英美文化史：圣诞节的故事

英美文化史：圣诞节的故事

圣诞节的故事

How did Christmas start? How does the West celebrate Christmas? The real meaning of Christmas: legend or myth? Where did it come from? Where is it going?

圣诞节是怎样开始的?西方国家怎样庆祝圣诞节?圣诞节的真正含义是什么?是传奇还是神话?圣诞节是从哪里起源的?未来的发展又会怎样?

In many countries of the world, the celebration of Christmas on December 25th is a high point of the year. But why? Can it have any real meaning for us today? Is there a "real" Christmas message?

在世界上的许多国家，12月25日是一年中最重要的日子。为什么会这样?对于今天的人们来说，它有什么真正的意义吗?真的有圣诞佳音吗?

Christmas celebrations In the West today

今天的西方国家怎样庆祝圣诞节

From November onwards, it is impossible to forget that Christmas is coming.Coloured lights decorate many town centres and shops,along with shiny decorations, and artificial snow painted on shop windows.

从11月开始，圣诞节即将来临的想法便已经扎根在人们的心中了。许多市镇的中心广场和商店都装饰着彩灯和其他闪亮生辉的点缀，许多商店的橱窗上都喷涂着人造雪花。

In streets and shops, "Christmas trees" (real or plastic evergreen "conifer" trees) will also be decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments.

街道两旁和商店里的许多圣诞树(常青针叶树，有真的，也有塑料制的)上也挂满了彩灯和许多圣诞装饰。

Shopping centres become busier as December approaches and often stay open till late. Shopping centre speaker systems systems will play Christmas "carols”一the traditional Christmas Christian songs, and groups of people will often sing carols on the streets to raise money for charity. Most places of work will hold a short Christmas party about a week before Christmas. Although traditional Christmas foods may be eaten, drink (and plenty of it) means that little work will be done after the party!

随着12月的日益临近，购物中心里也越来越繁忙了，常常很晚才关门。商场的扬声器里也会不断播放圣诞颂歌，就是基督教传统的圣诞歌曲;街上也常常有一群人唱着圣诞颂歌进行慈善募捐。圣诞节前一周左右，大多数公司和工厂都会举行一次简短的圣诞晚会。在晚会上人们会吃一些传统的圣诞食品，但更主要的还是开怀畅饮，因为喝得酩配大醉就意味着晚会结束时什么也不用做了。

By mid-December, most homes will also be decorated with Christmas trees,coloured lights and paper or plastic decorations around the rooms. These days,many more people also decorate garden trees or house walls with coloured electric lights, a habit which has long been popular in USA.

到12月中旬的时候，大部分家庭也会用圣诞树、彩灯、彩纸或塑料饰物来装点所有的房间。许多人还会用彩灯来装饰庭院里的树木或房屋的墙壁，这已经成为了美国的一种习俗。

In many countries, most people post Christmas greeting cards to their friends and family, and these cards will be hung on the walls of their homes.

在许多国家，大多数人都会给朋友和家人邮寄圣诞贺卡;这些贺卡会被挂在家中的墙上。

Christmas cards

圣诞贺卡

The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first "Penny Post" public postal deliveries began.(Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service was the 19th century's communication revolution,just as email is for us today.) As printing methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from about 1860. They became even more popular in Britain when a card could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one half-penny-half the price of an ordinary letter.

邮寄圣诞贺卡的习俗始于1840年的英国，当时，最早的被称为“便士邮寄”的公共邮政业已经开始起步。(在新兴的铁路运输系统的辅助下，公共邮政服务成为了19世纪的一次通讯革命，正如电子邮件对我们现代人的意义一样。)随着印刷方式的不断改良，从18sa年左右起，圣诞贺卡便开始大批量地生产了。在英国，圣诞贺卡尤其受欢迎，因为用不封口的信封邮寄一张贺卡只需半便士—比邮寄普通信件便宜一半。

Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures一Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, or other parts of the Christmas story, Today, pictures are often jokes,winter pictures, Father Christmas, or romantic scenes of life in past times.

