欧美人文风情第169篇:英式圣诞怎么过?!

 Burning letters to Father Christmas, setting off explosives at the dinner table? 烧信给圣诞老人、在餐桌上让爆裂物炸开？

These may seem crazy to you, but they're perfectly¹ normal behavior at a British Christmas, 这些对你而言可能看似疯狂，但它们在英式圣诞节中－－或我们有时称它“剩蛋节”

or as we sometimes call it, "Crimbo." －－可是再正常不过的行为了。

Here are 10 Christmas traditions that never made it to America. 这里是十个未能传到美国的圣诞习俗。

Letters to Father Christmas. 给圣诞老人的信

In America, kids write letters to Santa and put them in the mailbox, 在美国，小朋友写信给圣诞老人，并将它们放到信箱里，

but in England, we toss them straight in the fire. 但在英国，我们直接把信丢到火堆里。

We're not trying to make children cry. 我们不是在试着把小孩弄哭。

Burning the letters sends them directly to the North Pole, where Santa can read your Christmas wishes in the smoke. 燃烧信件将它们直接送到北极，在那圣诞老人可以直接在烟里读到你的耶诞愿望。

Yes, it may seem a little weird², but it does save on postage. 没错，这看起来可能有点怪异，但这真的省了邮资。

Hanging stockings. 挂袜子

American children traditionally hang stockings around the fireplace for Santa to fill with presents, 美国小孩传统上会将袜子挂在火炉周围好让圣诞老人装满礼物，

but in the UK, we hang stockings around the bed. 但在英国，我们把袜子挂在床周围。

Being surrounded by presents is a great way to wake up on Christmas morning, 被礼物包围是个在圣诞节早晨醒来很好的方式，

and a great way to let Father Christmas, a total stranger who's been watching you all year, 也是个让圣诞老人－－一个观察你整年的全然陌生人

get really close to your sleeping body. －－非常靠近你熟睡身体的超棒方法。

Sweet dreams! Also, instead of leaving out milk and cookies for Father Christmas, 做个好梦吧!此外，我们不是留给圣诞老人牛奶和饼干，

we leave him brandy and a mince³ pie because he is a grown-up. 我们反而留给他白兰地和果馅派，因为圣诞老人是个成年人了。

Christmas crackers⁵. 圣诞爆竹

A cracker⁴ may not seem like the most festive⁶ thing to serve on Christmas dinner, 爆竹听起来似乎不太像圣诞大餐上提供的最应景物品，

but these are not the type of crackers that you put cheese on. 但这些可不是你抹上起司的那种饼干。

A Christmas cracker is a brightly decorated cardboard tube filled with fun prizes. 圣诞爆竹是个装满有趣奖品、装饰鲜艳的硬纸筒。

When grabbed and pulled apart, a tiny explosive inside makes a loud cracking noise, hence the name. 当被抓住并拉开时，一个在里面的极小爆裂物制造出响亮的霹啪声，因此得名。

Inside the cracker is usually a cheesy plastic prize, a paper crown, and a terrible joke. 爆竹里通常是一个俗气的塑胶奖品、一顶纸王冠，还有一个糟糕的笑话。

"Why are ghosts so bad at lying?" “为什么鬼那么不会说谎？”

"Because you can see right through them." “因为你可以直接看透它们。”

I'm so sorry. 我真的很该死。

Christmas hats. 圣诞帽

Inside the Christmas cracker are colorful paper hats that it is absolutely mandatory⁷ to wear. 圣诞爆竹里是绝对强制要戴上的缤纷纸帽。

In fact, 90 percent of Christmas arguments stand from trying to make to your grumpiest relative put that paper crown on. 实际上，百分之九十的圣诞争执来自试着让你最坏脾气的亲戚戴上那纸王冠。

The other 10 percent comes from playing Monopoly because there are some Christmas traditions that we share, unfortunately. 另外那百分之十则来自玩大富翁，因为确实有些我们共享的圣诞节传统，很不幸地。

Christmas dinner. 圣诞大餐

A British Christmas dinner is just as big a feast as an American one. 一顿英式圣诞大餐是个和美国的一样盛大的飨宴。

The main dish is usually roast turkey, often surrounded by bacon-wrapped chipolatas, which are many pork sausages. 主菜通常是烤火鸡，经常被培根卷小香肠环绕着，也就是很多猪肉香肠。

Bacon-wrapped miniature pork sausages, now, that's a tradition that you Americans should get behind. 培根卷迷你猪肉香肠，现在，那可是个你们美国人应该支持的传统。

We serve the turkey with roast potatoes and veggies, traditionally brussels sprouts⁸, which are gross, but it's tradition, 我们将火鸡伴着烤马铃薯和蔬菜端上，就传统来说是球芽甘蓝，那很恶心，但这是传统，

so we eat them anyway. 所以我们无论如何都吃下它们。

We have gravy⁹ to smother¹⁰ everything in, and something called "bread sauce," which isn't a sauce to put on bread, 我们有肉汁来浸泡所有东西，还有一种叫做“面包酱”的东西，它不是种用来抹在面包上的酱，

but a sauce that's thickened with bread, which looks a little lumpy but tastes delicious. 而是种用面包变浓厚的酱，它看起来有点疙疙瘩瘩的但尝起来很美味。

