关于圣诞节的英文故事 带中文

关于圣诞节的英文故事 带中文
关于圣诞节的英文故事 带中文

关于圣诞节的英文故事 带中文
Merry Christmas! 圣诞节快乐
Part 2 The History of Santa Claus 圣诞老人的来历
On the night before Christmas, all across the world, millions of children will be tucked in their beds while "visions of sugarplums dance in their heads." When they awake they will check their stockings to see if Santa Claus has come.
Santa Claus has become the most beloved of Christmas symbols and traditions. The image of the jolly old elf flying in a sleigh pulled by reindeers and leaving toys and gifts for every child is know worldwide.
Just like the season of Christmas, the history of the origins of Santa Claus is influenced by the customs and cultures of many countries, beginning in Asia Minor sometime around the 4th century AD. It was here that Bishop Nicholas became renowned for his exceptional generosity, especially to the very young. Many years later he became known as Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children.
As time went on, adults began to dress in the manner of Saint Nicholas, dressed in Bishops vestments and carrying a staff., to re-enact the kindness of the saint. They went from house to house, asking if the children who lived there had been well behaved. In response to these visits, the children left their shoes outside the doors of their houses so that next morning they might find them filled with sweets and trinkets.
An Anglo-Saxon version eventually evolved and was known as Father Christmas. His character was a mixture of the Saint Nicholas and earthly perceptions of the gods Thor and Saturn. He wore robes decorated with ivy and holly and carried a switch to threaten unruly children, as well as a bag of toys to reward the well behaved.
In North America the British, German and Dutch settlers introduced their own derivations of Father Christmas and of these the Dutch figure of 'Sinterklaas' became the common favourite. Eventually this name was anglicised to become Santa Claus, the mythical figure of Christmas who placed toys, sweets and trinkets into stockings hung by the fireplace.
The modern perception of the character of Father Christmas was greatly influenced by Thomas Nast, a cartoonist with Harpers Weekly, who published a drawing of Santa Claus in 1860. This was a portly figure with white hair and a long beard, dressed in a red robe and wearing a crown of holly, holding a long clay pipe similar to that of Sinterklaas.
Perhaps the final stage in the evolution of the modern Santa Claus was brought about by publicity from the Coca Cola Company. They launched an advertising campaign in the 1930s with Santa Claus as the central figure and subsequently used the motif for the next forty years or so.
This conception of Santa Claus was produced for them by Haddon Sundblom, who built on the character and costume created by Thomas Nast to produce a cheery, chubby fellow that is still a familiar perception of the mythical Christmas character to millions of people throughout the Western world.
圣诞老人的传说在数千年前的斯堪的纳维亚半岛即出现.北欧神话中司智慧,艺术,诗词,战争的奥丁神,寒冬时节,骑上他那八脚马坐骑驰骋于天涯海角,惩恶扬善,分发礼物.与此同时,其子雷神着红衣以闪电为武器与冰雪诸神昏天黑地恶战一场,最终战胜寒冷.据异教传说,圣诞老人为奥丁神后裔.也有传说称圣诞老人由圣·尼古拉而来,所以圣诞老人也称St.Nicholas.因这些故事大多弘扬基督精神,其出处,故事情节大多被淡忘,然而圣诞老人却永驻人们精神世界.
在德国,传说他把坚果和苹果放在孩子们鞋里.他乘双轮马车四处漫游,观察人们的行为,尤其是小孩,如果表现好,将会得到苹果、坚果、糖等诸多奖品.坏孩子则得一鞭子.家长们灵机一动纷纷采用此传说来鼓励孩子们听话.大大超过了新年,成为一个全民的节日.圣诞老人已经成为圣诞节最受喜爱的象征和传统.他赶着驯鹿,拉着装满玩具和礼物的雪橇挨家挨户给每个孩子送礼物的快乐老精灵的形象已深深地留在人们的记忆中.
19世纪60年代卡通制作者Thomas Nash画了一幅胖胖的、慈祥的圣诞老人作为《Harper的一周》的插图.这个圣诞老人的形象开始深深地扎根于美国人民的脑海中.随着时间的推移,圣诞老人的形象传回欧洲,传到南美洲,传遍世界各地.
