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s light even to the darkest room. In the earlier times, when Christians were persecuted, they were not allowed to practice prayers. Hence, a single candle used to be placed outside the house as a sign that Christian prayers were being conducted inside. 這個傳統(tǒng)指的是人們會在圣誕期間在屋子外面放一支點燃的蠟燭。即便在最黑暗的屋子,蠟燭也能帶來光明,寓意希望。早些年代,也就是基督徒深受迫害的時候,他們被禁止布道禱告。因此,基督徒們在屋外放一支蠟燭,暗示他們?nèi)栽谛睦锬\告。 Sending gifts to loved ones 給親友送禮物 This tradition es from the story of the three wise men who got gifts for baby Jesus on Christmas. Every Christmas, gifts are exchanged among loved ones, especially children. The story of Santa Claus also es from this tradition. 這個傳統(tǒng)源自一個傳說:三位智者在圣誕節(jié)給嬰兒耶穌送出了禮物。每年圣誕節(jié),親朋好友尤其是孩子們都會互贈禮物,圣誕老人的故事也源自這個傳統(tǒng)。 Christmas cards 圣誕賀卡的起源: The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first ‘Penny Post’ public postal deliveries began. (Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service was the 19th century’s munication revolution, just as is for us today.) As printing methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from about 1860. They became even more popular in Britain when a card could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one halfpenny half the price of an ordinary letter. 圣誕賀卡可追溯到1840年統(tǒng)一便士郵政(uniform penny post)的出現(xiàn),此項改革實現(xiàn)了英國境內(nèi)郵件遞送費用的標準化。(新鐵路運輸系統(tǒng)為公共郵政服務系統(tǒng)創(chuàng)造了條件,成就了19世紀的通信革命,與電子郵件對現(xiàn)代人的影響無異)。隨著印刷術(shù)的改進,從1860年起,每年會生產(chǎn)大量的圣誕賀卡。當郵寄非密封的卡片只要半便士(普通信件郵費的一半)時,郵寄賀卡變得異常流行。 Traditionally, Christmas cards showed religious pictures Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, or other parts of the Christmas story. Today, pictures are often jokes, winter pictures, Father Christmas, or romantic scenes of life in past times. 從傳統(tǒng)上來講,圣誕賀卡都印有一些基督教方面的圖片,比如圣母瑪麗,約瑟和小耶穌,或者其它包含有圣誕故事意義的圖片。今天的圣誕賀卡通常是笑話、冬季景致,圣誕老人以及一些反應生活中浪漫場面的圖片。 為什么圣誕節(jié)要戴紅色的圣誕帽,英國人圣誕節(jié)戴紙帽子的悠久傳統(tǒng) All over Britain on Christmas Day, families can be found sitting around their dining tables enjoying a traditional lunch of roast turkey with all the trimmings and all, regardless of age, wearing coloured paper hats. It is rumoured that even the Queen wears her paper hat over lunch! 圣誕節(jié)當天,全英國的家庭都會坐在餐桌前,吃一頓傳統(tǒng)的圣誕大餐,塞滿了各種餡料的烤火雞。無論年齡老幼,所有人都會在頭上戴一頂彩色紙做成的紙