朋友们记不记得前几天枪手转了一篇《请您支持，特别是要来美国的朋友》，希望大家帮忙向美国政府提议，要求设立法定假日以庆祝中国农历新年。别说还真引起注意了，几分钟以前收到了白宫答复的电子邮件，大意翻译如下
农历新年快乐！
感谢您(关于设立农历新年假日)的申请！我们希望你能享受蛇年。
早在孩童时代，奥巴马总统就已经知道什么意味着庆祝农历新年。当在夏威夷长大的年月里，他周围的朋友和邻居都用聚会和游行庆祝农历新年。
其实不光是孩童时代的奥巴马，向前追溯好几代的美国人都看到经历过农历新年(的庆祝活动)。在旧金山市著名的唐人街，为了庆祝农历新年游行一直是淘金时代以来最具传统色彩的庆典，经常吸引多达百万的观众。每年的各种活动已被广泛认为是亚洲以外的最大的新年庆祝。
为庆祝今年的农历新年，奥巴马总统说，“在这里，在美国和世界各地，亚洲和太平洋诸岛的人民将迎接蛇年。在中国传统中，蛇代表智慧和深思熟虑，这正是我们所需要的方法去解决摆在我们面前的挑战 – 我希望将继续引导我们完善我们的体制和未来，为每一个美国人创造一个更加公正和平等的社会环境。”
美国国务卿约翰·克里（John Kerry）在一份声明中同时响应，“我很高兴地代表美国人民，”他说，“在这里衷心的祝愿全世界人民身体健康，吉祥，幸福，和富裕，让我们在世界各地一同庆祝这个日子，2月10日，这个中国农历新年的到来。”
“(虽然从法律上讲) 国会必须要通过一项法案，才能使中国农历新年成为联邦法定假日，(但是)我们很高兴地说，这个重要的庆祝活动已经得到了广泛认可和尊重，就像犹太新年，复活节，或宰牲节。这是一个很好机会，使我们的文化更丰富，使我们的人民更伟大 — 即便它还没有成为一个联邦假日。”
原文在这里，喜欢咬文嚼字的朋友不妨再看一遍。
Happy Lunar New Year!
Thanks for your petition! We hope that you’re enjoying the Year of the Snake.
As a kid, President Obama knew what it meant to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Growing up in Hawaii, he was surrounded by friends and neighbors who marked the Lunar New Year with parties and parades.
And he’s not alone. Americans stretching back generations have observed the Lunar New Year. In San Francisco, the city’s famous parade through Chinatown has been a tradition since the Gold Rush. It regularly draws around 1 million spectators, and it’s widely considered to be the biggest event like it outside of Asia.
Marking the Lunar New Year this year, President Obama said, “Here in America and around the world, people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent will welcome the Year of the Snake. In Chinese tradition, the snake represents wisdom, and a thoughtful approach to tackling the challenges before us – principles that I hope will continue to guide us as we perfect our union and create a more just and equal future for every American.”
That’s a statement Secretary of State John Kerry echoed. “On behalf of the American people,” he said, “I am delighted to send my heartfelt wishes for good health, good fortune, happiness, and prosperity to all those around the world celebrating the arrival of the Lunar New Year this February 10.”
And even though it would take an act of Congress to make the Lunar New Year a federal holiday, we’re happy to speak out to ensure that this important celebration is widely recognized and treated with respect. Just like Rosh Hashanah, Easter, or Eid al-Adha, it’s an occasion that makes us richer as a culture and stronger as a people — even without it being a federal holiday.
Tell us what you think about this response and We the People.
Stay Connected
Stay connected to the White House by signing up for periodic email updates from President Obama and other senior administration officials.