聖誕樹,聖誕襪……你知道這些習俗怎麼來的嗎
Christmas Card
聖誕卡片
Having helped set up the Public Records Office (now the Post Office), Sir Henry Cole and artist John Horsley created the first Christmas card in 1843 as a way of encouraging people to use its services.
在協助成立了公共檔案室（後發展成現代郵局）之後，亨利·科爾爵士和藝術家約翰·霍斯利在1843年一起製作了世界上第一張聖誕卡片，以此來鼓勵人們使用公共檔案室的服務。
Cards cost a shilling (equivalent to almost ￡5.75 now) and stamps a penny (about 40p at modern prices). Advances in printing brought prices down, making cards hugely popular by the 1860s. By 1900 the custom of sending Christmas cards had spread throughout Europe.
當時一張聖誕卡值一先令（大致相當於現在的5.75鎊），一張郵票一便士（大概相當於今天的40便士）。印刷術的進步使得卡片和郵票更加便宜，也讓聖誕卡片在19世紀60年代變得極爲流行。到1900年時，贈送聖誕卡片的習俗已經傳遍歐洲。
The Christmas Tree
聖誕樹
While Christmas trees have been around for a millennium in northern Europe, the first one did not appear in the UK until the 1830s. When Prince Albert put up a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841, he started what became an evergreen trend.
儘管聖誕樹已經在北歐流行了近千年，但英國直到19世紀30年代纔有了第一棵真正意義上的聖誕樹。1841年，當阿爾伯特親王在溫莎城堡上第一次豎起聖誕樹的時候，他開啓了這一長青不衰的傳統。
Mince Pies
百果餡餅
Early mince pies were made of meat, fruit and spice and inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine brought back by the Crusaders.
受十字軍東征帶回的中東飲食啓發，早期的百果餡餅包含了肉餡、水果和香料。
They commonly had 13 ingredients representing Christ and the Apostles, and were formed in a large oval shape to represent the manger. Meat had disappeared from the recipe by Victorian times, although beef suet is often still included.
通常來說，百果餡餅包含13種原料，分別代表着耶穌和十二使徒。而餡餅的橢圓形狀則代表着耶穌降生的馬槽。自維多利亞時期起，配料就不再包含肉餡了，但牛油仍然是常用原料。
Stockings
聖誕長襪
Leaving stockings out at Christmas goes back to the legend of St Nicholas. Known as the gift giver, on one occasion he sent bags of gold down a chimney at the home of a poor man who had no dowry for his unmarried daughters. The gold fell into stockings left hanging to dry. St Nicholas was later referred to by the Dutch as Sinterklaas and eventually, by English-speakers, as Santa Claus.
在聖誕節擺放聖誕長襪的傳統，要追溯到聖·尼古拉斯的事蹟。他是一個樂善好施的人。曾經有個窮人付不起女兒的嫁妝，他就順着那家人的煙囪，往他家裏扔了幾包黃金。黃金正好掉進了掛在壁爐烘乾的襪子裏。聖·尼古拉斯後來被荷蘭人稱作“Sinterklaas”，最終被英語國家的人稱作“聖誕老人”。
Holly and ivy
冬青與常青藤
Synonymous with Christmas and the subject of a traditional British folk carol, both holly and ivy were originally used in pre-Christian times to celebrate the winter solstice. As they provide a rare splash of colour in the darkest month of the year, their popularity has endured.
這兩種植物與聖誕節簡直就是同義詞，它們也是一首英國傳統民謠的主題。早在基督教之前，冬青和常青藤就被用來慶祝冬至了。它們在一年中最灰暗的月份裏難得地爲大地增添了一抹顏色，因此它們也就一直備受歡迎。
Christmas crackers
聖誕爆竹
London sweet-maker Tom Smith invented Christmas crackers in the late 1840s, inspired by traditional, paper-wrapped French bonbons. Even though he included mottos or riddles inside each, it was not until he found a way to make them "crack" when pulled apart that sales took off. His sons Tom, Walter and Henry later added hats and novelty gifts.
倫敦的糖果師湯姆·史密斯受法國傳統紙卷的小糖果啓發，在19世紀40年代末發明了聖誕爆竹。儘管他在每個爆竹裏都放了格言和謎語，但銷量一直不是很好。直到他找到了一種方法，讓爆竹被拉開的時候能“爆”，銷售量才突飛猛進。他的兒子湯姆、沃爾特和亨利後來又給爆竹加進小帽子和新奇的禮物。
Turkey
火雞
Turkeys originated in Mexico and were first brought to Britain in 1526 by William Strickland. Henry VIII enjoyed turkey and although the bird became fashionable in high society in the late 19th century it was Edward VII who made it de rigueur at Christmas for the middle classes.
吃火雞的習俗起源於墨西哥，最初由威廉·斯特瑞蘭德在1526年引入英國。亨利八世很喜歡吃火雞。儘管這道菜在19世紀晚期已經成爲上流社會的最愛，但最終是愛德華七世把吃火雞變成中產階層的節日必備活動。
Even by 1930, however, it took a week's wages to buy one and turkey remained a luxury until the 1950s.
但即使到了1930年，買一隻火雞也得花上一週的薪水，因此直到20世紀50年代爲止，吃火雞一直是一種奢侈的享受。
Christmas Pudding
聖誕布丁
Also known as plum or figgy pudding, this Christmas staple possibly has its roots as far back as the Middle Ages in a wheat-based pottage known as frumenty. By the mid 17th century, it was thicker and had developed into a dessert with the addition of eggs, dried fruit and alcohol.
聖誕布丁也叫作梅子布丁或無花果布丁。這款聖誕的主菜可能要追溯到中世紀的一種叫做牛奶麥粥的食物，它主要以小麥爲原料。到了17世紀中葉，它漸漸變厚，並加入了雞蛋、乾果和酒精而變成了一種甜點。
In Victorian times plum pudding was a Christmas favourite. It is traditionally made a week before Advent on what is known as "stir-up Sunday".
在維多利亞時代，梅子布丁是基督徒們最喜歡的食物之一。傳統上，梅子布丁要在基督降臨節的前一週製作，那一天被稱作“喚醒星期日”。
Mistletoe
槲寄生
Hanging mistletoe in the home is an ancient pagan practice adopted by early Christians. The word itself is Anglo-Saxon and the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe originated in England. Each kiss required a berry to be plucked until none remained.
在屋裏掛一束槲寄生是早期基督徒從古代異教習俗中吸納的一種做法。這個詞本身是盎克魯-撒克遜語，在槲寄生下接吻這一傳統則起源於英格蘭。每一次親吻都要摘除一顆槲寄生的漿果，直到摘完爲止。
Christmas Carols
聖誕頌歌
Carols were songs and dances of praise and joy in pagan times and the practice of carol singing carried over into the Christian era. Carols have been written through the centuries but the most familiar date from Victorian times. Today, popular songs such as Bing Crosby's White Christmas and Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody are just as much a part of Christmas as carols.
頌歌是異教時期用來表達讚美和愉悅的歌舞形式，唱頌歌這一習慣後來被帶入到基督教時代。幾個世紀以來都有聖誕頌歌的作品不斷被創作出來，但最有名的要數維多利亞時期的那些。今天，流行的聖誕歌曲包括賓·克羅斯比演唱的“白色聖誕節”，以及斯萊德的“大家聖誕快樂”，這些頌歌都是聖誕的一部分。