Then we eat until we can't move and watch telly until we pass out. Sound familiar? 然后我们吃到我们动不了，并看电视看到我们昏过去为止。听起来很耳熟吧？

Christmas pudding. 圣诞布丁

Americans love to have their pumpkin¹¹ and pecan pies for Christmas dessert, 美国人喜欢吃他们的南瓜和核桃派来当圣诞甜点，

but in the UK, we have Christmas pudding. 但在英国，我们吃圣诞布丁。

This is a very dense¹² boiled cake, flavored with dried fruit and spices; 这是种非常扎实的蒸烤蛋糕，使用果干和香料调味；

it's then soaked in alcohol, aged¹³ for several months, boiled again, soaked in alcohol again, and then set on fire. 它接着被浸在酒里、存放好几个月、再次蒸烤、再次浸到酒里，然后点火燃烧。

Come to a British Christmas. We soak everything in alcohol and then light it on fire. 快来英国的圣诞节。我们把所有东西泡到酒里，然后点火烧它。

The Royal Christmas message. 皇室圣诞致辞

That's right. Every Christmas day, Her Majesty¹⁴ the Queen gives a holiday speech reflecting on the events of the past year. 没错。每个圣诞节，女王陛下会发表一个回忆过去一年事件的节庆演讲。

We all sit around pretending to pay attention but secretly carrying on with whatever it was we were doing before. 我们全围坐着，假装专心但却偷偷继续着任何我们先前在做的事。

Think of it as the State of the Union but with much more gold. 就把它当成国情咨文，不过多了许多黄金。

Boxing Day. 赠礼节

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day. 赠礼节是圣诞节后一天。

Its origins are debatable. Some said that it's a day when workers would receive a box of gifts from their bosses, 它的起源未定论。有些人说这是劳工会从他们老板那收到一盒礼物的日子，

others said that it's a day when people would box up gifts for the poor, 其他人则说这是个人们会包装礼物给穷人的日子，

but the main thing that happens on Boxing Day nowadays is shopping. 但现今在赠礼节发生的主要大事就是血拼。

It's kind of like a Black Friday, only nobody gets trampled¹⁵ to death. 这有点像是黑色星期五，不过没人被踩死就是了。

Pantomime. 哑剧

Every year around the Christmas hols, pretty much every theater in the country puts on a pantomime. 每年将近圣诞假期时，几乎国内每家戏院会演出一出哑剧。

These are plays for kids based on fairy tales such as Cinderella and Aladdin, 这些是根据例如《仙履奇缘》和《阿拉丁》的童话故事演给小孩看的戏剧，

and involving a lot of high camp cross-dressing and audience interaction. 且包含许多拙劣又高明的男扮女装和观众互动。

They're normally starring jaded¹⁶ celebrities¹⁷, 哑剧通常由过气名人主演 ，

so if the idea of seeing David Hasslehoff in a dress excites you, you should definitely check one out. 所以如果看 David Hasslehoff 穿洋装的主意让你兴奋，你一定得去瞧一瞧。

Taking down the Christmas tree. 撤下圣诞树

We Brits believe that the Christmas tree and decorations should be taken down within 12 days of Christmas—otherwise you'll have bad luck for the rest of the year. 我们英国人相信圣诞树以及装饰品应该要在圣诞节后不超过十二日内被撤下－－不然你接下来整年都会走衰运。

This is maybe a tradition that Americans should consider adopting. 这可能是个美国人应该考虑一下采纳的传统 。

I've certainly seen people keep that old, brown, dried, withered¹⁸ Christmas tree until almost the fourth of July. 我肯定曾看过人们留着那棵又老、又焦黄、又干、又枯萎的圣诞树到都要七月四号了。

Those are some of the major differences between British and American Christmases. 那些是一些英式和美式圣诞节间的主要差异。

Thanks for watching. Subscribe¹⁹ for more episodes, and let us know in the comments what you think is the most important part of a proper British Christmas. 谢谢收看。订阅以看更多集，在留言区让我们知道什么是你认为一个正统英式圣诞节中最重要的部分。

Happy Crimbo! 圣诞快乐!

 

1 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

3 mince   

n.切碎物；v.切碎，矫揉做作地说

参考例句：

• Would you like me to mince the meat for you?你要我替你把肉切碎吗？
• Don't mince matters,but speak plainly.不要含糊其词，有话就直说吧。

4 cracker   

n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干

参考例句：

• Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
• There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。

5 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

8 sprouts   

n.新芽，嫩枝( sprout的名词复数 )v.发芽( sprout的第三人称单数 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• The wheat sprouts grew perceptibly after the rain. 下了一场雨，麦苗立刻见长。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The sprouts have pushed up the earth. 嫩芽把土顶起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 gravy   

n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快

参考例句：

• You have spilled gravy on the tablecloth.你把肉汁泼到台布上了。
• The meat was swimming in gravy.肉泡在浓汁之中。

10 smother   

vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息

参考例句：

• They tried to smother the flames with a damp blanket.他们试图用一条湿毯子去灭火。
• We tried to smother our laughter.我们强忍住笑。

11 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！

12 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

13 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

14 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

15 trampled   

踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：

• He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。
• People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。

16 jaded   

adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
• Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

18 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

19 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。