西方文化史：圣诞节的神奇历史

"Twas was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…"
"那是圣诞节的前一天晚上，整幢房子里，没有一个动物活动，甚至一只老鼠也没有……"
You probably know what happens next.
你或许知道接下来会发生什么。
But do you know who wrote this poem, and when?
但你知道是谁写的这首诗，又是什么时候写的吗？
Do you know where the tradition of the Christmas tree comes from?
你知道（装扮）圣诞树的传统从哪里开始的吗？
Lights on the Christmas tree?
圣诞树上的彩灯呢？
Stockings?
还有长筒袜？
Even the idea of gift-giving?
甚至是送礼物的这个想法？
No holiday has a richer and more varied tradition than Christmas.
没有哪个节日的传统比圣诞节的更丰富多样了。
So let's look into its history and see if we can uncover some of that richness and tradition.
所以，让我们回顾圣诞节的历史，看看能否发现这些传统的细节。
And if you don't celebrate Christmas— well, at least you'll have a better appreciation of why so many people do.
如果你不庆祝圣诞节，至少能更好地了解为什么这么多人喜欢（这个节日）。
Here's what everybody knows: Christmas is when Christians celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.
这是众所周知的：圣诞节即基督徒庆祝耶稣基督生日的日子。
That in itself is a very big deal.
这本身就是一件大事。
Christianity, in all its many iterations, remains the most popular religion in the world.
经过多次演变，基督教仍然是世界上教徒最众的宗教。
Two billion people follow it.
20亿人都在庆祝这个节日。
Aside from its obvious religious significance, the first Christmas stands as the great divide for the recording of human history.
除了没有明显的宗教意义，第一个圣诞节是记录人类历史的分水岭。
Until recently, history was divided between BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, which is Latin for "Year of Our Lord").
直到后来，历史被划分为公元前(基督诞生前)和公元(Anno Domini，拉丁语的意思是"我们主的年代")。
Now you'll often see BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era).
现在大家经常能看到BCE(公元前)和CE(公元前)。
No matter, the divide is still Jesus's birth.
无论如何，这个分水岭还是基督诞生的日子。
The great kings of the first millennium recognized the significance of the day and attached themselves to it.
在前1000年里，伟大的国王们认同了这个日子存在的重要意义并非常重视。
Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, and William the Conqueror, among many others, were either baptized or coronated on December 25.
查理曼大帝，阿尔弗雷德大帝，征服者威廉都在12月25日接受洗礼或加冕。
The idea of Christmas as a time of gift-giving also goes back to the earliest days of Christianity.
圣诞节作为互赠礼物的节日的想法也可以追溯到基督教早期。
The story is told that a third-century church bishop, Nicholas, would anonymously throw bags of gold coins into the windows of the poor.
据说三世纪的主教尼古拉斯，（在这天）就会匿名把成袋的金币扔到穷人家的窗户里。
The coins supposedly landed in the shoes or stockings that were drying by the fireplace.
这些金币可能会落在壁炉旁烘干的鞋子或袜子里。
Thus, was the stocking stuffer born.
就这样，塞满礼物的袜子就出现了。
After Nicholas died and was declared a saint, his popularity and positive Christmas message spread across Europe, each nation adding its own distinct contribution.
尼古拉斯死后被封为圣人，他的声望以及对圣诞节重视的态度传遍了整个欧洲，每个国家都（为圣诞节）做出了自己独特的贡献。
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.
在德国，16世纪，新教改革家马丁·路德在常青树的树枝上插上蜡烛后，在家中放置常青树的这个冬季传统就有了新的意义。
He told his children the lights were like the sky above Bethlehem on the night of Christ's birth.
他告诉孩子们，这些烛光就像耶稣诞生之夜伯利恒（耶稣降生地）上空的天空。
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.
圣·尼古拉斯会判断你在一年中表现好坏的说法源自《新约启示录》，书中描绘了基督骑着一匹白马回到了地球。
In the Middle Ages, the legend sprang up that Saint Nicholas had been chosen as the Savior's advance guard.
在中世纪，圣·尼古拉斯被选为救世主的护卫，这个传说迅速流传开来。
He wouldn't come at the end of the world, but every year to check things out and give a report.
