VOA慢速英语2017 印度排灯节点亮美国

Indian Holiday Diwali Lights Up America, Too

More and more people in America are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali.

美国如今有越来越多的人开始庆祝印度节日排灯节。 

Diwali is Hindi for “row of lights.” It is the most important holiday in India.Although it began as a Hindu observance, almost everyone in the country celebrates the Festival of Lights.

Diwali是印度语 “一排灯”的意思。排灯节是印度最重要的节日。排灯节虽然最开始是印度教徒的庆祝活动，但是后来几乎所有印度人都开始庆祝。

Many people around the world are beginning to as well.

如今世界上许多人都开始庆祝排灯节。 

The United States is one of the places where the festival is becoming more common.Diwali celebrations can now be found at American landmarks¹ like Disneyland in California and New York City’s Times Square. They are also held in many parks and museums.

美国就是其中之一，庆祝排灯节在美国变得越来越普遍。如今在美国许多地标建筑处，如加利福尼亚州迪士尼和纽约市时代广场，都可以看到排灯节庆祝活动。在许多公园和博物馆也可以看到。

Neeta Bhasin established the Times Square event, she said Indian immigrants have found great success in America.But, she said, many Americans still do not know much about India. So, she decided³ to act.

内塔.巴辛组织了时代广场的庆祝活动。她说，印度移民在美国取得了巨大成功。但她也说，仍有许多美国人不太了解印度。所以她决定组织这次活动。

“I felt it’s about time that we should take India to mainstream⁴ America and showcase India’s rich culture, heritage⁵, arts and diversity to the world,” she said.“And I couldn’t find a better place than the center of the universe: Times Square.”

“我认为现在是时候将印度介绍到美国的主流文化当中了，从而向世界展示印度丰富的文化、遗产、艺术和多样性，”她说道。“我找不到比宇宙中心：时代广场更好的地方了。”

Bhasin came to the United States from India 40 years ago.She is president of ASB Communications, the marketing⁶ firm behind Diwali at Times Square.Tens of thousands of people attend the event, now in its fourth year.

巴辛是40年前从印度来到的美国。她是ASB通信公司的总裁，ASB通信公司是时代广场排灯节的宣传方。庆祝活动会有数万人参加，今年已经是第四年。

The 2017 celebration takes place October 7.There will be dance performances, Bollywood singers, a marketplace for Indian food and goods, and, of course, a lighting⁷ ceremony.

2017年的庆祝活动将于10月7日举办。届时将会有舞蹈、宝莱坞歌手、印度美食、商品市场，当然还会有点灯仪式。

In India, Diwali is a five-day harvest festival held just before the Hindu New Year.The exact dates change from year to year but Diwali is always in the fall.Celebrations include lighting oil lamps or candles called diyas.The lights represent, in Bhasin’s words, “a victory of knowledge over ignorance⁸, light over darkness, good over evil.”

在印度，排灯节是在印度新年前举办的一场为期5天的丰收节。每年的具体日期都不一样，但都在秋天。庆祝活动有点燃油灯或蜡烛，叫做点油灯。用巴辛的话说，这些灯代表着“知识战胜了无知，光明战胜了黑暗，美好战胜了邪恶”。

A Diwali celebration will light up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim this year. Visitors can watch performances of traditional Indian dances and take part in a Bollywood dance party.The event is part of a Festival of Holidays program at the theme park to show cultural traditions from around the world.The program takes place November 10th through January 7th.

今年排灯节的庆祝活动将在阿纳海姆的迪士尼加州冒险公园内举办。游客不仅可观赏到传统的印度舞蹈，还可以参加宝莱坞舞蹈派对。此次活动是迪士尼主题乐园《节日活动》项目的一项活动，这个项目主要是展示来自世界各地的文化传统。活动计划于11月10日至1月7日举行。

San Antonio, Texas, also holds a Diwali celebration. And it is one of the nation’s largest, with more than 15,000 people in attendance⁹ each year.The 2017 festival takes place November 4 at La Villita, a historic¹⁰ arts village.It will be the city’s ninth Diwali celebration. Visitors can enjoy Indian dance, food, and fireworks.Organizers also plan to float hundreds of lighted candles in the San Antonio River, along the city’s famous River Walk.

德克萨斯圣安东尼奥市也会举办排灯节庆祝活动。并且是美国排灯节庆祝活动中最大的活动之一，每年有15000多人参加。2017年的节日庆祝活动将于11月4日在历史文化名城拉维利塔举办。届时游客可以欣赏到印度舞蹈、美食和篝火。组织者还计划在圣安东尼奥河沿着城市著名的河畔步道放游数百支点燃的蜡烛。

Words in This Story

row - n?. a straight line of people or things that are next to each other

festival - n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something

landmark² - n. an object or structure on land that is easy to see and recognize?

mainstream - n.? the thoughts, beliefs, and choices that are accepted by the largest number of people?

Bollywood - n. the Indian movie industry?

lamp - n. a device that produces light?

ignorance - n?.? a lack of knowledge, understanding, or education

1 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

5 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

6 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

7 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

8 ignorance   

n.无知，愚昧，不了解，（of，about）不知道

参考例句：

• The relation of disease to poverty and ignorance is easy to see.疾病与贫穷、无知之间的关系是显而易见的。
• Maybe it is all due to my own ignorance.也许是我少见多怪。

9 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。

10 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。