你真的了解圣誕節(jié)嗎?

They’re the essential bits of Christmas. Squeezing a fir tree into your living room. Eating an odd-looking bird. Welcoming an intruder who breaks in by coming down the chimney. Gazing at your fifth mince pie of the day and finally wondering what on Earth might be in it.他們，是圣誕節(jié)最核心的部分。讓一棵冷杉樹擠滿你小小的起居室；吃一個(gè)外形奇怪的鳥獸；歡迎一個(gè)從煙囪闖進(jìn)你家的“入侵者”；盯著第五塊咸肉餅，好奇里面究竟會(huì)有些什么。How many of us stop to think how it all began? Let’s have a look where our festive traditions come from.有多少人會(huì)停下來(lái)想自己為什么要這樣做？你真的懂圣誕嗎？現(xiàn)在就來(lái)驗(yàn)證一下吧。

Father Christmas圣誕老人Red robes, white beard, waist-slapping jollity and booming ho-ho-hos. He’s been around for ever, hasn’t he?身穿紅色長(zhǎng)袍，面長(zhǎng)白色長(zhǎng)胡，歡樂(lè)地拍打自己胖胖的腰部，發(fā)出“呵呵呵”的聲音，他就是一直以這種形象陪伴我們成長(zhǎng)，不是嗎？Actually only since 1935, when Haddon Sundblo, a Madison Avenue advertising man, created Santa Claus for a Coca-Cola campaign.直到1935年，麥德遜大道（美國(guó)廣告業(yè)中心）的廣告人Haddon Sundblo為了可口可樂(lè)運(yùn)動(dòng)創(chuàng)造了圣誕老人。In previous lives he was thinner and paler, a character based on a 4th Century Asian bishop called Nicholas, who became the patron saint of children in most of Europe.先前他效仿四世紀(jì)一個(gè)叫的Nicholas亞洲主教，把自己弄得既瘦又蒼白。在歐洲大部分地方，孩子們都把這位主教看成是自己的保護(hù)神。It was in Holland, where they called him Sinterklaas, that he earned his reputation for giving stuff away. A small pair of wooden shoes would be left by the fireplace and he would fill them with sweets.在荷蘭，因?yàn)樗?jīng)常派禮物給人們，贏得了不少名譽(yù)，人們稱他為圣尼古拉。如果人們?cè)诨馉t旁放置一對(duì)小小的木鞋子，他就會(huì)把它們?nèi)麧M糖果。What about Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer? Debt-ridden shopworker Robert Mays invented him in 1947 as the hero of a bestselling book that made him a fortune.那紅鼻子馴鹿魯?shù)婪蛴质窃趺磥?lái)的？負(fù)債累累的店員Robert Mays在1947年創(chuàng)造了它作為暢銷書的主角，因此贏得了豐厚的回報(bào)。

Crackers餅干The mastermind behind the Christmas cracker was a London sweetshop owner called Tom Smith. In 1847, after spotting French bonbons wrapped in paper with a twist at each end, he started selling similar sweets with a “l(fā)ove motto” inside.想出圣誕餅干的才人是倫敦一間糖果店的店主Tom Smith。在1847年，他發(fā)現(xiàn)法國(guó)小糖果用一張紙把兩邊扭著包裹，他也開始售賣相類似的糖果，并在里面放有“愛(ài)的誓言”。They were so popular as a Christmas novelty that Tom made them bigger and included a trinket. But the real flash of inspiration came when he poked the fire and a log exploded with a sharp CRACK! That gave him the idea for a package that went off with a bang.作為圣誕節(jié)新奇的小禮物，這種包裝的糖果十分受歡迎，于是Tom把糖果制造得更大，里面可以放一個(gè)小飾品。但是真正激發(fā)他靈感的是，當(dāng)他戳破爐火引起一塊木頭爆炸而發(fā)出的巨大的聲音。這讓他想到可以把袋子爆破引起響聲。He launched his “Bangs of Expectation” with top-of-the range gifts such as jewellery, ivory carvings, perfume and miniature dolls.于是，他發(fā)射了名為“期望爆炸號(hào)”的超級(jí)有分量的大禮品，如珠寶、象牙雕刻、香水和微型玩偶。

