Australia Up Close Holidays Offer Chance To Honor Important People By DARREN McLEAN	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
オーストラリアのホリデー 5月の第2日曜日は「母の日」です。この起源は古代ギリシャで、人々が神々の母、レアーに感謝を捧げたのが始まりだそうです。オーストラリアでは、この日、家族が母親に花やプレゼントを贈ります。また、母の日以外にも、父の日、労働者の日、そしてエリザベス女王誕生日と、たくさんのナショナルホリデーがあります。

On the second Sunday in May, many Australian mothers are pampered with breakfast in bed, flowers, gifts and sweet "I love yous." The occasion is Mother's Day, an official celebration in which families show appreciation for their mothers' care and hard work. It is also a day to remember those mothers who have passed away.

The first celebrations in honor of mothers were held in ancient Greece. In the springtime there were celebrations to honor Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 16th and 17th centuries, English Christians celebrated a day, called Mothering Sunday, in the period leading up to Easter.

The first non-religious Mother's Day celebrations were started in the United States by Anna Jarvis in 1907. Businesses were quick to take advantage of Mother's Day, making large profits through sales and promotions. Many Australians believe that Mother's Day has become purely commercial — a time for the shops to make money from people who feel obligated to buy their mothers gifts.

Ironically, Anna Jarvis was never a mother herself and by the time of her death in 1947, she wished she had never started Mother's Day.

This year on the Gold Coast, a Mother's Day memorial service was held in the Cascade public gardens. Many families gathered to pay tribute to their mothers and to lay flowers on the Mothers' Memorial Bench.

For participant Margaret Hawkins, from the Gold Coast suburb of Labrador, who came with her son, it was an opportunity to remember her mother, who passed away in 1980. "It's a lovely idea," said Mrs. Hawkins. "My son, Cameron, never saw his grandma."

I usually spend my Mother's Day at home with my mother, grandmothers and the rest of my family. My family tries hard to make this day special by letting the mothers relax, cooking them meals and giving them cards and flowers. It is easy to take a mother's care and hard work for granted, so Mother's Day is an excellent way to show one's appreciation.

Australians also celebrate Father's Day, on the first Sunday in September. This celebration was started, shortly after Mother's Day, in the United States and quickly spread to Australia. Wouldn't it be unfair if fathers didn't receive treatment similar to mothers on Mother's Day.

Although Mother's and Father's days are officially recognized in Australia, they are only weekend celebrations, and all shops and businesses trade as usual. Australians also have several public holidays during the working week when all schools, government offices and shopping centers close.

The most controversial of these public holidays is Labor Day. It is similar to the Japanese Labor Thanksgiving Day — a day to recognize the contributions of the millions of working men and women who create the nation's wealth. Labor Day commemorates the 19th century campaign, led by thousands of trade union members for shorter working hours. The result of this was a 40-hour working week.

It seems peculiar to many Australians, however, that all businesses and activities should cease for a day to recognize organized labor, commonly referred to as unionism, when many Australians aren't members of unions and work more than 40 hours per week to earn their income.

Wayne Robinson from Ashmore, on the Gold Coast, believes Labor Day is really a day for the Australian Labor Party and trade unions to gain a political advantage. "If we have a day off work to recognize labor and unionism in Australia, we should have a day off work to recognize free enterprise and capitalism," said Robinson.

Another controversial holiday is the Queen's Birthday, June 8. This day is set aside to pay respect to Australia's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. Over the past few years the Australian government has been debating whether Australia should become a republic. Obviously the many republicans in Australia find this holiday unnecessary. Furthermore, the queen's real birthday is in April, not June.

The ANZAC Day holiday on the 25th of April is Australia's proudest holiday. This special day commemorates those soldiers who fought and died for their country as members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp (ANZAC).

The day's highlights are the ANZAC marches and memorial services. People line the streets of the Gold Coast, proudly waving their Australian flags, as heroic veterans of war march past in their ranks. The ANZAC Day holiday is an Australian tradition that, unlike Labor Day and the Queen's Birthday, will undoubtedly live on forever.

Shukan ST: June 12, 1998

(C) All rights reserved