中英對(duì)照文本

翻譯：Mangosteen

校對(duì)：FungChuh

“‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”

「圣誕節(jié)前夜，屋內(nèi)靜悄悄，連老鼠都不出聲音……」

You probably know what happens next. But do you know who wrote this poem, and when? Do you know where the tradition of the Christmas tree comes from? Lights on the Christmas tree? Stockings? Even the idea of gift-giving? 

也許你還知道后面幾句。但你知道這首詩(shī)的作者與創(chuàng)作時(shí)間嗎？你知道圣誕樹傳統(tǒng)的起源嗎？圣誕樹上的燈飾呢？圣誕襪呢？還有互相贈(zèng)禮的主意呢？

No holiday has a richer and more varied tradition than Christmas. So let’s look into its history and see if we can uncover some of that richness and tradition. And if you don’t celebrate Christmas—well, at least you’ll have a better appreciation of why so many people do. 

沒有哪個(gè)節(jié)日的傳統(tǒng)比圣誕節(jié)更豐富多彩。那么讓我們一起研究它的歷史，看看我們能否挖掘出它的某些悠久傳統(tǒng)。如果你不過圣誕節(jié)——好吧，至少你會(huì)更理解為什么那么多人慶祝圣誕節(jié)。

Here’s what everybody knows: 

以下是人人都知道的：

Christmas is when Christians celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. That in itself is a very big deal. Christianity, in all its many iterations, remains the most popular religion in the world. Two billion people follow it. 

圣誕節(jié)是基督徒慶祝耶穌基督誕生的日子。這點(diǎn)本身就意義重大。基督教歷經(jīng)多次迭代，至今仍是世界上最受歡迎的宗教。信徒有二十億人。

Aside from its obvious religious significance, the first Christmas stands as the great divide for the recording of human history. Until recently, history was divided between BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, which is Latin for “Year of Our Lord”). Now you’ll often see BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era). No matter. The divide is still Jesus’s birth.

除了其明顯的宗教意義，第一個(gè)圣誕節(jié)還象征著人類歷史記錄的重大分界線。直至最近，歷史是按公元前（基督前）與公元（拉丁文「主的年份」）區(qū)分。現(xiàn)在常見的是 BCE 與 CE。沒關(guān)系。它仍然是按基督誕生日劃分。

The great kings of the first millennium recognized the significance of the day and attached themselves to it. Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, and William the Conqueror, among many others, were either baptized or coronated on December 25. 

第一個(gè)千年的偉大國(guó)王們認(rèn)識(shí)到這天的重要性并依附于它。其中，查理曼、阿爾弗雷德大帝與征服者威廉要么在 12 月 25 日受洗，要么在此日加冕。

The idea of Christmas as a time of gift-giving also goes back to the earliest days of Christianity. The story is told that a third-century church bishop, Nicholas, would anonymously throw bags of gold coins into the windows of the poor. The coins supposedly landed in the shoes or stockings that were drying by the fireplace. Thus, was the stocking stuffer born. After Nicholas died and was declared a saint, his popularity and positive Christmas message spread across Europe, each nation adding its own distinct contribution.

在圣誕節(jié)這天互相交換禮物的做法同樣可追溯至基督教早期。傳說是這樣的，公元三世紀(jì)的一位主教尼古拉斯偷偷將一袋袋金幣扔進(jìn)窮人家的窗戶。金幣會(huì)落到懸掛在壁爐上烘干的鞋子或襪子里。這就是圣誕襪小禮物的由來。尼古拉斯逝世后，被追謚為圣徒，他的名聲及積極的圣誕節(jié)信息傳遍歐洲，每個(gè)國(guó)家都加入了自己的獨(dú)特貢獻(xiàn)。

In Germany, the winter tradition of placing evergreens in their homes took on a new significance in the 16th century when Protestant reformer Martin Luther put candles in the branches. He told his children the lights were like the sky above Bethlehem on the night of Christ's birth.

在德國(guó)，家里擺放常青樹的冬日傳統(tǒng)在 16 世紀(jì)被賦予了新的意義，當(dāng)時(shí)新教改革家馬丁·路德往樹枝上掛蠟燭。他告訴孩子們，這一束束光就如同基督降生在伯利恒那晚的天空。

The idea that St. Nicholas would judge whether you’ve been good or bad during the year stems from the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, which depicts Christ returning to Earth riding a white horse. In the Middle Ages, the legend sprang up that Saint Nicholas had been chosen as the Savior’s advance guard. He wouldn’t come at the end of the world, but every year to check things out and give a report. 

圣·尼古拉斯會(huì)評(píng)判你那年是好人還是壞人的概念起源于《新約圣經(jīng)》「啟示錄」，其中描述了基督騎在一匹白馬上返回地球。在中世紀(jì)，圣·尼古拉斯被選為救世主前衛(wèi)的傳說流傳開來。他不會(huì)在世界末日出現(xiàn)，但每年都會(huì)巡查并作報(bào)告。

When this notion arrived in Norway, it encountered a problem: there were no horses in Norway. But they did have plenty of reindeer. And, of course, Norway abuts the Arctic Circle and the North Pole, so St. Nick found himself with a new domicile.

