第1805期：感恩节之母 Sarah Hale

今天是2023年的感恩节（美国）。

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. The day after is also known as Black Friday.

其实没几个国家正式过感恩节，主要是美国和加拿大。加拿大的感恩节是每年十月份的第二个礼拜一。

美国的感恩节传统始于17世纪初，最早只在东部的New England地区庆祝，每个州的感恩节日期也不统一，南方各州根本不过这个节日。

1846年，美国一位女作家和社会活动家Sarah Josepha Hale给美国总统写信倡议把感恩节提升为全国正式节日。

信发出后，石沉大海，没人理她。第二年她又给总统写了一封信，还是没音讯。

她继续写，每年都给美国总统写信，建议把感恩节推广为全美正式节日。年年没人理她，她就年年写，一直写了17年，美国总统换了四任，还是没人理她。

第17封信发出时，已经是1863年了，这封信终于收到了美国总统的回复，当时的总统是Abraham Lincoln。

正处于南北内战中的林肯总统认为感恩节这个倡议有利于促进南北方各州团结，于是接受了她的建议，宣布把感恩节作为继华盛顿生日和独立日之后的第三个全美法定节日。

从这个意义而言，今天的美国感恩节就来自Hale女士17年不懈的坚持，称她为感恩节之母不过分。

Sarah Josepha Hale在美国还是一首家喻户晓的儿歌（“Mary Had a Little Lamb”）的作者。

Mary had a little lamb,

   Its fleece was white as snow (or black as coal).

And everywhere that Mary went,

   The lamb was sure to go.

He followed her to school one day,

   That was against the rule.

It made the children laugh and play

   To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned him out,

   But still he lingered near,

And waited patiently about

   Till Mary did appear.

And then he ran to her, and laid

   His head upon her arm,

As if he said ‘I’m not afraid,

   You’ll keep me from all harm.’

‘What makes the lamb love Mary so?’

   The eager children cry.

‘Oh, Mary loves the lamb, you know,’

   The teacher did reply.

‘And you each gentle animal

   In confidence may bind,

And make them follow at your call,

   If you are always kind.’

1877年，爱迪生发明了留声机后，就把这首儿歌作为了留声机录制的第一首歌，你说厉害不厉害。