生活变迁（2）：点心袋、点心包

“六·一”儿童节，是童年时期仅次于春节的美好期待。

 

“六·一”儿童节，也叫“六·一国际儿童节”，每年的6月1日举行，是全世界少年儿童的节日。1942年6月，德国法西斯枪杀了捷克利迪策村，16岁以上的男性公民140余人和全部婴儿，并把妇女和90名儿童押往集中营。为了悼念利迪策村和全世界所有在法西斯侵略战争中死难的儿童，1949年11月，国际民主妇女联合会在莫斯科举行理事会议，中国和各国代表愤怒地揭露了帝国主义分子和各国反动派残杀、毒害儿童的罪行。为了保障世界各国儿童的生存权、保健权和受教育权，为了改善儿童的生活，会议决定以每年的6月1日为国际儿童节。

 

在此以前，世界上的许多国家就有儿童节。1925年，国际儿童幸福促进会倡议建立儿童纪念日，英国、美国、日本等国积极响应，先后建立了自己国家的儿童节，英国规定每年的7月14日为儿童节，美国规定5月1日为儿童节。日本的儿童节很特殊，分男女儿童节，男儿童节5月5日、女儿童节3月3日；此外，还有11月15日“七五三”儿童节。瑞典也把儿童节分得比较细，每年的8月7日是“男孩节”，又称为“龙虾节”，意思是鼓励全国的小男孩学习龙虾的勇敢精神。12月13日则是瑞典的“女孩节”，又叫“露西娅女神节”。露西娅是瑞典传说中专门保护女孩的女神，每到这个节日，女孩子都要打扮成女神的模样，为其他孩子做好事。我国在1931年也曾经规定4月4日为中国儿童节。自从1949年确立6月1日为国际儿童节以后，世界各国纷纷废除原来的儿童节，而统一为“六·一国际儿童节”。我国中央政府1949年12月宣布：以“六·一国际儿童节”代替原来的“四四儿童节”，并规定少年儿童放假7天（是吗？）。

 

不知道从哪一年开始，“六·一”前夕，学校就开始发放节日点心袋。最初的点心袋是牛皮纸做的，里面有水果糖、薄荷糖、饼干、蛋糕等等。虽然不是很多，但毕竟不是吵闹着向大人要的，是学校发的；到了小学毕业时（我是没有毕业的），点心袋就换成花花绿绿的彩纸包装了，有很多动物图案的那种，好像点心的花样也多了，有牛皮糖、高粱饴、棒棒糖、山楂片、长饼干、圆饼干、蛋糕等等。

 

大学毕业参加工作后，到了“六·一”前夕，邻居家的小孩也是提着点心袋回家。呵！点心袋变成塑料袋包装了，而且还有手提的把儿，整个一小手袋！再瞧瞧里面，巧克力、奶糖、棉花糖、华夫饼、夹心饼、小馒头、蛋糕、果冻等等，馋死我了！一个小丫头还曾经“送”我一颗巧克力，现在她还记得，QQ聊天时还说呢。

 

儿子出世后，“六·一”的点心袋，都是爷爷奶奶买的。那时的点心袋也是塑料手提袋，变化不是很大，但里面的“内容”则是专门挑选的，如QQ糖、跳跳糖、口香糖、夹心巧克力、3＋2夹心饼、可口可乐、肯德基炸鸡腿等等。儿子上学后，学校已经不用统一给学生买点心袋了，因为学生的口味差别太大，市场上的食品也是丰富多彩。更重要的是我所在的单位，每年给职工家属小孩统一发放“六·一”点心袋，而且是小书包式样的，可以背在身上，走哪儿吃哪儿。儿子对这点吃的东西已经不是很看中了，还不如自己拿钱上街去买了，或者送他一张游戏光碟；点心袋里的东西，只有被我消灭掉了；至于儿子在吃的方面，干脆就去餐馆吃一顿得了，简单！

 

在加拿大好像没有听说过“六·一国际儿童节”。我倒是在想，孙子出世后，我会给他/她买些什么点心，因为多伦多的食品实在太丰富了，中国的、德国的、印度的、日本的、意大利的等等。吃对于儿童来讲，永远是第一位重要的。

 

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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.