圣誕節(jié)英語資料

　　Christmas, annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Most members of the Roman Catholic Church and followers of Protestantism celebrate Christmas on December 25, and many celebrate on the evening of December 24 as well. Members of the Eastern Orthodox Church usually delay their most important seasonal ceremonies until January 6, when they celebrate Epiphany, a commemoration of the baptism of Jesus. Epiphany also traditionally commemorates the arrival of the Three Wise Men of the East in Bethlehem (near Jerusalem, Israel), where they adored the infant Jesus and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The official Christmas season, popularly known as either Christmastide or the Twelve Days of Christmas, extends from the anniversary of Christ’s birth on December 25 to the feast of Epiphany on January 6.

　　Christmas is based on the story of Jesus’ birth as described in the Gospel according to Matthew (see Matthew 1:18-2:12) and the Gospel according to Luke (see Luke 1:26-56). Roman Catholics first celebrated Christmas, then known as the Feast of the Nativity, as early as 336 ad. The word Christmas entered the English language sometime around 1050 as the Old English phrase Christes maesse, meaning “festival of Christ.” Scholars believe the frequently used shortened form of Christmas—Xmas—may have come into use in the 13th century. The X stands for the Greek letter chi, an abbreviation of Khristos (Christ), and also represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

　　各國圣誕節(jié)習(xí)俗：

　　法國法國中部的色日爾斯地方，每年圣誕節(jié)前后幾天必降大雪，白雪皚皚，令人清新。在西方人眼里，白色圣誕是一種吉祥。在法國，馬槽是最富有特色的圣誕標(biāo)志，因為相傳耶穌是誕生在馬槽旁的。人們大唱頌贊耶穌的圣誕歌之后，必須開懷暢飲，香檳和白蘭地是法國傳統(tǒng)的圣誕美酒。

　　芬蘭芬蘭在12月圣誕節(jié)前后，漫山遍野都是怒放的紫羅蘭，掩映在白色的大地上，望去一片紫紅色，紫色圣誕使人心曠神怡。

　　英國和德國英國人和德國人一樣，圣誕節(jié)喝啤酒，吃烤鵝，他們更喜歡利用圣誕節(jié)假日外出旅游。

　　美國美國人過圣誕節(jié)著重家庭布置，安置圣誕樹，在襪子中塞滿禮物，吃以火雞為主的圣誕大菜，舉行家庭舞會。

　　瑞士瑞士人在圣誕節(jié)前4個星期，就將4支巨型的蠟燭點(diǎn)燃，放在由樹枝裝飾成的一個環(huán)里，每周點(diǎn)1支，當(dāng)點(diǎn)燃第4支后，圣誕節(jié)就到了。

　　丹麥丹麥人對不合意的圣誕禮物，可去商店兌換價格相似的其他商品。