Vocabulary

1. whacky: 〈口〉古怪的，滑稽可笑的。

2. national solidarity: 國家團結；grind: （令人疲勞或厭倦的）工作，苦差事；particular: 特別的，特定的。

3. regatta: 劃船比賽，賽船會。

4. Alice Springs: 愛麗絲泉，澳大利亞中部的一個城市，以每年舉辦的托德河腳行船比賽和駱駝賽而聞名，成為澳大利亞著名的旅游勝地。

5. bottomless: 無底的；paddle: （劃船用的）槳；motor: 發(fā)動機，馬達。

6. construct from: 用……建成；beer can: 啤酒罐；eagerly: 急切地，渴望地。

7. stick out: 突出，伸出。

8. threat: 兇兆，征兆；once in a blue moon: 千載難逢的，極為罕見的。

9. 黑布丁的傳統(tǒng)做法是將熬制的豬血、脂肪和面包塞入豬腸中而制成。rusk: 甜面包；encase: 把……放入箱（或盒、袋子等）；intestine: 腸，內(nèi)臟。

10. pub: 〈英〉酒吧，酒館。

11. Yorkshire pudding: 約克郡布丁，英國一種傳統(tǒng)食物。味道偏咸、香脆，中間凹陷，呈杯形；

12. bum: 〈英〉屁股，臀部；firmly: 穩(wěn)定地，堅定地；upright: 挺直的，直立的。

13. Spaniard: 西班牙人，西班牙居民；Bunol: 布尼奧爾，一西班牙小鎮(zhèn)，以一年一度的西紅柿節(jié)而聞名。

14. Truckload: 一卡車（的貨物）；dump: 傾倒，丟棄。

15. flatten: 使變平，把……弄平。

16. oversize: 過大的，超大號的；diaper: 尿布；parade: 游行，列隊行進。

17. bystander: 旁觀者，看熱鬧的人；copious: 大量的，很多的；sake: 日本米酒。

18. universal community: 國際社區(qū)，地球村；censure: 責備，指責。

19. integral: 完整的，整體的。

20. come up with: 提出，提議。

（來源：英語學習雜志 編輯：丹妮）