Father's Day has a very short history. It was started because there was a Mother's Day, and just because some Americans thought that if we had a Mother's Day, we should also have a Father's Day. Father's Day has become important in North America. And shopkeepers(店主) found it was a good way to get people to buy presents for their fathers from their shops.
By the way, very few countries have a Father's Day, though some have Children's Day, or a special day for boys and another for girls. More and more countries are having Mother's Day, so maybe Father's Day will also become popular. Now, what do people in North America do on Father's Day？The newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they should do—buy a Father's Day present for your father. They even tell a wife to buy a Father's Day present——not for her father but for her husband, even if he is not a father yet. And they tell grandchildren to buy a Father's Day present for their grandfathers.
The most important thing to remember about Father's Day is that American children can show their love to their fathers in a more open way.
Once Buddha (佛) was walking from one town to another with some of his disciples (弟子). When they were traveling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped and Buddha told one of his disciples, "I'm thirsty. Do get me some water from that lake there. "
The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that the water was very muddy (浑浊的) . The disciple thought, "How can I give the muddy water to Buddha to drink？" So he came back and told Buddha about it. After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. This time too the disciple found that the lake was muddy. He returned and told Buddha the same.
After some time, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back. The disciple reached the lake to find the lake clean and clear, and the water looked fit for drinking. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.
Buddha looked at the water and then he looked up at the disciple and said, "See what you did to make the water clean. You waited long and the mud became calm on its own and you got clear water. Your mind is also like that! When it is disturbed (打扰), just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down (安静) on its own. You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen easily. "
The Chinese New Year (begin) in late January or early February. It is one of the (great) festivals in China. Many things are done to get ready this festival. The house is cleaned before the holiday. No sweeping is done during the holiday people worry about that good luck will be cleaned away. Best wishes are written on red paper and hung around the house. On the (one) day of the Chinese New Year, children are given red envelopes. Food is most important part of the holiday season. Special foods are eaten on certain days. Different foods have different (mean) behind them. For example, fish is said to mean success. The Chinese New Year is (certain) regarded as a time to be with one's family. Many visits are done during the 15 days. Many traditions are to honor family members who (die) in the past. What an (interest) festival it is!