除非世界末日，否则他每年都会来查验人们的事迹并给出一份报告。
When this notion arrived in Norway, it encountered a problem: there were no horses in Norway.
当这个说法传入挪威时，问题来了：挪威没有马。
But they did have plenty of reindeer.
但他们有很多驯鹿。
And, of course, Norway abuts the Arctic Circle and the North Pole, so St. Nick found himself with a new domicile.
当然，挪威毗邻北极圈和北极，所以圣·尼古拉斯找到了一个新的住所。
All these various European traditions came together in the great melting pot of America.
所有这些不同的欧洲传统交汇在美国这个大熔炉里。
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，纽约新教圣公会神学院的克莱门特·摩尔教授给他的孩子们写了一首诗，那是在圣诞节的前夜：
"… The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there…"
"……把长统袜小心地挂在烟囱旁边，希望圣·尼古拉斯很快就会来……"
The poem caught on and became a Christmas staple every school child could recite.
这首诗流行起来，成了每个学生都能背诵的圣诞节主题诗。
The holiday got another push in 1843, when the great British writer, Charles Dickens, published his short novel, A Christmas Carol.
这个节日在1843年又有了新的发展，当时伟大的英国作家查尔斯·狄更斯，发表了他的短篇小说《圣诞颂歌》。
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.
埃比尼泽·斯克鲁奇的救赎完美地诠释了我们现在所说的"圣诞精神"：这个节日能激发出我们所有人最好的一面。
As the new century turned, Hollywood got into the act.
随着新世纪的到来，好莱坞也加入了进来。
Almost as soon as there were movies, there were movies celebrating Christmas.
刚有了电影，庆祝圣诞节主题的电影就出现了。
To this day, a year doesn't go by without a new one.
这天标志着新年的到来。
Madison Avenue saw a big opportunity, too.
麦迪逊大道（美国广告业中心）也看到了巨大的商机。
In 1931, Coca-Cola hired artist Haddon Sundblom to create a Christmas ad of Santa Claus (which is Dutch for St. Nicholas) drinking Coke.
1931年，可口可乐公司聘请艺术家Haddon Sundblom创作了一幅喝可乐的圣诞老人(荷兰语为圣·尼古拉斯)的圣诞海报。
The jolly white-bearded fellow in a bright red suit remains the personification of Old St. Nick.
那个快活的、白胡子的、穿着大红衣服的家伙仍然是老圣·尼古拉斯的化身。
And, in perfect melting-pot fashion, Irving Berlin, the son of a rabbi, wrote the definitive yuletide song,"White Christmas".
还有教士之子欧文·柏林，将文化完美地融合，完成了圣诞节的经典曲目《白色圣诞节》。
Many complain today that the religious aspect of Christmas has been overwhelmed by commerce.
如今许多人抱怨圣诞节的宗教色彩让位于商业活动。
Retail sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas are now $1 trillion.
感恩节和圣诞节期间的零售额现已达到了1万亿美元。
This is not a new complaint.
人们的抱怨由来已久。
The Puritans refused to celebrate Christmas because they thought it trivialized the holiday's religious message.
清教徒拒绝庆祝圣诞节，因为他们认为圣诞节淡化了节日传递的宗教信息。
But this remains the minority view.
但这仍是少数人的观点。
Most people love Christmas and all the things—the lights, the tree, the songs, the movie, and, yes, the gifts—that come with it.
大多数人都喜欢圣诞节以及所有与之俱来的东西——彩灯、圣诞树、歌曲、电影，对了，还有礼物。
And who can deny that people tend to act a little nicer, a little happier, as the special day draws near?
不可否认，随着这特殊日子的临近，人们往往会表现得更友善、更快乐。
In a world that feels so divided, Christmas still unites us.
在这个感觉如此分裂的世界，圣诞节仍然让我们团结在一起。
For that, we should all be grateful.
对此，我们都应该心存感激。
I'm William Federer, author of "There Really Is a Santa Claus,"for Prager University.
我是威廉·费德勒，普拉格大学《真的有圣诞老人》一书的作者。

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