圣诞文化介绍.doc

What is Christmas?
   Christmas is a Christian holiday. It commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago. Christian churches hold religious services to celebrate Christmas. At midnight on Christmas Eve, most churches hold special candlelight services.
      But Christmas is also a social and family holiday. It is a festival of goodwill, a time for family, friends, food, and gift-giving.
      Many Americans share Christmas cookies, decorate their homes, and place presents under the family Christmas tree. Children often hang up stockings for Santa Claus to fill with small gifts. According to tradition, Santa arrives on a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Presents are usually opened on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

圣诞树的来源
Legend suggests that, in the late 16th century, Martin Luther (the founder of the Protestant religion) was the first to decorate an indoor tree with candles when he attempted to recreate the stars shining over a forest of evergreens.
The first mention of decorated trees being taken indoors came in 1605 in Germany - a country with a long Christmas tree history! The trees were initially decorated with fruit and sweets together with hand made objects such as quilled snowflakes and stars. German Christmas Markets began to sell shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments which people bought as souvenirs of the fair and took home to hang on their tree. veduchina
Tinsel was also invented in Germany in about 1610. Up until fairly recently real silver was used, which was pulled into wafer thin strips by special machines. This was durable but tarnished quickly and many experiments took place to try and find an alternative - including a mix of lead and tin, which was too heavy and kept breaking. It was only in the mid 20th century that a viable alternative was found. veduchina
Artificial trees were invented in the 1880's in a bid to try and stop some of the damage being caused to real trees due to people lopping the tip off large trees, thus preventing the trees from growing any further. It got so bad in Germany that laws had to be brought in to prevent people having more than one tree. veduchina

圣诞树一直是庆祝圣诞节不可少的装饰物，如果家中没有圣诞树，就大大减少了过节气氛。关于圣诞树的来源有多种不同的传说。
其中一个是说：大约在十六世纪，圣诞树最先出现在德国，德国人把长青的松柏枝拿到屋中去摆设，将之成为圣诞树。后来，由德国人马丁路德把蜡烛放在树林中的枞树枝上，然后点燃蜡烛，使它看起来像是引导人们到伯利恒去。而近今日，人们已经改用粉色的小灯泡了。
另 一个传说记载。据说有一位农民在一个风雪交加的圣诞夜里接待了一个饥寒交迫的小孩，让他吃了一顿丰盛的圣诞晚餐，这个孩子告别时折了一根杉树枝插在地上并 祝福说：“年年此日，礼物满枝，留此美丽的杉村，报答你的好意。”小孩走后，农民发现那树枝竟变成了一棵小树，他才明白自己接待的原来是一位上帝的使者。 这个故事就成为圣诞树的来源。在西方，不论是否基督徒，过圣诞节时都要准备一棵圣诞树，以增加节日的欢乐气氛。圣诞树一般是用杉柏之类的常绿树做成，象征 生命长存。树上装饰着各种灯烛、彩花、玩具、星星，挂上各种圣诞礼物。圣诞之夜，人们围着圣诞树唱歌跳舞，尽情欢乐。
圣 诞树真正出现在圣诞节时，首先见于德国，之后又传入欧洲和美国，并以其优美的姿态，成为圣诞节不可缺少的装饰。圣诞树的种类繁多，有天然松柏圣诞树、也有 人造圣诞树及白色圣诞树。每棵圣诞树上都挂满琳琅满目的装饰品，但每棵树的顶端必定有个特大的星星，象征三博士跟随该星而找到耶稣，而且也只有该家庭的一 家之主可以把这棵希望之星挂上。

圣诞植物
Holly 常青树

The bright red and green of holly symbolizes rebirth. There are several legends regarding holly. According to one of these legends, holly branches were woven into Christ's crown of thorns. Therefore, the once white berries were stained red by the blood of Christ. Holly also represents joy and peace.

参考译文
冬青的红绿相间象征着重生。与冬青有关的有许多传说。根据其中的一个传说，冬青的枝被编成了耶酥的花冠。因此，本来是白色的果实被耶酥的血染成了红色。冬青同时也代表了欢乐与和平。
Mistletoe 槲寄生

