美国的圣诞节习俗与圣诞音乐

 　　Millions of Americans will celebrate Christmas on December twenty-fifth. It is the most widely celebrated² religious³ holiday in the United⁴ States.

　　People buy gifts to give to family members and friends. They fill homes and stores with evergreen1 trees and bright, colored lights. They go to parties and prepare special Christmas food. Many people think Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

　　Many Christians⁵ go to church the night before the holiday or on Christmas Day. They celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus Christ¹. Christian2 ministers3 speak about the need for peace and understanding in the world. This is the spiritual4 message of Christmas. Church services include traditional religious songs for the holiday. One of the most popular is "Silent⁶ Night."Many other Americans celebrate Christmas as an important, but non-religious holiday. To all, however, it is a special day of family, food, and exchanging gifts.

　　Christmas is probably the most special day of the year for children. One thing that makes it special is the popular tradition of Santa Claus5.

　　Young children believe that Santa Claus is a fat, kind, old man in a red suit with white fur. They believe that-on the night before Christmas-he travels through the air in a sleigh6 pulled by reindeer7. He enters each house from the top by sliding down the hole in the fireplace8. He leaves gifts for the children under the Christmas tree.

　　Americans spend a lot of time and money buying Christmas presents. The average American family spends about 800 dollars. Stores and shopping centers are crowded at this time of year. More than 20% of goods sold during the year are sold during the weeks before Christmas. This is good for stores and for the American economy⁷.

　　Some people object to spending all this money. They say it is not the real meaning of Christmas. So, they celebrate in other ways. For example, they make Christmas presents, instead of buying them. Or they volunteer to help serve meals to people who have no homes. Or they give money to organizations that help poor people in the United States and around the world.

　　Home and family are the center of the Christmas holiday. For many people, the most enjoyable tradition is buying a Christmas tree and decorating9 it with lights and beautiful objects. On Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, people gather around the tree to open their presents.

　　Another important Christmas tradition involves food. Families prepare many kinds of holiday foods, especially sweets. They eat these foods on the night before Christmas and on Christmas day.

　　For many people, Christmas means⁸ traveling long distances to be with their families. Another Christmas tradition is to go "caroling10."A group of people walk along the street. At each house, they stop and sing a Christmas song, called carol⁹. Student groups also sing carols at schools and shopping centers.

　　Not everyone in the United States celebrates Christmas. Members of the Jewish11 and Muslim12 religions, for example, generally do not. Yet many Americans do take part in some of the traditional performances of the season. One of the most popular is a story told in dance: "The Nutcracker13" ballet14. The music was written by Russian composer15 Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky in 1891.

　　The ballet¹⁰ is about a young girl named Clara. Clara is celebrating Christmas with her family and friends. One of her Christmas presents is a little device16 to open nuts-a nutcracker. It is shaped like a toy soldier. She dreams that the nutcracker comes to life as a good-looking prince.

　　Professional17 dance groups in many American cities perform the ballet at this time of year. They often use students from local ballet schools to dance the part of Clara and the other children in the story. This gives parents a chance to see their children perform.

1 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

4 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

5 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

6 silent   

adj.安静的，不吵闹的，沉默的，无言的；n.(复数)默剧

参考例句：

• Immediately on his beginning to speak,everyone was silent.他一讲话，大家顿时安静下来。
• The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder. 孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。

7 economy   

n.经济；节俭；秩序；机体

参考例句：

• We must do our best to develop the national economy.我们必须努力发展国民经济。
• The country's economy is not very healthy.国家的经济不很景气。

8 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

9 Carol   

n.赞美诗，圣诞颂歌

参考例句：

• Silent Night is my favourite carol.《平安夜》是我最喜欢的圣诞颂歌。
• The people in the church are singing a christmas carol.教堂里的人们正在唱圣诞颂歌。

10 ballet   

n.芭蕾舞

参考例句：

• Angela studied ballet for six years.安吉拉学了六年芭蕾舞。
• She is a celebrated star of ballet.她是一个芭蕾舞明星。