Turkey火雞Goose was the popular choice for Christmas dinners for generations. Middle-class families with lots of relatives might go for a boar’s head, while the seriously rich showed off with a swan.鵝是每個(gè)年代很受歡迎的圣誕節(jié)晚餐料理。中級(jí)家庭會(huì)和親戚們共享野豬頭，而最有錢的家庭會(huì)用天鵝來(lái)炫耀。The turkey didn’t arrive until the 1600s, when merchants brought it back from America and marketed it as an exciting new festive taste – if you stuffed it with sage and onions and laced it with cranberries.直到17世紀(jì)，火雞才呈現(xiàn)在大家眼前，是由商人們從美洲帶回來(lái)的，并推銷其成為讓人心動(dòng)的新的節(jié)日美食——如果你把它填滿鼠尾草和洋蔥，并用蔓越莓把它圍起來(lái)。

The tree圣誕樹So who DID suggest cutting down a huge piece of shrubbery, dragging it into the house, covering it with lights, then sticking a model fairy on top? Then leaving it there until it drops needles all over the floor.到底是誰(shuí)建議砍掉一棵參天巨樹，然后把它拖進(jìn)房子，掛滿節(jié)日燈，并在樹頂插上一個(gè)精靈模型，又任由它的針葉掉滿地上而不管？Blame a German. The Romans had hung up the odd bit of green branch, but it was evangelist Martin Luther from Saxony who first decorated a whole fir tree.要怪就怪德國(guó)人吧。是羅馬人開始掛起這種奇怪的綠色樹木的，但薩克森州的福音傳道者才是裝飾起冷杉樹的第一人。That was in 1510. The idea finally spread to Britain during Queen Victoria’s reign when her German-born husband Prince Albert had one sent over to remind him of his own childhood Christmases.在1510年，這個(gè)主意傳到了維多利亞女王統(tǒng)治的英國(guó)。有人送了一棵圣誕樹給女王的丈夫—出生于德國(guó)的Albert王子，以喚起他對(duì)童年圣誕節(jié)的回憶。Cards圣誕卡The first were sent in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole, boss of the Victoria and Albert Museum. He was far too busy to write letters so had an artist design 1,000 cards, illustrated with a festive family scene on the front and printed with the greeting, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”.Horrified at being caught out, all his friends sent him one back the next year.第一封圣誕卡是1843年由維多利亞和阿爾伯特博物館（世界上最大的裝飾藝術(shù)和設(shè)計(jì)博物館）的老板Henry Cole先生發(fā)出的。他由于工作太繁忙而沒(méi)空寫祝賀信，于是他請(qǐng)了藝術(shù)家設(shè)計(jì)1000份賀卡，在卡片首頁(yè)畫有家庭節(jié)日相聚的場(chǎng)景，然后印刷帶有“祝你圣誕節(jié)快樂(lè)和新年快樂(lè)”的祝福語(yǔ)。由于怕被發(fā)現(xiàn)沒(méi)回信，他的所有朋友都在下一年送回他一張卡片。In 1880 cards became so popular.1880年，圣誕卡開始普及。Tinsel金燦燦的裝飾The first mass-produced Christmas decoration, it was made in Europe in the 1600s from sheets of silver alloy hammered until they were paper-thin and cut into strips.第一批大量制造的圣誕節(jié)裝飾，是在17世紀(jì)在歐洲制造的，把銀合金片不斷捶打直到變成薄片，然后切割成條。The idea was to reflect the light from candles and fireplaces. Problem – after a few Christmases, the silver turned black. A cheaper, throwaway tinsel made from aluminium-based paper swept the festive market in the 1950s. Problem – it went up like a flash when it caught fire.這些裝飾是為了反射蠟燭和火爐的光亮，營(yíng)造溫馨氣氛。問(wèn)題——在圣誕節(jié)一系列活動(dòng)后，銀條會(huì)變黑。一種更便宜的，可丟棄的裝飾條使用鋁做的，在20世紀(jì)50年代橫掃節(jié)日飾品市場(chǎng)。問(wèn)題——如果遇火它會(huì)像閃電一樣爆發(fā)。

