Christmas

圣诞节

It all began about 2,000 years ago. An angel appeared to a Jewish girl named Mary and gave her good news: You will have a son. His name will be Jesus, the Savior. When the baby was almost due, Mary and her fiance Joseph went to their hometown, Bethlehem, for a census¹. The only place they could find to stay was an animal stable. There the special baby was born.

这一切大约是在两千年前开始的，一位天使向一位叫马利亚的犹太女孩显现，并且告诉她好消息：「你将怀孕生子，给他起名叫耶稣，就是救世主。」当马利亚的产期近了的时候，马利亚和的未婚夫约瑟因户口调查的缘故回到家乡伯利恒城。他们所找到唯一能够落脚的地方是一个动物住的地方。这位特别的婴孩就在那里出生。

Angels announced the joyful² news to some shepherds. They left their sheep and hurried to see the baby. Some time later, wise men from the East saw an unusual star. They knew someone great had been born. The star led them to Bethlehem. When they found the child Jesus, they offered him gifts fit for a king.

天使对一些牧羊人报告这个大喜的讯息。他们便丢下自己的羊赶去看这位婴孩。不久之后，东方的博士看见一颗很不寻常的星星，他们知道某位伟人诞生了。这颗星将他们引导到伯利恒，当他们找到了孩童耶稣时，他们献上了适合国王身份的礼物。

The celebration of this special birth came to be called Christmas. Through the ages, people developed many Christmas traditions. The custom of decorating Christmas trees began centuries ago. People in many ancient cultures decorated homes with trees and greenery in winter. In the Middle Ages, Christians³ in Europe added lights and religious symbols to evergreens⁴ to make Christmas trees. Santa Claus has become one of the most famous Christmas figures, particularly in America. His legend started with a kind bishop⁵ named St. Nicholas who lived around 300 A.D. and was known for his generosity⁶. The practice of giving Christmas gifts comes from the gifts offered to the child Jesus by the wise men of the East. The star on top of the Christmas tree symbolizes⁷ the star that led the wise men to Jesus.

为这个特别诞生所做的庆祝被称为圣诞节。经过这些年，人们发展出了许多圣诞节的传统，装饰圣诞树的习俗在数百年前开始。在许多古老文化中，人们在冬天利用树和绿叶植物装饰自己的家。在中世纪，欧洲的基督徒在万年青上面加上灯光和宗教象征物成为圣诞树。圣诞老公公已经成了最有名的圣诞节人物之一，尤其是在美国。他的传说始自纪元前三百年左右，一个叫做圣尼古拉斯的仁慈主教，他以慷慨仁慈而出名。而在圣诞节送礼物的习惯则是始自那些由东方而来的博士将礼物送给耶稣。圣诞树顶上的星星象征着那颗引导博士找到耶稣的星星。

Sometimes Christmas can become just a ritual. Many Americans see Christmas as just a time for shopping for the perfect gift. Advertisers and businesses begin promoting Christmas earlier every year. Stores remind customers of how many shopping days are left until Christmas. It's almost a modern Christmas custom to spend too much money! Credit card debts often take months to pay off. Even children can become materialistic⁸. They think only of what they will get from Santa Claus.

有时候，圣诞节变得非常形式化。许多美国人把圣诞节当成只是一个购买「最佳礼物」的时刻。广告公司和商人开始一年比一年提早为圣诞节打广告，商店也会提醒顾客在圣诞节之前还有几天可以购物，过量的花费几乎已成了现代的圣诞节习惯！用信用卡代付的金额通常要好几个月才能偿清。即使小孩也变得很物质主义，他们只想到自己会从圣诞老公公那里得到什么礼物。

Despite the hustle⁹ and bustle¹⁰ of the Christmas Rush, most Americans feel Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It's a time of excitement, a time of joy, a time to show love in special ways. Best of all, Christmas is not just for Americans. Christmas is for everybody in the world. Christmas is the celebration of God's gift to the world-Jesus.

除了这些因圣诞节而来的忙忙碌碌，大部份的美国人仍然认为圣诞节是一年之中最美好的时间。它是一个兴奋、喜乐并且用特别的方式来表达爱的时候。最好的是，圣诞节不只是为美国人预备的，圣诞节是为了世界上的每一个人预备的，它是为了庆祝上帝给世人的礼物──耶稣。