忘卻煩惱 在諾丁山狂歡節盡情玩樂

This weekend saw one of the biggest street parties in the world take over London, with crowds of around a million people flooding the streets with a vibrant sea of music, song and laughter.

上週，一場世界上最大的街頭派對席捲了倫敦，大約有100萬人涌上街頭，整個倫敦都沉浸在一片音樂、歌聲和歡聲笑語的海洋中。

The Notting Hill Carnival, which took place Aug 28-29, is recognized as the largest street party in Europe, seeing hordes from across the globe join together every summer to celebrate the many cultures of England’s capital.

8月28-29日期間舉辦的這場諾丁山狂歡節被認爲是歐洲最大的街頭派對。每年夏天，世界各地的人們都會來到這裏，共同慶祝這座英格蘭首都中的多元文化。

But in these troubled times – with terrorist attacks, murder and religious tension being almost daily front page fixtures –is it appropriate to be spending the weekend dancing in the streets with wild abandon?

但是，在如今這個動盪的時期——每天的報紙頭條几乎都是恐怖襲擊、謀殺和宗教衝突——週末依然在街頭上狂野地跳舞，是否真的合適呢？

Against adversity, people must stand up for themselves, says Patrick Bullock, 53, an artist who builds floats for the parade each year.

面對逆境，人人都應該站起來，現年53歲的藝術家，帕特里克•布洛克說道。每年，他都爲狂歡節的遊行製作花車。

The smiles and dancing do not stop all weekend – the spirit of the carnival can’t be crushed.

歡笑和舞蹈會持續整個週末——狂歡節精神不能夠被摧毀。

The festival, now in its 50th year, made its debut in 1966, albeit on a much smaller scale – around 1,000 people attended – and began as a way to encourage unity between the various groups who called London’s Notting Hill their home.

諾丁山狂歡節始於1966年，到今年，它已經走過了第50個年頭。儘管剛開始的時候規模較小，大約只有1000人蔘加，但它卻促進了倫敦諾丁山地區不同羣體之間的團結。

Creator Rhaune Laslett, herself half Native-American, half Russian, formulated the first gathering in 1966, after being inspired by a vision.

狂歡節的創始人，Rhaune Laslett 是美國印第安和俄羅斯的混血。受到一次幻想的啓發，她在1966年策劃了第一屆狂歡節。

I could see the streets thronged with people in brightly colored costumes, they were dancing and following bands and they were happy, she told the Caribbean Times in , women, children, black, white, brown, all laughing.

我可以看見，人們身着鮮豔亮麗的服飾涌上街頭，他們隨着樂隊起舞，無比快樂，1989年，她在接受《加勒比時報》採訪時表示。不論男人、女人、小孩、黑人、白人、棕色人種，都在盡情歡笑。

During what was then a period of racial tension, Laslett believed that music and laughter were what was needed to unite the melting pot of nationalities in her west London neighborhood.

當時的社會正處於種族關係緊張之中，而Laslett 相信，唯有音樂和笑聲能夠使倫敦西區不同民族的大熔爐團結在一起。

We felt that although West Indians, Africans, Irish and many other nationalities all live in a very congested area, there is very little communication between us, she explained in an interview in 1966, shortly after the first carnival took place.

我們感覺到，儘管印第安人、非洲人、愛爾蘭人和許多其他民族都生活在一個非常擁擠的地區，但他們彼此之間卻鮮有交流，她在1966年第一屆狂歡節舉辦後的一個採訪中說道。

Over the years, the party grew into its modern day form and now sees the streets swell with the sound of Caribbean steel drums, the aroma of exotic street food, and the dancing of hundreds of thousands of diverse partygoers in fabulously flamboyant costumes.

這些年來，這場派對也逐漸發展成了它現在的規模。如今，街道上充盈着加勒比鋼鼓聲，異國街頭小吃的香味。成千上萬的派對參與者從世界各地趕來，他們身着豔麗服飾，在街頭盡情跳舞。

Our participants find themselves in a space of music, color and creativity which brings about the emotion of joy and encourages the freedom to express themselves with no inhibitions, says Debora Alleyne De Gazon, the carnival’s creative director.

我們的參與者們會發現，自己正身處於一個充滿音樂、色彩和創造力的空間。它帶給了人們歡樂，鼓勵人們肆意地表達自己。狂歡節的創意總監Debora Allenyne De Gazon 說道。

However, not everyone is queuing up to join in the festivities, despite the carnival’s all-inclusive ethos.

儘管諾丁山狂歡節希望能做到包羅萬象，但並不是所有人都想要參加這個活動。

I can’t go out from my door on that day with all the rubbish around, Fortuoso Cruz, a local resident, tells a London newspaper.

那一天垃圾遍地，我甚至都不能走出家門，當地居民Fortuoso Cruz在接受倫敦的一家報紙採訪時表示。

Last year I had to throw some women out who trampled my garden to wee in there.

去年還有一些女的踩踏我家的花園，隨地小便，我不得不將她們都轟出去。

But when a million people can come together for one weekend of eating, laughter and music – forgetting about life’s troubles for 48 hours – perhaps a few soiled lawns are a price worth paying.

但是，當100萬人齊聚一堂，共同享受一個充滿了美食、歡笑和音樂的週末時——在這48小時中，將生活的一切煩惱拋諸腦後——弄髒幾處草坪似乎也是一件值得的事。