They’re the essential bits of Christmas. Squeezing a fir tree into your living room. Eating an odd-looking bird. Welcoming an intruder who breaks in by coming down the chimney. Gazing at your fifth mince pie of the day and finally wondering what on Earth might be in it.他們，是圣誕節(jié)最核心的部分。讓一棵冷杉樹擠滿你小小的起居室；吃一個(gè)外形奇怪的鳥獸；歡迎一個(gè)從煙囪闖進(jìn)你家的“入侵者”；盯著第五塊咸肉餅，好奇里面究竟會(huì)有些什么。How many of us stop to think how it all began? Let’s have a look where our festive traditions come from.有多少人會(huì)停下來(lái)想自己為什么要這樣做？你真的懂圣誕嗎？現(xiàn)在就來(lái)驗(yàn)證一下吧。

Father Christmas圣誕老人Red robes, white beard, waist-slapping jollity and booming ho-ho-hos. He’s been around for ever, hasn’t he?身穿紅色長(zhǎng)袍，面長(zhǎng)白色長(zhǎng)胡，歡樂(lè)地拍打自己胖胖的腰部，發(fā)出“呵呵呵”的聲音，他就是一直以這種形象陪伴我們成長(zhǎng)，不是嗎？Actually only since 1935, when Haddon Sundblo, a Madison Avenue advertising man, created Santa Claus for a Coca-Cola campaign.直到1935年，麥德遜大道（美國(guó)廣告業(yè)中心）的廣告人Haddon Sundblo為了可口可樂(lè)運(yùn)動(dòng)創(chuàng)造了圣誕老人。In previous lives he was thinner and paler, a character based on a 4th Century Asian bishop called Nicholas, who became the patron saint of children in most of Europe.先前他效仿四世紀(jì)一個(gè)叫的Nicholas亞洲主教，把自己弄得既瘦又蒼白。在歐洲大部分地方，孩子們都把這位主教看成是自己的保護(hù)神。It was in Holland, where they called him Sinterklaas, that he earned his reputation for giving stuff away. A small pair of wooden shoes would be left by the fireplace and he would fill them with sweets.在荷蘭，因?yàn)樗?jīng)常派禮物給人們，贏得了不少名譽(yù)，人們稱他為圣尼古拉。如果人們?cè)诨馉t旁放置一對(duì)小小的木鞋子，他就會(huì)把它們?nèi)麧M糖果。What about Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer? Debt-ridden shopworker Robert Mays invented him in 1947 as the hero of a bestselling book that made him a fortune.那紅鼻子馴鹿魯?shù)婪蛴质窃趺磥?lái)的？負(fù)債累累的店員Robert Mays在1947年創(chuàng)造了它作為暢銷書的主角，因此贏得了豐厚的回報(bào)。

Crackers餅干The mastermind behind the Christmas cracker was a London sweetshop owner called Tom Smith. In 1847, after spotting French bonbons wrapped in paper with a twist at each end, he started selling similar sweets with a “l(fā)ove motto” inside.想出圣誕餅干的才人是倫敦一間糖果店的店主Tom Smith。在1847年，他發(fā)現(xiàn)法國(guó)小糖果用一張紙把兩邊扭著包裹，他也開始售賣相類似的糖果，并在里面放有“愛(ài)的誓言”。They were so popular as a Christmas novelty that Tom made them bigger and included a trinket. But the real flash of inspiration came when he poked the fire and a log exploded with a sharp CRACK! That gave him the idea for a package that went off with a bang.作為圣誕節(jié)新奇的小禮物，這種包裝的糖果十分受歡迎，于是Tom把糖果制造得更大，里面可以放一個(gè)小飾品。但是真正激發(fā)他靈感的是，當(dāng)他戳破爐火引起一塊木頭爆炸而發(fā)出的巨大的聲音。這讓他想到可以把袋子爆破引起響聲。He launched his “Bangs of Expectation” with top-of-the range gifts such as jewellery, ivory carvings, perfume and miniature dolls.于是，他發(fā)射了名為“期望爆炸號(hào)”的超級(jí)有分量的大禮品，如珠寶、象牙雕刻、香水和微型玩偶。