Mistletoe, a woody plant with leathery green leaves and white berries, is hung above doorways during the Christmas season. Tradition says that a person caught standing underneath the hanging mistletoe can not refuse to give a kiss to anyone who might ask. Needless to say this has resulted in many a kiss being given both in friendship and in passion. You may well be wondering where this warm Christmastime tradition came from and I think you will be surprised to learn that this custom was actually inspired by a very ancient Norse legend. This legend tells of Balder， the god of peace， who was killed by the evil god Loki with an arrow made of mistletoe - mistletoe was the only thing that could hurt Balder. When Balder's mother， Frigga - the goddess of love， found out about her son's death she was grief-stricken. She and the other gods worked desperately to restore Balder's life and when they had at last succeeded Frigga was so grateful that she promised to bestow a kiss upon anyone who stood beneath the mistletoe. Thus， this ancient legend not only created the "kissing tradition" that we know today but also enshrined forever the mistletoe as a symbol of love， peace and forgiveness - three qualities which are an essential part of the Christmas spirit
 檞 寄生叶子绿而坚韧，结白色小浆果，人们在圣诞佳节时分将其悬挂在门口。有个习俗是若你站在檞寄生下方时，有人要求亲吻你，你可不能拒绝对方喔。不消说很多 时候人们会因友情、爱慕之情而要求亲吻。你或许会纳闷这个温馨的圣诞习俗打哪儿来的？你可能会惊讶它的由来是古挪威民间传说。传说和平之神伯德，被邪恶之 神罗其以世上唯一可致其死地的武器，也就是檞寄生所制的箭刺死。伯德的母亲-爱神费迦得知此事时悲痛万分，于是和众神拼命地挽救伯德的生命，最后终于成功地将他救活。费迦实在太感激了，便允诺只要有谁站在檞寄生下，便赐给那人一个亲吻。因此这个传说不但造就了一个至今我们所熟悉的亲 吻习俗，也永远将檞寄生象征的含意，也就是爱、和平、宽恕保存下来，而这三者也正是圣诞节重要的精神所在。
 Rosemary 迷迭香

 Rosemary is yet another Christmas green. Though now it is used to mainly season foods, during the Middle Ages it was spread on the floor at Christmas. As people walked on it, the fragrant smell arose filling the house. The story associated with the shrub is that Mary laid the garments of the Christ Child on its branches and caused it to have such a wonderful aroma. It is also said that rosemary is extremely offensive to evil spirits, thus, being well suited to the advent of their Conqueror. The name rosemary is given, too, an association to the Virgin Mary\'s name, making it all the more fitting for the Christmas season.
Ivy常春藤

Ivy has been a symbol of eternal life in the pagan world and then came to represent new promise and eternal life in the Christian world. Ivy is more of an English Christmas green than an American one. It is considered a feeble clinging plant, rather feminine in nature, not at all like the masculine sturdy holly leaf. It was the ancient symbol of Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry.
Laurel 月桂树

Among the Romans who remained pagan, the laurel leaf was sacred to the sun god Apollo. In the Christian sect it came to symbolize the triumph of Humanity as represented by the Son Man. Bay is also a name used for laurel. As the bay tree, the true laurel of the Ancients, is scarce in England. Substitutions such the common cherry laurel, the Portugal laurel, the Aucuba and others are often used. A British Christmas carol about the three kings leans heavily on the word "laurel".
"We come walking with our staves, wreathed with laurel: We seek the King Jesus, Him that saves, To Bring Him laurel..."
圣诞老人

      It is said that in the year of 300 AD, there was a kind old man and his name was Saint Nicholas. He was always ready to help the poor and often gave presents to them.
      Today, Father Christmas is an imaginary figure, but nearly all young children believe in him. They think he is a happy old man with a long white beard and a long red robe.
      On the night of the twenty-fourth of December every year, Father Christmas from some cold northern land comes down the chimney of the fireplace to put presents by the beds of children or to fill their stockings. So when children go to bed that night, they hang up their stockings, and on Christmas morning they wake to find them full of presents. Of course, it's really their parents who fill the stockings.
      Another name for Father Christmas is Santa Claus.

    据 说他原是小亚细亚每拉城的主教，名叫圣尼古拉，死后被尊为圣徒，是一位身穿红袍、头戴红帽的白胡子老头。每年圣诞节他驾着鹿拉的雪橇从北方面来，由烟囱进 入各家，把圣诞礼物装在袜子里挂在孩子们的床头上或火炉前。所以，西方人过圣诞节时，父母把给孩子的圣诞礼物装在袜子里，圣诞夜时挂在孩子们的床头上。第 二天，孩子们醒来后的第一件事就是在床头上寻找圣诞老人送来的礼物。如今，圣诞老人已成为吉祥如意的象征，不仅是过圣诞节时不可缺少的人物，而且也是欢庆 新年时不可缺少的人物。

