Skip to main content

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation—widely known as Orange Shirt Day—is observed on September 30 each year in Canada. It is a day to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, and to acknowledge the strength of survivors, their families, and communities. Since 2021, it has been recognized as a federal statutory holiday.

The symbol of the orange shirt comes from the story of survivor Phyllis Webstad, who shared how, on her first day at a residential school, her brand-new orange shirt given by her grandmother was taken away and never returned. The orange shirt has since stood as a powerful reminder of the loss of culture, identity, and dignity caused by the residential school system.

With the message “Every Child Matters”, Orange Shirt Day calls on all Canadians to remember this painful history, to learn from it, and to work together towards reconciliation.

全国真相与和解日(英语 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation,法语 Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation),也被广泛称为 橙衣日(英语 Orange Shirt Day,法语 Jour du chandail orange),定于每年的 9月30日。这一日子旨在纪念因加拿大印第安人寄宿学校制度而失去生命的儿童,并向所有幸存者和他们的家人致以深切的敬意。自 2021年起,加拿大政府正式将其设立为全国性法定假日。

橙衣日的灵感源自寄宿学校幸存者 菲丽斯·杰克·韦伯斯塔德(Phyllis Webstad) 的真实经历。2013年春天,她在不列颠哥伦比亚省威廉姆斯湖的圣若瑟传道寄宿学校纪念项目暨聚会上分享了自己六岁那年的故事:在进入寄宿学校的第一天,她身上的衣物被全部剥夺,其中包括外祖母送给她的一件全新的橙色衬衣,而这些衣物再也没有归还。

这件橙色衬衣,成为了 寄宿学校制度剥夺原住民儿童身份、文化与尊严的象征。橙衣日不仅承载着这一历史记忆,也成为提醒所有加拿大人铭记过去、共同推动和解的重要契机。

选择 9月30日 作为纪念日,也有历史意义。过去在这一时期,原住民儿童常常被从家中带走,开始进入寄宿学校的生活。今天,加拿大各地的纪念活动以 “每个孩子都很重要”(Every Child Matters) 为口号,强调无论出身或民族,每个孩子的生命与文化都值得尊重和珍视。

全国真相与和解日不仅是对逝去儿童的缅怀,更是全社会共同学习、反思与行动的机会,提醒我们铭记历史、尊重差异,并持续推进加拿大的真相与和解进程。

webadmin

Author webadmin

More posts by webadmin

Leave a Reply