Part 3 The Christmas Tree 圣诞树
A beautifully decorated evergreen tree, with colored lights ablaze inspires in many warm memories of Christmases long past. The Christmas tree has become one of the most beloved and well know holiday symbols.
The tradition of a holiday tree has been around since ancient times and has played an important part in winter celebrations for many centuries. Many pagan festivals used trees when honoring their gods and spirits. In Northern Europe the Vikings considered the evergreen a symbol and reminder that the darkness and cold of winter would end and the green of spring would return. The Druids of ancient England and France decorated oak trees with fruit and candles to honor their gods of harvests. At the festival Saturnalia the Romans decorated trees with trinkets and candles.
The use of a Christmas tree indoors appears to have begun in Germany. German Christians would bring trees into their homes to decorate. In some areas evergreen trees were scarce so the families would build a Christmas pyramid, simple wooden structures which they decorated with branches and candles.
The tradition of the Christmas tree eventually spread through out Europe. The English Royalty helps popularize the tree in England by decorating the first Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, decorated the first English Christmas Tree with candles, candies, fruits, and gingerbread.
When the German immigrants went to American they also brought along their Christmas trees. In the 1830's most Americans still considered the Christmas tree an oddity. One of the first public displays of a Christmas tree was set up by German Settlers in Pennsylvania. At the time many still considered the tree to be a symbol of pagans and it wasn't until the late 1800's that Americans began accepting the Christmas tree.
Early Christmas trees were often decorated with apples, nuts, cookies, colored popcorn and candles. The invention of electricity in the early 20th century and use of electrical Christmas lights helped spread the use of the Christmas tree.
It is now common in most communities through out the US to feature public displays of Christmas trees. Every year the President of the United States lights the National Christmas Tree in Washington and in New York skaters spin beneath the lighted tree of Rockefeller Center. Through Europe and the rest of the world the Christmas tree has also become readily accepted and adored.
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.而今日,人们已经改用粉色的小灯泡了.
另一个传说记载.在很久以前,曾有一位农民,在圣诞节那天遇到一个穷苦小孩,他热情地接待了这个小孩.小孩临走时折下一根松枝插在地上,松枝立即变成一棵树,上面挂满了礼物,以答谢农民的好意.
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,而且也只有该家庭的一家之主可以把这棵希望之星挂上.
Part 4 Christmas Stockings and Christmas Cards 圣诞袜和圣诞卡
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.
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.
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.
圣诞树和圣诞花卉,一般用来装饰家庭居室,也有用圣诞花卉作礼品赠亲友的.圣诞贺卡则完全是节日赠品,表达自己对别人的良好祝愿.
圣诞卡的诞生也有很多种说法,一八六四年,英国的阿尔巴特亲王特别推广这件事,就印制了一千张圣诞图画的圣诞卡,开始发售.到一八六五年,印刷的圣诞卡,开始大量销售了.首先是由德国绘画彩色的石版工厂印制以后,运送到英国去,正式发售,再从英国传到世界的各地,于是寄送圣诞卡的风俗,渐渐流行起来.当初圣诞卡的寄送,只通行在基督徒之间,到了二十世纪初,普遍风行,不论是不是基督信徒,都以圣诞卡向亲友祝福,和恭贺新年.
另一种说法：圣诞卡始于一八四四年.当时,英国维多利亚女皇和Albert太子在伦敦的温莎堡里庆祝圣诞节,邀请王族儿童入宫参加宴会,请柬上印有祝贺的词句.欧洲人从此纷纷仿效,用这种写上祝贺词的卡片来互相祝贺圣诞和新年.
圣诞卡片从早期的单色印刷至今日的色音俱全,不但让收到卡片的人大饱眼福,而且还大饱耳福,一张张会发出声音的圣诞卡使整个节日的气氛更加浓厚.
圣诞节这天,指出天下一家世界大同的理想,只有以和平与仁爱的言行达成.寄赠圣诞卡,除表示庆贺圣诞的喜悦外,就是向亲友祝福,以表想念之情.以前圣诞卡的画面,多半与耶稣圣诞有关；现在?/div>