VOA英语2010年-Troupe Celebrates a Truly Old Fashioned Chri

It's Christmas time in Washington. For hundreds of families in the nation's capital and beyond, that means attending a production of the Christmas Revels¹.

The Revels, festive² Christmas productions featuring traditional songs and dances, have been around for four decades, with affiliated³ production companies in Washington, D.C. and nine other cities across the U.S. The companies choose a different culture to celebrate each year.

This time it's rural England in the 1830s, loosely based on the books of renowned⁴ British novelist Thomas Hardy⁵. Characters in period costume lead the audience through traditional Christmas carols, poems and ancient dances. Many cast members come from the local community. Performers - both professional and non-professional - join together to celebrate the season.

From poignant⁶ solos to brass⁷ quintets to a ritual horn dance, there is something for everyone. There's a variety of carols and a variation on a sword dance. But the audience favorite by far is the sing along.

Greg Lewis is executive director of The Washington Revels and a lead singer. He and his family have been involved with the Revels since 1983.

"Revels are people connecting and it's connecting through this material that's traveled down through generations, and it's the kind of thing that has bound generations together," says Lewis. "In every show, particularly the Christmas show, we bring in what we call tradition bearers. So these are the people who grew up authentically⁸ within their tradition. And they come and they teach us."

For the Connolly family, attending a Revels performance is a yearly tradition.

"The production this year was fabulous," says Craig Connolly. "I think it may be my favorite."

"I liked when we did the whole thing when everybody was holding hands and going around," says Liam Connolly.

"It really gets us in the spirit of what the true meaning of Christmas is," says Kate Connolly.

Every production of the Christmas revels - from New York to San Francisco - is unique in its own way.

1 revels   

n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉

参考例句：

• Christmas revels with feasting and dancing were common in England. 圣诞节的狂欢歌舞在英国是很常见的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dickens openly revels in the book's rich physical detail and high-hearted conflict. 狄更斯对该书中丰富多彩的具体细节描写和勇敢的争斗公开表示欣赏。 来自辞典例句

2 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

3 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

4 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

5 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。

6 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

7 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

8 authentically   

ad.sincerely真诚地

参考例句：

• Gina: And we should give him something 2 authentically Taiwanese. 吉娜：而且我们应该送他有纯正台湾味的东西。
• A loser is one who fails to correspond authentically. 失败者则指那些未能做到诚实可靠的人。