背景知識：
再不懂西方曆史，您也知道，“聖誕節”是為紀念耶穌的誕辰。不過，如何簡潔明了地介紹聖誕節的淵源，如何解析聖誕節對現代西方人的意義？本文會給您一個滿意的答案。甚至是，閱讀完如下文字，您完全可以向友人炫耀您的“聖誕知識”，比如，關於聖誕樹與維多利亞女王的愛情，關於聖誕老人、聖誕襪與施恩互助的傳說…… |
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The story for the Christmas season
Most people know that the simple
meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus
Christ, the son of God in the Christian religion. The
word Christmas originated from an old English phrase, "Cristes
Masse", meaning the mass
of Christ（基督彌撒）
. The date, December 25, was established by
Bishop Liberius of Rome in 354 AD. He selected the date
to mark the official time for celebrating Christ's
birth. Before then, the birth of Jesus was observed on
different days and even to this day no one is certain
the exact date of Christ's birth.
Christmas
celebrations
Cultural celebrations of Christmas
include glittering light displays, the ever-present
jolly oldSanta Claus（聖誕老人）
, group celebrations and singing called
carolling（聖誕頌歌）,
baked holiday cookies and cakes, decorations of
mistletoe（槲寄生，裝飾性植物）and
pine wreaths, lighted, ornamented Christmas trees with
wrapped presents displayed underneath. The spirit of
Christmas at its heart is a festival to celebrate
family, love, gratitude to others and giving presents to
show appreciation to friends and loved ones.
In Europe, typically, family and
friends gather together on Christmas Eve, on Dec 24, for
a big turkey
dinner, completed with Christmas pudding (a rich cake
with brandy source). Everyone shares their stories of
the year or brings a newsletter to read out for what has
happened during the past year. Games are played after
the dinner. On Christmas day, Dec 25, a
brunch （常用構詞法： breakfast+lunch）with
family is the norm, followed by some light sporting
events, such as a country walk, to digest the heavy
food.
Dec 26 is called Boxing
Day（節禮日，往往在這一日大家互贈禮物）
in the UK, which means everyone opens their box
of presents - the most joyful day for the children. In
the US, having just celebrated Thanksgiving with turkey,
Christmas Eve dinner is more likely to have ham on the
menu with a heavy desert. Dec 25, the Christmas Day is
normally the day all the presents are opened.
Christmas
trees & cards
The tradition of having a pine
tree as a Christmas Tree is believed to come from
Germany. Since the medieval time, lighting a candle on a
tree is common to welcome guests. Such practice has
evolved into the Christmas celebration.
The formal Christmas Tree was introduced to England
about 100 years ago when Queen Victoria married German
Albert. The evidence of Victoria's love for Albert is
not only expressed through inheriting the German
tradition of having a Christmas Tree but also through
the gold Albert Statues
that Victoria had ordered built for Albert, standing in
many places in London. In America, the Christmas Tree
idea was brought by German immigrants too.
The custom of sending Christmas
cards was initiated in England around 1850. The first
cards were decorated with elaborate designs of flowers,
birds and landscapes.
Santa
Claus
As for Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, the story goes
back to the third century.
Legend has it, Saint Nicholas
dedicated all his life to helping mankind, especially
children. He died on December 6, which marks the
Saint Nicholas Day in many European countries
and that was when gifts were given to children. St.
Nicholas bears many different names, such as
Father Christmas in the UK, San Nicolass in the
Netherlands, Le Pere Noel in France, and Kriss Kringle
in Germany.
He also arrives on different
dates to deliver presents to children in different
countries, typically from chimneys. The chimney story
was this: Santa flew over house tops in a sleigh, he
dropped coins by accident and they landed in some
stockings hanging next to the fireplace to dry. From
then on, red stockings were hung by the chimney in hopes
Santa would fill them with gifts.
Most countries use fabric stocking
while in others, wood shoes are also placed on earth for
Santa's gift-dropping. In America, the image of Santa
Claus was conceived by the famous poem "The Night Before
Christmas", written by Clement Moor. Moor transformed
the Santa character from a saint in a long robe to a
chubby, rosy-cheeked elderly man in a red suit, riding
on a sleigh pulled by a team of reindeer.
