生活變遷（2）：點心袋、點心包

“六·一”兒童節，是童年時期僅次於春節的美好期待。

 

“六·一”兒童節，也叫“六·一國際兒童節”，每年的6月1日舉行，是全世界少年兒童的節日。1942年6月，德國法西斯槍殺了捷克利迪策村，16歲以上的男性公民140餘人和全部嬰兒，並把婦女和90名兒童押往集中營。為了悼念利迪策村和全世界所有在法西斯侵略戰爭中死難的兒童，1949年11月，國際民主婦女聯合會在莫斯科舉行理事會議，中國和各國代表憤怒地揭露了帝國主義分子和各國反動派殘殺、毒害兒童的罪行。為了保障世界各國兒童的生存權、保健權和受教育權，為了改善兒童的生活，會議決定以每年的6月1日為國際兒童節。

 

在此以前，世界上的許多國家就有兒童節。1925年，國際兒童幸福促進會倡議建立兒童紀念日，英國、美國、日本等國積極響應，先後建立了自己國家的兒童節，英國規定每年的7月14日為兒童節，美國規定5月1日為兒童節。日本的兒童節很特殊，分男女兒童節，男兒童節5月5日、女兒童節3月3日；此外，還有11月15日“七五三”兒童節。瑞典也把兒童節分得比較細，每年的8月7日是“男孩節”，又稱為“龍蝦節”，意思是鼓勵全國的小男孩學習龍蝦的勇敢精神。12月13日則是瑞典的“女孩節”，又叫“露西婭女神節”。露西婭是瑞典傳說中專門保護女孩的女神，每到這個節日，女孩子都要打扮成女神的模樣，為其他孩子做好事。我國在1931年也曾經規定4月4日為中國兒童節。自從1949年確立6月1日為國際兒童節以後，世界各國紛紛廢除原來的兒童節，而統一為“六·一國際兒童節”。我國中央政府1949年12月宣布：以“六·一國際兒童節”代替原來的“四四兒童節”，並規定少年兒童放假7天（是嗎？）。

 

不知道從哪一年開始，“六·一”前夕，學校就開始發放節日點心袋。最初的點心袋是牛皮紙做的，裏麵有水果糖、薄荷糖、餅幹、蛋糕等等。雖然不是很多，但畢竟不是吵鬧著向大人要的，是學校發的；到了小學畢業時（我是沒有畢業的），點心袋就換成花花綠綠的彩紙包裝了，有很多動物圖案的那種，好像點心的花樣也多了，有牛皮糖、高粱飴、棒棒糖、山楂片、長餅幹、圓餅幹、蛋糕等等。

 

大學畢業參加工作後，到了“六·一”前夕，鄰居家的小孩也是提著點心袋回家。嗬！點心袋變成塑料袋包裝了，而且還有手提的把兒，整個一小手袋！再瞧瞧裏麵，巧克力、奶糖、棉花糖、華夫餅、夾心餅、小饅頭、蛋糕、果凍等等，饞死我了！一個小丫頭還曾經“送”我一顆巧克力，現在她還記得，QQ聊天時還說呢。

 

兒子出世後，“六·一”的點心袋，都是爺爺奶奶買的。那時的點心袋也是塑料手提袋，變化不是很大，但裏麵的“內容”則是專門挑選的，如QQ糖、跳跳糖、口香糖、夾心巧克力、3＋2夾心餅、可口可樂、肯德基炸雞腿等等。兒子上學後，學校已經不用統一給學生買點心袋了，因為學生的口味差別太大，市場上的食品也是豐富多彩。更重要的是我所在的單位，每年給職工家屬小孩統一發放“六·一”點心袋，而且是小書包式樣的，可以背在身上，走哪兒吃哪兒。兒子對這點吃的東西已經不是很看中了，還不如自己拿錢上街去買了，或者送他一張遊戲光碟；點心袋裏的東西，隻有被我消滅掉了；至於兒子在吃的方麵，幹脆就去餐館吃一頓得了，簡單！

 

在加拿大好像沒有聽說過“六·一國際兒童節”。我倒是在想，孫子出世後，我會給他/她買些什麽點心，因為多倫多的食品實在太豐富了，中國的、德國的、印度的、日本的、意大利的等等。吃對於兒童來講，永遠是第一位重要的。

 

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United States of America

Children's Day observations in the United States predate both Mother's and Father's Day, though a permanent annual single Children's Day observation is not made at the national level.

In 1856, Rev. Charles H. Leonard, D.D., then pastor of the First Universalist Church of Chelsea, Mass., set apart a Sunday for the dedication of children to the Christian life, and for the re-dedication of parents and guardians to bringing-up their children in Christian nurture. This service was first observed the second Sunday in June.[21]

The Universalist Convention at Baltimore in September 1867, passed a resolution commending churches to set apart one Sunday in each year as Children's Day.[22]

The Methodist Episcopal Church at the Methodist Conference of 1868 recommended that second Sunday in June be annually observed as Children's Day.[22]

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1883 designated the "the second Sabbath in June as Children's Day."[23]

Also in 1883, the National Council of Congregational Churches and nearly all the state bodies of that denomination in the United States passed resolutions commending the observance of the day. About this time many other denominations adopted similar recommendations.[22]

Chase's Calendar of Events cites Children's Sunday and notes that The Commonwealth of Massachusetts issues an annual proclamation for the second Sunday in June.[24]

Numerous churches and denominations currently observe the second Sunday in June including the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.

Children & Youth Day in Hawaii started in 1994 when the Hawaii Legislature became the first to pass a law to recognize the first Sunday in October as "Children's Day". In 1997, the Legislature passed another landmark law designating the entire month of October as "Children and Youth Month".

Children's Day was proclaimed by President Bill Clinton to be held on October 11, 1998,[25] in response to a letter written by a six year old boy inquiring if he would make a Children's Day for him. "National Child's Day" was proclaimed by President George W. Bush as June 3, 2001 and in subsequent years on the first Sunday in June.[26] Nowhere in any of the proclamations did the President refer to the United Nations or the UN Resolution about Universal Child Day.

Since 2009, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has issued proclamations proclaiming the second Sunday in June as Children's Day as had the previous governor in 2007 and 2008. The mayors of Aurora and Batavia, Illinois, also have issued proclamations.[27] Children's day for calendar year 2011 was observed on June 12. It's next observance is on June 10, 2012.