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Love parade in the Philippines 菲律賓愛的遊行
Tuesday, Jun 27, 2006,Page 14
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Filipinos parade in the street near Manila.
菲律賓民眾在馬尼拉附近的街頭遊行。 (照片：美聯社)
PHOTO: AP
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Thousands of single men and women joined a street parade in the Philippine town of Valenzuela to honor a Catholic saint. However, the tradition is also believed to help people find love matches.
The parade, which was held near Manila, started at the church named after Valenzuela's patron saint, Saint Roque. From there it continued for four kilometers along the city streets, with people dancing to music.
"If you need a husband, come here," Valenzuela's vice mayor Antonio Espiritu said.
He said he and two of his assistants found their spouses after joining the parade.
The tradition includes single men pulling single women into the crowd to dance with them in the street, and unattached elderly women swaying to the music in the hope that Saint Roque will hear their prayer for a partner.
Other people join the parade yearly to give thanks for finding their partner.
Mariter Mena, a government official and Valenzuela resident, said an estimated 5,000 people joined this year's parade despite rains brought by a storm.
It is not clear why and when people began to see Saint Roque not only as a healer but also as the patron saint of the unmarried. "I'm 32, and ever since I can remember, people have been dancing in the streets to find their partner," Mena added. (AP)
數千位單身男女參加菲律賓瓦倫蘇拉鎮榮耀天主教聖徒的街頭遊行。不過，這項傳統也是促成人們找到愛侶的良機。
遊行在馬尼拉附近舉行，以瓦倫蘇拉守護聖徒「聖羅克」命名的教堂為起點，沿著城市街道綿延四公里長，群眾隨著音樂起舞。
瓦倫蘇拉副市長安東尼歐．埃斯彼瑞圖說；「假如你要找老公，就來這裡。」
他說他和兩位助理參加遊行後，都找到了另一半。
這個傳統包括：單身漢將未婚女子拉入街頭人群中跳舞；未婚的年長女性隨著音樂搖擺，希望聖羅克可以聽到她們尋覓另一半的祈求。
其他人則是為了答謝找到伴侶，參加這場年度遊行。
住在瓦倫蘇拉的官員瑪瑞提．梅娜表示，雖然刮風下雨，但估計約五千人參加今年的遊行。
人們將聖羅克視為醫治者與單身者守護聖徒的原因與起緣時間並不清楚。梅娜補充說：「我三十二歲，打從我有記憶開始，人們就在街頭跳舞尋找伴侶。」 （美聯社／翻譯：賴美君）
| Today's Words 今天單字 |
1. parade n.
遊行 (you2 xing2)
例：Many cities celebrate holidays by holding parades.
（許多城市舉辦遊行來慶祝節日。）
2. saint n.
聖徒 (sheng4 tu2)
例：In some religions, people have to perform a miracle before they can become a saint.
（某些宗教中，凡人必須施行神蹟才能成為聖徒。）
3. spouse n.
配偶 (pei4 ou3)
例：People with a spouse often get special breaks on their taxes.
（已婚人士報稅時通常會有特別扣除額。）
4. unattached adj.
無婚約的 (wu2 hun1 yue1 de5)
例：Does Kelly have a boyfriend or is she unattached?
（凱莉有男朋友嗎，或是自由之身？） |
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Reading Comprehension
閱讀測驗 |
1. What kind of saint was honored in the parade?
a. A Muslim saint.
b. A Catholic saint.
c. A Buddhist saint.
2. After a man pulls a woman into the street he ...
a. kisses her.
b. asks her to marry him.
c. dances with her.
3. People join the parade to do everything EXCEPT ...
a. give thanks for finding their partner.
b. dance with their husband or wife.
c. honor Saint Roque.
4. According to Mena, people have been dancing in the parade ...
a. ever since she can remember.
b. for 5,000 years.
c. for 30 years. |
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