Christmas
carols
The tradition of carol singing
originated from the carolling practised by the Waits in
the fourteenth century. Waits were royal singers who
were sent by the court to perform in selected homes for
treats, pennies and/or fun. "Carol" means a circle dance
accompanied by a song. Most Christmas carols we sing now
were composed around 1400-1600's.
Jewish
Chanukah
The Jewish community celebrates
Chanukah（光明節，為紀念公元前165年猶太人戰勝希臘的敘利亞侵略者並奪回聖殿）
instead of Christmas in December. Chanukah (Hanukkah) is
celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev, the third month of
the Jewish calendar, usually falling somewhere in
December on the Gregorian calendar.
Chanukah commemorates the
cleansing of the Temple after the Jews defeated their
occupation by the Syrian Greeks and is observed by
lighting the candles of the menorah for eight days, one
on the first, two the second and so on so forth.
聖誕節祝福用語
 聖誕節了。互贈禮物、卡片是俗了些
。給你一些信手拈來的聖誕祝福常用語，也算是聖誕祝福！
Wishing you peace, joy and happiness
throughout Christmas and the coming year.
在聖誕和新年來臨之際，祝福你平安、快樂、幸福！
Warm greetings and best wishes for Christmas
and the New Year!
致以熱烈的祝賀和良好的祝福，聖誕快樂，新年快樂。
It seems that Christmas time is here once
again, and it is time again to bring in the New
Year. We wish the merriest of Christmases to you
and your loved ones, and we wish you happiness
and prosperity in the year ahead.
聖誕節轉眼又到，又該迎接新的一年了。我們向你及你的親人們致以最美好的聖誕祝福，願你在新的一年裏事業興旺，幸福美滿！
May Christmas and the New Year be filled with
happiness for you.
願你聖誕和新年幸福無盡。
With good wishes for a brilliant and happy
Christmas season. Hope things are going all
right with you.
在這輝煌快樂的聖誕佳節，獻上一切美好的祝福！祝一切順心如意！
Christmas comes but once a year. But when it
comes it brings good cheer.
聖誕節一年隻有一次，但每次來臨都帶來喜悅。
May you have the best Christmas ever.
願你度過最美好的聖誕節！
Wishing you much joy in the coming year. May
the warmest wishes, happiest thoughts and
friendliest greetings come at Christmas and stay
with you all the year through.
讓溫馨的祝願、幸福的思念和友好的祝福，在聖誕佳節來到你身邊，伴你左右。
A Christmas greeting to cheer you up, from
your daughters.
願女兒的聖誕祝福帶給你快樂。
At Christmas and always, may peace and love
fill your heart, beauty fill your world, and
contentment and joy fill your days.
聖誕的祝福，平日的希冀，願你心境祥和、充滿愛意，願你的世界全是美滿，願你一切稱心如意，快樂無比。
Wishing you peace and love in this Christmas
season, from all your students.
祝老師聖誕節充滿平安和愛。
I hope all your Christmas dreams come true!
願你所有的聖誕夢想都成真！
Hope you enjoy the happiness of Christmas and
all the trimmings.
祝你享盡聖誕佳節的快樂和聖誕的禮品。
I wish you a merry Christmas. Affection and
best wishes to you and yours.
以我所有的愛心與真誠祝你及全家聖誕快樂。
In the season of joy I present my sincerest
wishes and kindest thoughts. May this Christmas
outshine all the rest.
在這歡樂的時節給你我最真的祝福和親切的思念，願你今年的聖誕比往年更璀璨。
May Christmas be a time of laughter and real
joy for you. Best wishes.
願聖誕不僅是你歡笑的時刻，更是你欣喜的日子。祝福你。
May the glow of the Christmas candle fill
your heart with peace and pleasure and make your
New Year's bright. Have a love-filled Christmas
and New Year!
願聖誕的燭光帶給你祥和與喜悅，祝你的聖誕和新年充滿愛。
Christmas should be a time of banked-up
fines, the scent of flowers and wine, good talk,
good memories and loyalties renewed. But if all
else is lacking - love will do.
聖誕是這樣美好的時光：爐火熊熊，花兒芬芳，醇酒飄香，殷殷祝福，美好回憶，恩愛日新。即便沒有一切，隻要有愛便足矣。
With the old wish that is ever new, may the
greeting do its share toward making your
Christmas a pleasant one.