传统圣诞贺卡上绘制的都是宗教图案—圣母玛利亚、约瑟和婴儿耶稣，或者是其他圣诞故事中的人物。如今的圣诞贺卡上的图案则通常是笑话、冬景、圣诞老人或者过去生活中的浪漫景象。

The old man with the sack

背着大袋子的老人

"Father Christmas" (or "Santa Claus") has become the human face of Christmas. Pictures will be seen everywhere of the old man with long white beard,red coat, and bag of toys. Children are taught that he brings them presents the night before Christmas {or in some countries on December 6th一St. Nicholas’Day), and many children up to the age of 7 or 8 really believe this is true. In most countries, it is said that he lives near the North Pole, and arrives through the sky on a sledge (snow-cart) pulled by reindeer, He comes into houses down the chimney at midnight and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds or in front of the family Christmas tree.

圣诞老人已经成为了圣诞节的代表人物。到处都能看见这个有长长的白胡子、穿着一身红外衣、背着一袋玩具的老人的图像。孩子们被告知，圣诞老人会在圣诞前夕(在有些国家，这一天是在12月6日的圣尼古拉斯节)给他们带来礼物，许多年幼的孩子对此信以为真。在大多数国家，民间流传圣诞老人住在北极附近，坐着一副驯鹿拉的雪橇从天而降;他在半夜从烟囱进入人们的房子里，然后把礼物放进他们床边的圣诞袜或包里，或者放在家中的圣诞树前面。

In shops or at children's parties, someone will dress up as Father Christmas and give small presents to children,or ask them what gifts they want for Christmas. Christmas can be a time of magic and excitement for children.

在商店里或孩子们的晚会上，有人会化装成圣诞老人来给孩子们分发小礼物，或者问他们想要什么圣诞礼物。对于孩子们来说，圣诞节简直是最神奇、最令人兴奋的日子。

Who was he?

圣诞老人是什么人?

Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas, which explains his other name "Santa Claus" which comes from the Dutch "Sinterklaas". Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra (in modern-day Turkey) in the 4th century AD.He was very shy, and wanted to give money to poor people without them knowing about it. It is said that one day, he climbed the roof of a house and dropped a purse of money down the chimney. It landed in the stocking which a girl had put to dry by the fire!This may explain the belief that Father Christmas comes down the chimney and places gifts in children’s stockings.

圣诞老人的原型是圣尼古拉斯，这也为他的另外一个名字“Santa Claus”作出了解释，这个词源于荷兰语的“Sinterldaas"。尼古拉斯是公元4世纪时迈拉(即现在的土耳其)的基督教领袖。他生性腼腆，想用钱财来接济穷人，但又不想让他们知道。据说有一天，他爬上了一户人家的屋顶，将一袋钱从烟囱里扔了下去。这袋钱恰好落入了一个小女孩儿晾在炉火边的一只袜子里!这也可以解释为什么人们会认为圣诞老人是从烟囱里爬下来的，并且把礼物放在孩子们的袜子里。

Bong Day

节礼日

In English-speaking countries, the day following Christmas Day is called "Boxing Day". This word comes from the custom which started in the Middle Ages around 800 years ago: churches would open their "alms boxe" (boxes in which people had placed gifts of money) and distribute the contents to poor people in the neighbourhood on the day after Christmas. The tradition continues today一small gifts are often given to delivery workers such as postal staff and children who deliver newspapers.

在讲英语的国家，圣诞节的次日被称为“节礼日”。这个名称源自于大约800年前的中世纪的一个风俗:教堂会在圣诞节之后的这一天打开“布施箱”(人们把礼物或钱财放在里面的一种箱子)，把里面的钱财分发给附近的穷人，而小礼物通常会送给邮递员和报童等为人们传递物品的人。这个传统一直延续至今。

Malting sense of Christmas

圣诞节的意义

Today in the West, not many people consider the religious meaning to Christmas. Most people in UK or Europe will not go to a religious church meeting,even at Christmas. It has become a busy race to spend money on presents, and get ready for the Day. In UK, our shops stay open till late Christmas Eve and often open again on Boxing Day with the cut-price "sales". (Not much holiday for the poor shop workers!)A visitor from another world would think that Christmas was a festival to the gods of money and shopping.

在如今的西方国家，并没有多少人会考虑圣诞节的宗教意义。在英国或欧洲，大多数人都不会去参加宗教教堂的集会，甚至在圣诞节也不去。为了迎接圣诞节的到来，人们都像竞赛一样地忙于购买礼物。在圣诞节前夕，英国的商家会很晚才关门，并通常在节礼日再次开门营业，而且进行打折销售。(可怜的商场工作人员并没有很多假日!)没听说过圣诞节的其他国家的游客一定会认为圣诞节就是金钱和购物之神的节日。