當(dāng)這個(gè)概念傳到挪威，它遇到了一個(gè)問題：挪威沒有馬。但那里有許多馴鹿。當(dāng)然了，挪威毗鄰北極圈與北極點(diǎn)，于是圣·尼古拉斯找到了新住址。

All these various European traditions came together in the great melting pot of America.

所有各種各樣的歐洲傳統(tǒng)都匯聚到了美國(guó)這個(gè)大熔爐中。

In New York in 1823, a professor at the Protestant Episcopal Seminary, Clement Moore, wrote a poem for his children, 'Twas the night before Christmas:

1823 年的紐約，新教圣公會(huì)神學(xué)院教授克萊門特·摩爾給孩子們寫了一首詩(shī)，「圣誕前夜」：

'…The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

「襪子穩(wěn)妥地掛在壁爐旁，

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there…'

盼望圣·尼古拉斯快些出現(xiàn)……」

The poem caught on and became a Christmas staple every school child could recite. 

這首詩(shī)廣為流傳，成為了圣誕節(jié)主打詩(shī)，所有學(xué)齡兒童都能背誦。

The holiday got another push in 1843, when the great British writer, Charles Dickens, published his short novel, A Christmas Carol. The redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge perfectly captured what we now refer to as “the Christmas spirit”: the idea that the holiday brings out the best in all of us. 

1843 年，這個(gè)節(jié)日得到了又一次推廣，當(dāng)時(shí)英國(guó)偉大作家查爾斯·狄更斯發(fā)表了短篇小說《圣誕頌歌》。艾比尼澤·斯克魯奇的救贖完美表達(dá)了我們?nèi)缃袼Q「圣誕精神」的核心：這個(gè)節(jié)日激發(fā)出我們最好的一面。

As the new century turned, Hollywood got into the act. Almost as soon as there were movies, there were movies celebrating Christmas. To this day, a year doesn’t go by without a new one.

新世紀(jì)來臨，好萊塢也進(jìn)來插了一腳。幾乎自電影問世以來，就一直有慶祝圣誕節(jié)的電影。直至今日，每年依然有新的圣誕檔電影。

Madison Avenue saw a big opportunity, too. In 1931, Coca-Cola hired artist Haddon Sundblom to create a Christmas ad of Santa Claus (which is Dutch for St. Nicholas) drinking Coke. The jolly white-bearded fellow in a bright red suit remains the personification of Old St. Nick.

美國(guó)廣告業(yè)也看到巨大機(jī)遇。1931 年，可口可樂聘請(qǐng)了藝術(shù)家海頓·姍布，創(chuàng)造出圣誕老人（圣·尼古拉斯的荷蘭文）喝可口可樂的圣誕廣告。這位歡樂的穿著鮮紅色服裝的白胡子老人仍然是圣尼古拉的化身。

And, in perfect melting-pot fashion, Irving Berlin, the son of a rabbi, wrote the definitive yuletide song, “White Christmas.”

以完美的大熔爐風(fēng)格，歐文·柏林，一個(gè)拉比的兒子，寫出了標(biāo)志性的圣誕季節(jié)歌「白色圣誕」。

Many complain today that the religious aspect of Christmas has been overwhelmed by commerce. Retail sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas are now $1 trillion. This is not a new complaint. The Puritans refused to celebrate Christmas because they thought it trivialized the holiday’s religious message.

許多人抱怨宗教意義的圣誕節(jié)今天已嚴(yán)重商業(yè)化。感恩節(jié)圣誕節(jié)期間的零售額高達(dá)萬億。這種抱怨并不新鮮。清教徒拒絕慶祝圣誕節(jié)，因?yàn)樗麄冋J(rèn)為這樣做淡化了這個(gè)節(jié)日的宗教信息。

But this remains the minority view. Most people love Christmas and all the things—the lights, the tree, the songs, the movies, and, yes, the gifts—that come with it. And who can deny that people tend to act a little nicer, a little happier, as the special day draws near?

但這仍然是少數(shù)人觀點(diǎn)。大多數(shù)人愛圣誕節(jié)以及與它相關(guān)的一切——燈光、樹木、歌曲、電影還有，沒錯(cuò)，禮物。誰能否認(rèn)當(dāng)這個(gè)特別的日子臨近，人們常常變得更友善，更快樂了呢？

In a world that feels so divided, Christmas still unites us. For that, we should all be grateful.

在這個(gè)似乎極其分裂的世界，圣誕節(jié)仍然把我們團(tuán)結(jié)在一起。為此，我們應(yīng)該感激。

I’m William Federer, author of There Really Is a Santa Claus, for Prager University.

我是威廉·費(fèi)德勒，There Really Is a Santa Claus 作者，為 PragerU 制作。