Today is Juneteenth in the United States .
今天是美国的六月节（Juneteenth）。
The holiday is over 150 years old but it is still unknown to many people .
这个节日已有150多年历史，但仍有很多人不了解它。
It marks the end of official slavery in the country and celebrates the promise of freedom .
它标志着美国官方奴隶制的结束，并庆祝自由的承诺。
The word “Juneteenth ” combines the month “June ” with the number 19 .
“Juneteenth”一词由月份“June”（六月）和数字19（nineteen）组合而成。
It recalls June 19 , 1865 , the day troops from the Union side of the American Civil War arrived in the city of Galveston , Texas .
它纪念的是1865年6月19日，美国内战中联邦军队抵达得克萨斯州加尔维斯顿市的那一天。
The 250,000 enslaved people in Texas did not know that the president at the time -- Abraham Lincoln -- had declared them legally free .
得克萨斯州的25万名被奴役者并不知道，当时的总统亚伯拉罕·林肯已宣布他们在法律上获得自由。
In fact , Lincoln had declared them legally free more than two years earlier – on January 1 , 1863 .
事实上，林肯早在两年多以前，即1863年1月1日，就已宣布他们在法律上获得自由。
But Texas was in the far west of the country and removed from much of the fighting .
但得克萨斯州位于美国的最西部，远离大部分战事。
Few Union soldiers were there to communicate or enforce Lincoln's order .
那里几乎没有联邦士兵来传达或执行林肯的命令。
Confederate slaveholders did not agree with it .
南方邦联的奴隶主并不同意这项命令。
They did not want to lose the labor they got for free .
他们不想失去免费得来的劳动力。
The general quickly read an announcement .
将军很快宣读了一份公告。
He informed the people that the Union had won the Civil War and that “all slaves are free .”
他告诉人们，联邦已经赢得了内战，“所有奴隶都自由了”。
Many formerly enslaved people immediately began to celebrate .
许多曾被奴役的人立刻开始庆祝。
As soon as they could , some left Texas and joined family members in other states .
一些人一有机会就离开得克萨斯州，去其他州与家人团聚。
Some remained and built new lives .
有些人留了下来，开始了新生活。
They remembered June 19 in the years that followed .
在接下来的岁月里，他们一直记着6月19日。
In time , their children and grandchildren celebrated it as a holiday , too .
后来，他们的子孙也把这一天当作节日来庆祝。
Historically , Juneteenth has involved cooking and eating outdoors , listening to music , saying prayers and wearing nice clothes .
历史上，六月节的活动包括户外烹饪聚餐、听音乐、祈祷和穿漂亮衣服。
Betty Anderson , who is a descendant of enslaved people , spoke to The Federalist magazine about her Juneteenth traditions .
身为被奴役者后裔的贝蒂·安德森向《联邦党人》杂志讲述了她的六月节传统。
Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr . made a similar point in the online magazine The Root .
历史学家小亨利·路易斯·盖茨在网络杂志《The Root》上也提出了类似的观点。
He said one of the important things about Juneteenth is that it is a positive , powerful celebration , even in the face of discrimination .
他说，六月节的重要意义之一在于，即使面对歧视，它依然是一个积极而有力的庆祝活动。
For example , in the late 1800s and early 1900s , Texas officials refused to permit black people to gather in public spaces .
例如，在19世纪末和20世纪初，得克萨斯州官员不允许黑人在公共场所聚集。
So , black families and friends celebrated Juneteenth near rivers and lakes , Gates said .
盖茨说，因此黑人家庭和朋友们就在河边和湖边庆祝六月节。
In time , they bought their own parks where they could celebrate .
后来，他们买下了自己的公园用来庆祝。
Texas became the first state to declare the day an official state holiday in 1980 .
1980年，得克萨斯州成为第一个将这一天定为州法定假日的州。
In June 2021 , U.S . President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth as the country's newest national holiday .
2021年6月，美国总统乔·拜登宣布六月节为美国最新的联邦假日。
Biden said it was a day to “remember the moral stain and terrible toll of slavery on our country .”
拜登说，这一天是为了“铭记奴隶制给我们国家留下的道德污点和惨重代价”。
“The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times ,” it said .
其中写道：“六月节的历史遗产表明，在动荡不安的时期永不放弃希望是多么可贵。”