圣诞节传统食物的英语词汇
苹果汁        cider
棒棒糖        lolly \lollipop
香宾          champagne
圣诞节曲奇饼  cookie
蔓越桔调味汁  spreading blueberry
蛋酒          egg-nog
水果蛋糕      Fruit cake
姜饼          gingerbread
蜂蜜火腿      HoneyBaked Ham
热巧克力      Hot Chocolate
小杏仁饼      marchpane
苹果派        Apple Pie
草莓大黄饼    strawberry rhubarb pie
胡桃饼         walnut pie
南瓜饼         pumpkin
火鸡           turkey
烤鸭           Roast duck
烘烤鹅         Roast goose
The story of Santa Claus 圣诞老人的故事

Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ, the Nativity of the babe in the manger whom Christians believe was the Son of God. Indeed, the very word Christmas means “Christ festival”.
Yet there can be little doubt that for many it is Santa Claus — not Jesus — who is the human face of Christmas. In fact, it is fair to say that in much of the world, Santa is better known than the Christ who gave his name to the holiday.
But how did the fat man in the Coca-Cola red-and-white suit become the symbol of Christmas? The truth is that like the Christmas story itself, the story of Saint Nicholas is a composite of history, myth, and legend.
According to tradition, he was born in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) in about A.D. 270. When young, he traveled to Palestine and Egypt. Not long afterward, he became a bishop. During the Roman emperor Diocletian’s bloody persecution of Christians in 303, Nicholas was imprisoned. However, when Constantine the Great became emperor in 306, he legalized Christianity and made it the official religion of the Roman Empire. Nicholas was freed.
The scribes tell us that Nicholas’s prayers and leadership during the great tribulation led many to become Christians. Nicholas continued to serve as bishop for many years. On December 6, 343, Nicholas the man died, and Saint Nicholas the legend was born.
During his lifetime, Nicholas’s reputation for generosity and kindness gave rise to stories of miracles he performed for the poor, the weak--and children. After his death, devotion to Nicholas extended to all parts of Europe. His feast day was celebrated on December 6, but his reputation as a gift-giver later became attached to the celebration of Christmas on December 25.
After the Reformation in the 16th century, Nicholas’s cult disappeared in most Protestant countries of Europe. But his legend was united with old Nordic folktales of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good children with presents. In England, he became known as Father Christmas. But in Holland, Saint Nicholas’ name and reputation persisted as “sinterklaas.”.
In the 17th century, Dutch colonists took this tradition with them to America. Later, Sinterklaas was adopted by the English-speaking majority as “Santa Claus.” The resulting image of a “jolly old elf” driving a sleigh with “eight tiny reindeer” crystallized in the 19th century. That was when Clement Moore wrote the now-famous poem “A Visit From Saint Nick.” And the red-and-white suit? That was created by a Coca-Cola adman in the 1930s.
Although greatly commercialized, the modern Santa Claus still embodies8 Saint Nicholas’ generosity and love for children. And for some, he still points to the Nativity of the babe in the manger, and reminds us of the reason we celebrate Christmas.

圣诞老人的故事

圣 诞节是庆祝基督——这名被基督徒视为上帝之子的婴儿在马槽里的诞生。的确，“圣诞节”这个词意思就是“基督的庆典”。然而，可能有许多人会有点疑惑，圣诞 节的代表人物竟是圣诞老人，而不是耶稣。事实上，这样说也不为过：在世界上许多地方，圣诞老人要比赋予该节日名称的基督还更出名。
但是，那个穿着一套可口可乐红白颜色衣服的胖子是怎么成为圣诞节的象征的呢？事实上，跟圣诞节本身的故事一样，圣人尼古拉的故事，也是集历史、神话和传说于一身。
按照传统的说法，公元270年，尼古拉生于小亚细亚（现在的土耳其）。年轻时，他曾经到巴勒斯坦和埃及旅行。不久以后，他成为了一名主教。
公元303年，罗马皇帝戴克里先血腥迫害基督徒期间，尼古拉被捕入狱。然而，公元306年君士坦丁大帝登基称帝，他使基督教合法化，并使之成为罗马帝国的国教。尼古拉也获释放。
据史书记载，尼古拉在受难期间的祈祷和领导让很多人皈依成为基督教徒。（出狱后）尼古拉继续担任主教多年。公元343年12月6日，真人尼古拉去世，然而圣人尼可拉的传说诞生了。
尼古拉在世时慷慨仁慈的名声衍生出他为穷人、弱者和孩子创造奇迹的许多故事。尼古拉死后，人们对他的挚爱延伸到欧洲各地。节日仪式定在12月6日举行，但是他身为“赠礼者”的声望，后来却与12月25日圣诞节的庆典扯上了关系。
16世纪宗教改革运动以后，对尼古拉的膜拜便在多数欧洲新教国家销声匿迹了。但是有关他的传说却跟一个北欧民间故事结合了起来，故事中有位魔术师，他爱惩罚顽皮的孩子，并送礼物奖励好孩子。在英格兰，尼古拉成为家喻户晓的圣诞节之父。而在荷兰，圣人尼古拉的名声依旧以“Sinterklaas”的名字流传。17世纪，荷兰的殖民者将这个传统带到美洲。后来，“Sinterklaas”为多数说英语的人民所采用，并改成了“Santa Claus”。他最后的形象──“快乐的老矮人”驾着“八只小驯鹿”拉的雪橇──是在19世纪开始变得明确具体起来的。摩尔(Clement Moore)就在那时写了《圣人尼克的来访》这首闻名至今的诗。还有那件红白套装呢？那是在20世纪30年代，可口可乐公司的广告商创造出来的。
尽管现代的圣诞老人已经被高度商业化，他仍旧表现了圣人尼古拉的宽大胸怀和对孩子们的爱。对某些人来说，他仍然象征着马槽里圣婴的诞生，并让我们想起庆祝圣诞节的缘由。
Christmas Stockings 圣诞袜

