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Florida, the southernmost state in the US mainland, has bestowed many gifts upon the world. It’s the birthplace of the modern air conditioner, site of the largest Disney World and home to a rotating cast of eccentrics, who supply endless amusement to observers the world over.
佛罗里达州位于美国本土最南端，这里是全世界自然物产最丰富的地区之一。它是现代空调的诞生地，全球最大迪士尼乐园所在地，这里还有形形色色特立独行的“奇葩”，他们为观察我们这个世界提供了源源不绝的乐趣。
Remember that guy arrested last year for beating one of his employees with a real, live lizard? Yup, that was Florida. And the pilot who illegally flew a gyrocopter to the US Capitol? You can thank Florida for that gem too.
还记得去年有人因为用一只活生生的蜥蜴咬自己的雇员而被捕的新闻吗？是的，这发生在佛罗里达。还记得一名飞行员曾非法驾驶旋翼机冲到美国国会大厦么？这也是佛罗里达的一大“功绩”。
Yes, the Sunshine State has done a lot for humanity, including tickling its collective funny bone. But as many American college students can tell you, its biggest contribution may be the phenomenon known as “spring break”.
确实，阳光州为人类做了不少贡献，包括它的全民幽默感。不过正如一些美国大学生会告诉你的，它最大的贡献要数创造了一种叫“春假”的现象。
It’s that special time each year when college students are liberated from class for one full week, to rest and prepare for the exam season ahead. Or not. Nowadays, it’s a tradition for students to abandon their dorm rooms for Florida’s white-sand beaches–and, en route, abandon most of their clothes and common sense too.
每年的某个特定时期，大学生都能有一整周的假期，他们养精蓄锐，为接下来的考试季做准备，或者就是玩玩玩。现如今的春假，这样的生活已经变成了一项传统：学生们撇下宿舍，蜂拥到佛州的白色沙滩，尽情脱掉外衣，忘乎所以。
Spring break evolution
春假的进化史
In springtime, Florida becomes the host of a beachside bacchanal for college students, but not so long ago, it was a relatively low-key tourist destination. The rise of the modern spring break and the rise of Florida as a tourist destination went largely hand-in-hand.
春天的佛罗里达成了大学生狂欢的海滨胜地，不过不久之前，这儿还是个人气不怎么高的旅游景点。现代春假的兴起几乎和佛罗里达成为旅游胜地相伴相生。
According to research from the University of New Orleans, college swim teams discovered Florida’s vacation potential back in the 1930s. But other destinations, like Bermuda, remained more popular for college getaways. World War II changed that. With German U-boats patrolling offshore, American students were less inclined to go overseas for spring vacations. Florida’s time had arrived.
据美国新奥尔良大学的研究显示，早在20世纪三十年代，大学游泳队们就发现了佛罗里达作为热门度假地的潜力。不过当时像百慕大群岛这样的景点，作为逃离学校的旅游胜地则更受欢迎。二战改变了这种状况。由于德国U形潜水艇在近海巡逻，美国学生不倾向于出国度春假了。佛罗里达时代就此开启。
By the 1950s, novels like Where the Boys Are and articles like Time magazine’s “Beer & The Beach” had established spring break as an excuse to party, and Florida as its capital.
直到20世纪五十年代，《男孩在哪里》这样的小说和《时代周刊》刊登的如《啤酒&沙滩》这类文章为春假聚会找到了理由，佛罗里达顺势成了派对之都。
With that anarchic spring break spirit comes an iconic spring break style, one that reflects Florida’s own eccentricities. It’s messy and wild and borderline tasteless–fashion’s rebellious answer to prim-and-proper college attire.
和无法无天的春假精神相伴而生的是春假的标志性风格，它反应了佛州的独特性。它凌乱、狂野，居于无品味的临界点上——是时尚对一本正经的大学生装束的反击。