老的祝福，卻又常新，願此祝福使你的聖誕更加愉快圓滿。
Numerous loving wishes for my wife who will
always be my valuable Christmas gift and
everything to me.
無盡的愛戀與祝福，獻給我的愛妻，你永遠是我珍貴的聖誕禮物和我的一切！
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聖誕金曲
Billy Gilman |
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Vienna Boys'Choir |
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“平安夜，聖善夜。萬暗中，光華射，照著聖母也照著聖嬰。聖潔嬰兒多麽純真、多麽可愛，靜享天賜安眠，靜享天賜安眠……”
說到聖誕歌曲，大概沒有哪首能比這首“Silent Night”（《平安夜》）
更廣為人知的了。甚至是，受啟於它美麗的意境，我們中國人時常把“聖誕節前夕”稱作“平安夜”。
據說，《平安夜》誕生於奧地利一個名叫Oberndorf的村子裏，那裏居住著許多藝術天才。每年聖誕前夕，村子裏就會舉行大型的聖誕晚會，在做彌撒時唱許多聖誕歌曲，以此感激耶穌的降臨。
1918年聖誕節前一天，牧師Joseph
Mohr（約瑟夫·馬赫）發現教堂裏的管風琴被可惡的大老鼠咬壞了。夜幕降臨，他難過地走在鄉間小路上，當看到銀色的月光撒滿整個湖麵，一種平安、祥和以及感激之情霎那間充盈心靈。想到一千多年前，耶穌降臨時同樣沒有管風琴伴奏，天使們卻能吟唱出世界上最動聽的歌曲……於是，這首如今幾乎成為聖誕節官方“節歌”的《平安夜》就這樣默無聲息地誕生了。後來，它由奧地利傳入德國，隨即風靡全球。
再現“Silent
Night”的名家不計其數，這裏選的兩個版本分別由流行樂壇最年輕的歌手Billy
Gilman（比利·基文）和擁有“天籟美音”聲譽的Vienna Boys'Choir（維也納童聲合唱團）演繹。
比利·基文的嗓音清澈透明、情感豐沛，讓人感受到無法言及的溫柔和喜悅。這個孩子與其他童星最大的區別是，他的聲音盡管稚嫩卻頗具大將風範。這正是他吸引世界的特別之處：成人在他的歌聲中既可以得到向往已久的純真，又可以避免陷入過分稚氣、乳臭未幹的孩童囈語裏。
有別於比利·基文的流行風，維也納童聲合唱團采用正統美聲發音，音域寬闊，令人肅然敬穆。這群清一色男孩團體聲音柔和，發出一種近似女聲，卻又比女聲更加純淨聖潔的音色。在他們的吟唱中，你既能尋覓到莊嚴靜謐的教堂氛圍，又能回到純真美好的至善時光。
Lyrics
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round
your Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born
(Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from Heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing
Hallelujah
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born)
Words & phrases
1．Hallelujah：哈利路亞（讚美上帝用語）
Christmas words concerned
**Where does the
word "Christmas" come from?
Christmas = Christ - Mass = "The Mass of Christ"
Christ = Jesus Christ
"Mass" = Roman Catholic religious Church service of
"mass".
The word "mass" probably comes from the last words of
the service of "mass", which are "you are dismissed" = "missa
est" in Latin. From the Latin word "missa" comes the
English word "mass"
** Why is
December 24th called "Christmas Eve"?
In old times, days started at sunset. So the evening of
the day, the "eve" happened first.
Then we changed to days starting at midnight. Now the
"eve" is evening of the previous day. So "Christmas Eve"
is the day before Christmas.
** What does the
phrase "Boxing Day" mean?
The day after Christmas day when presents are given to
extended family and friends.
Possibly dating from the Middle Ages when the
householder would give presents to the servants and
tradesmen. It is a public holiday in some Commonwealth
countries.
** Why does the
word "Bethlehem" refer to?
A small town in Judea near Jerusalem, where King David
was born and the birthplace of Jesus.
** What are the
Christmas songs called?
Christmas Carols - Carols, song used in celebrations and
dances, written for and sung at Christmas.
