騾日
地方性遺產

您知道騾子源自何處嗎？它是驢子及馬的後代。騾子擁有像馬一樣的強壯肌肉，但卻像驢子一樣，吃的少、可長時間工作且個性溫和。喬治華盛頓是美國境內第一位擁有騾子的人。他聽說騾子是極佳的農場動物，於是他向西班牙的美國大使詢問關於騾子的資料。1785年，西班牙國王查爾斯三世(King Charles III)將公驢當做禮物送給華盛頓，而這隻公驢就成為美國的騾業之父。

每年四月，莫瑞郡(Maury County)會舉辦一個名為「騾日」的節慶。1840年代時，田納西哥倫比亞(Columbia)的騾日原叫「養育者日」(Breeder's Day)。每年四月，農夫及家畜飼養者會帶著他們的牲畜來到市場展示、拍賣及交易。在牽引機發明前，這個市集是一件重要的交易場合，當時，許多家庭都以經營農場維生，而騾子則是用來進行農場工作的牲畜。最後，牽引機取代了騾子，農夫也不如以前那麼需要騾子的服務了。

為吸引更多民眾前來參觀，1934年的騾日開始加入遊行節目。隨著時間的過去，騾日的節目內容也一直增加，到了現在，每年都有200,000多名遊客前來觀看及參加騾日。假如您於騾日當天來訪，您可能會看見駕騾比賽、方塊舞、工藝展示甚或是伐木工人競賽。

Do you know where a mule comes from? It is the offspring of a donkey and a horse. Mules have strong muscles like horses but they eat less, can work longer, and are gentler, like donkeys. George Washington was the first person in the United States to own mules. He had heard that mules made good farm animals and he contacted the U.S. ambassador in Spain to ask about them. In 1785, King Charles III of Spain sent Washington a male donkey as a gift. That male donkey became the father of the mule industry in the U.S.

Every April, Maury County holds a Mule Day celebration. Held in Columbia, Tennessee, Mule Day had its beginnings as "Breeder's Day" in the 1840s. Farmers and livestock breeders would bring their animals to market every April to show, buy, and trade. This was an important business before the days of tractors, when many families made a living from farming and mules were used as work animals. Eventually, tractors began to replace mules, making them less in demand.

A parade was added to Mule Day in 1934 to attract more people. Over the years other activities have been added, and today more than 200,000 people show up each year to watch and participate. If you visit on Mule Day, you might see a mule-driving contest, a square dance, a crafts festival, or even a lumberjack competition.

1/1頁

關於地方性遺產