Pets Put On Kimonos for a Special Day in Japan

K*News for Kids 文字檔 (國小) ________________________________ Japan has special days for kids. There's Girls' Day. There's Children's Day. There's Shichi-Go-San. Kids think New Year's Day is their day too! 日本有很多兒童的特殊節日，像是女兒節、兒童節、七五三節，甚至是新年兒童也覺得是他們的節日。 On some special days, families go to a shrine. They pray for their kids' health and happiness. 在特殊節日，父母會帶孩子去神社，祈求孩子健康幸福。 But Japan doesn't have many kids. Every year, fewer and fewer kids go to shrines. 但是日本少子化，去神社參拜的兒童越來越少。 Many people have dogs and cats. More and more people take their pets to a shrine. They pray for their pet's health and happiness. But Japan has no special days for pets. 很多人養寵物貓或是狗，帶寵物去神社的人日漸增多，祈求牠們健康平安。 但是日本沒有寵物的特殊節日。 Now there's a special day at the Dog-Cat Shrine near Tokyo! It's Shichi-Go-San for pets. This shrine makes human mommies and daddies of dogs and cats happy. 鄰近東京的神社現在舉辦寵物的七五三節，讓毛小孩主人很開心。 Kids wear special clothes called kimonos for Shichi-Go-San. So pets wear kimonos too! 兒童會在七五三節穿上和服，貓狗也會在這天穿上和服。 Kids have to be three, five, or seven years old for Shichi-Go-San. So pets have to be three, five, or seven years old too. 兒童到了三歲、五歲或七歲就會在七五三節去神社參拜。寵物也是一樣。 For many people, their pets are their family. Now their pets share in a special kids' day at the Dog-Cat Shrine! ________________________________________ Vocabulary 寵物很像家人，也有屬於牠們的節日。 1. fewer and fewer 越來越少 There are fewer and fewer people keeping birds as pets. 養鳥當寵物的人越來越少了。 You may be right.也許你是對的。 I guess birds are too noisy. 我猜是鳥太吵鬧了。 2. clothes 衣服 When I was little, my mom loved to have birds at home. 我小時候我媽媽喜歡在家裡養鳥。 On cold days, she even put little clothes on them! 天氣冷時她甚至幫鳥穿上小衣服。 3. children 兒童 And we the children were responsible for feeding the birds.我們這些小孩負責餵鳥。 Did they sing? 牠們會唱歌嗎? Oh, yes, their sounds were sweet. 會啊，牠們的歌聲很好聽。 They made my family very happy. 讓我的家人很開心。 來一起讀一遍今天的單字。 fewer and fewer越來越少 clothes衣服 children兒童 ________________________________________ Quiz 1. What are more and more people taking to shrines? a. Their kids b. Their pets c. Their mommies and their daddies 2. Where can people take their pets on Shichi-Go-San? a. The Family Shrine b. The Dog-Cat Shrine c. The Pet Shrine 3. Which pet can wear special clothes on Shichi-Go-San? a. A six-year-old dog b. A seven-year-old cat c. An eight-year-old rabbit Answers: 1. b 2. b 3. b -- Hosting provided by SoundOn