There was a kindly nobleman whose wife had died of an illness leaving the nobleman and his three daughters in despair. After losing all his money in useless and bad inventions the family had to move into a peasant's cottage, where the daughters did their own cooking, sewing and cleaning.
When it came time for the daughters to marry, the father became even more depressed as his daughters could not marry without dowries, money and property given to the new husband's family.
One night after the daughters had washed out their clothing they hung their stockings over the fireplace to dry. That night Saint Nicholas, knowing the despair of the father, stopped by the nobleman's house. Looking in the window Saint Nicholas saw that the family had gone to bed. He also noticed the daughters stockings. Inspiration struck Saint Nicholas and he took three small bags of gold from his pouch and threw them one by one down the chimney and they landed in the stockings.
The next morning when the daughters awoke they found their stockings contained enough gold for them to get married. The nobleman was able to see his three daughters marry and he lived a long and happy life.
Children all over the world continue the tradition of hanging Christmas stockings. In some countries children have similar customs, in France the children place their shoes by the fireplace, a tradition dating back to when children wore wooden peasant shoes.
In Holland the children fill their shoes with hay and a carrot for the horse of Sintirklass. In Hungary children shine their shoes before putting them near the door or a window sill.
Italian children leave their shoes out the night before Epiphany, January 5, for La Befana the good witch. And in Puerto Rico children put greens and flowers in small boxes and place them under their beds for the camels of the Three Kings.
关于圣诞节在火炉边悬挂圣诞袜也有一个有趣的传说。很久很久以前有一个心地善良的贵族，他的妻子因病去逝，抛下他和他的三个女儿。这个贵族尝试了不少发明，都失败了，但也因此耗尽了钱财，所以他们不得不搬到一家农舍里生活，他的女儿们也只得亲自烧煮、缝纫和打扫。
一晃几年过去，女儿们陆续到了出嫁的年龄，父亲却变得更加沮丧，因为他没钱给女儿们买嫁妆。一天晚上，女儿们洗完衣服后将长统袜挂在壁炉前烘干。圣人Nicholas知道了她们父亲的境况后，就在那天晚上，来到她们的家门前。他从窗口看到一家人都已睡着了，同时也注意到了女孩们的长统袜。随即，他从口袋里掏出三小包黄金从烟囱上一个个投下去，刚好掉在女孩们的长统袜里。
第 二天早上，女儿们醒来发现她们的长统袜里装满了金子，足够供她们买嫁妆了。这个贵族也因此能亲眼看到他的女儿们结婚，从此便过上了幸福快乐的生活。后来， 世界各地的孩子们都继承了悬挂圣诞袜的传统。有些国家的孩子则有其它类似的风俗，如在法国，孩子们将鞋子放在壁炉旁等等。
圣诞卡的由来

       The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. 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. 
Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures - 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.
    发送圣诞卡的风俗开始在英国１８４０年，当第一个"便士邮递"公众邮递系统启动.随着印刷技术的发展,到1860年圣诞卡已经生产很大的数量了.圣诞卡真正在英国受到欢迎是当用半便士就可以发送一张不用密封的信封里的时候.
圣诞卡是祝贺圣诞及新年的贺卡，传统的圣诞卡上面印着关于耶稣降生故事的图画以及宗教性质的照片，发展