圣诞节起源 2
Origins of Christmas 2
翻译
The Winter Solstice celebrations of Saturnalia and Yule predated Christmas.
冬至的庆祝活动农神节和Yule节早于圣诞节。
So when did Christmas actually become "Christmas"?
那么圣诞节是何时正式成为“圣诞节”的呢？
Sometime during the fourth century, the Roman Catholic Church made the decision to acknowledge the date of December 25 as the birthday of Jasus Christ.
四世纪的某个时候，罗马天主教会决定将12月25日定为耶稣基督的诞辰。
The actual date of Jesus birth was unknown, yet Christmas longed for a day on which they could celebrate.
耶稣真正的诞生日无从知晓，然而基督徒渴望能有一天来庆祝。
The Church chose this late December day because of the already existing Winter Solstice celebrations, that most cultures were accustomed to recognizing during that portion of the year.
教会选择12月末的这一天，因为已有的冬至庆祝活动，让大多数文化都已经习惯承认一年中的这几天举行庆典。
Throughout the Middle Ages, churches across Europe began holding special services known as a Mass on December 25.
整个中世纪，欧洲各地的教堂都在12月25日举行特别的弥撒仪式。
These services became known as Christ Mass, which eventually led to the modern name of holiday "Christmas".
这些仪式被称为基督弥撒，并最终变成了现代节日“圣诞节”的名字。
However, most of us would not recognize a Christmas celebration from the Middle Ages.
然而，我们大多数人都不承认中世纪都圣诞节庆祝活动。
Christmas was a spirited time full of mischief and hijinks.
圣诞节充满了生机，到处都是恶作剧和狂欢。
Merry revelers would visit the homes of the wealthy, where they would bang on their doors and demand entry.
微醉的狂欢者回去拜访富人家，敲他们的门，要求进去。
Once inside, they would refuse to leave until they were served the best food and drink.
一旦进去，他们就不愿再离开，除非好吃好喝的招待他们。
If the homeowner refused, the visitors were threatened to play a trick or a prank.
如果主人拒绝，访客就会威胁说要捉弄他们。
Believe it or not, in 1652, Christmas was actually outlawed in England and the New England colonies, partially because some thought it was too wild amongst many other reasons.
说来你可能不信，1652年，圣诞节在英格兰和新英格兰殖民地是非法的，部分原因是一些人认为圣诞节太疯狂了。
Businesses were even forced to stay open on Christmas day.
商店甚至被迫在圣诞节当天营业。
However, people refused to stop celebrating.
然而人们拒绝停止庆祝。
They simply hid their festivities from their authorities.
他们在隐瞒当局的情况下庆祝。
In 1656, Christmas was restored as a legal holiday.
1656年，圣诞节恢复为法定节日。
In the late 1700s, in America, Christmas was viewed as an English holiday.
18世纪末，在美国圣诞节被视为英国的节日。
And since the Americans had just fought the revolutionary war against the English, they wanted no part of such a holiday.
因为美国人刚刚赢得了独立战争，他们不想庆祝这样的节日。
Therefore, for many years, December 25 was just another day in America.
因此，多年来，12月25日在美国只是普通的一天。
Finally, sometimes around the 1820s, Christmas began the process of taking on its modern shape.
最后，在19世纪20年代，圣诞节开始呈现其现代的形态。
As more and more Americans began celebrating the holiday, traditions began to emerge and spread from place to place.
随着越来越多的美国人开始庆祝这个节日，传统开始兴起并在各地传播。
Eventually, Christmas would become the holiday that we all know and love.
最终，圣诞节成为了我们熟知且热爱的节日。
生词统计
| 单词 | 音标 | 音标 |
|---|---|---|
| predate | ˌpriːˈdeɪt | v. 在日期上早于 |
| catholic | kæθəlɪk | adj. 天主教的、宽宏大量的； n. 天主教徒、罗马天主教 |
| accustom | əˈkʌstəm | v. 使习惯于、使适应 |
| mischief | ˈmɪstʃɪf | n. 恶作剧、伤害、顽皮 |
| hijinks | ˈhaɪdʒɪŋks | n. 狂欢作乐 |
| threaten | ˈθretn | v. 威胁、k恐吓 |
| emerge | ɪˈmɜːrdʒ | v. 浮现、摆脱、暴露 |
原文阅读
The Winter Solstice celebrations of Saturnalia and Yule predated Christmas.
So when did Christmas actually become "Christmas"?
Sometime during the fourth century, the Roman Catholic Church made the decision to acknowledge the date of December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ.
The actual date of Jesus birth was unknown, yet Christians longed for a day on which they could celebrate.
The Church chose this late December day because of the already existing Winter Solstice celebrations, that most cultures were accustomed to recognizing during that portion of the year.
Throughout the Middle Ages, churches across Europe began holding special services known as a Mass on December 25.
These services became known as Christ Mass, which eventually led to the modern name of holiday "Christmas".
However, most of us would not recognize a Christmas celebration from the Middle Ages.
Christmas was a spirited time full of mischief and hijinks.
Merry revelers would visit the homes of the wealthy, where they would bang on their doors and demand entry.
Once inside, they would refuse to leave until they were served the best food and drink.
If the homeowner refused, the visitors were threatened to play a trick or a prank.
Believe it or not, in 1652, Christmas was actually outlawed in England and the New England colonies, partially because some thought it was too wild amongst many other reasons.
Businesses were even forced to stay open on Christmas day.
However, people refused to stop celebrating.
They simply hid their festivities from their authorities.
In 1656, Christmas was restored as a legal holiday.
In the late 1700s, in America, Christmas was viewed as an English holiday.
And since the Americans had just fought the revolutionary war against the English, they wanted no part of such a holiday.
Therefore, for many years, December 25 was just another day in America.
Finally, sometimes around the 1820s, Christmas began the process of taking on its modern shape.
As more and more Americans began celebrating the holiday, traditions began to emerge and spread from place to place.
Eventually, Christmas would become the holiday that we all know and love.