Turkey火雞Goose was the popular choice for Christmas dinners for generations. Middle-class families with lots of relatives might go for a boar’s head, while the seriously rich showed off with a swan.鵝是每個(gè)年代很受歡迎的圣誕節(jié)晚餐料理。中級(jí)家庭會(huì)和親戚們共享野豬頭，而最有錢的家庭會(huì)用天鵝來(lái)炫耀。The turkey didn’t arrive until the 1600s, when merchants brought it back from America and marketed it as an exciting new festive taste – if you stuffed it with sage and onions and laced it with cranberries.直到17世紀(jì)，火雞才呈現(xiàn)在大家眼前，是由商人們從美洲帶回來(lái)的，并推銷其成為讓人心動(dòng)的新的節(jié)日美食——如果你把它填滿鼠尾草和洋蔥，并用蔓越莓把它圍起來(lái)。

The tree圣誕樹So who DID suggest cutting down a huge piece of shrubbery, dragging it into the house, covering it with lights, then sticking a model fairy on top? Then leaving it there until it drops needles all over the floor.到底是誰(shuí)建議砍掉一棵參天巨樹，然后把它拖進(jìn)房子，掛滿節(jié)日燈，并在樹頂插上一個(gè)精靈模型，又任由它的針葉掉滿地上而不管？Blame a German. The Romans had hung up the odd bit of green branch, but it was evangelist Martin Luther from Saxony who first decorated a whole fir tree.要怪就怪德國(guó)人吧。是羅馬人開始掛起這種奇怪的綠色樹木的，但薩克森州的福音傳道者才是裝飾起冷杉樹的第一人。That was in 1510. The idea finally spread to Britain during Queen Victoria’s reign when her German-born husband Prince Albert had one sent over to remind him of his own childhood Christmases.在1510年，這個(gè)主意傳到了維多利亞女王統(tǒng)治的英國(guó)。有人送了一棵圣誕樹給女王的丈夫—出生于德國(guó)的Albert王子，以喚起他對(duì)童年圣誕節(jié)的回憶。Cards圣誕卡The first were sent in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole, boss of the Victoria and Albert Museum. He was far too busy to write letters so had an artist design 1,000 cards, illustrated with a festive family scene on the front and printed with the greeting, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”.Horrified at being caught out, all his friends sent him one back the next year.第一封圣誕卡是1843年由維多利亞和阿爾伯特博物館（世界上最大的裝飾藝術(shù)和設(shè)計(jì)博物館）的老板Henry Cole先生發(fā)出的。他由于工作太繁忙而沒(méi)空寫祝賀信，于是他請(qǐng)了藝術(shù)家設(shè)計(jì)1000份賀卡，在卡片首頁(yè)畫有家庭節(jié)日相聚的場(chǎng)景，然后印刷帶有“祝你圣誕節(jié)快樂(lè)和新年快樂(lè)”的祝福語(yǔ)。由于怕被發(fā)現(xiàn)沒(méi)回信，他的所有朋友都在下一年送回他一張卡片。In 1880 cards became so popular.1880年，圣誕卡開始普及。Tinsel金燦燦的裝飾The first mass-produced Christmas decoration, it was made in Europe in the 1600s from sheets of silver alloy hammered until they were paper-thin and cut into strips.第一批大量制造的圣誕節(jié)裝飾，是在17世紀(jì)在歐洲制造的，把銀合金片不斷捶打直到變成薄片，然后切割成條。The idea was to reflect the light from candles and fireplaces. Problem – after a few Christmases, the silver turned black. A cheaper, throwaway tinsel made from aluminium-based paper swept the festive market in the 1950s. Problem – it went up like a flash when it caught fire.這些裝飾是為了反射蠟燭和火爐的光亮，營(yíng)造溫馨氣氛。問(wèn)題——在圣誕節(jié)一系列活動(dòng)后，銀條會(huì)變黑。一種更便宜的，可丟棄的裝飾條使用鋁做的，在20世紀(jì)50年代橫掃節(jié)日飾品市場(chǎng)。問(wèn)題——如果遇火它會(huì)像閃電一樣爆發(fā)。