欧美人文风情第380篇:圣诞树到底是怎么来的？

 Every year, people all across the globe celebrate the Christmas season with all sorts of lights and decorations. 每年，世界各地庆祝圣诞季时会布置各式各样的灯饰或饰品。

But no holiday decoration is more iconic than the Christmas tree. 但最具代表性的节庆装饰物莫过于圣诞树了。

But have you ever wondered, Why do we decorate trees to celebrate Christmas? Let's find out on today's episode of Colossal² Questions. 但你是否曾经好奇，为什么庆祝圣诞节要装饰圣诞树呢？一起在今天这集《大哉问》中找出答案吧。

Most historians agree that the very first Christmas tree was decorated over 1,300 years ago in modern-day Germany. 多数历史学家赞同，第一棵被装饰的圣诞树出现在一千三百年前的德国。

As the old story goes, an English missionary³ named Saint Boniface traveled to Germany in the 700s. 这个古老故事是这样的：圣波尼法爵是位英国传教士，在公元八世纪时前往德国传教。

While in Germany, he came across a group of Norse pagans, who were preparing to make a sacrifice to the sacred oak tree. 在那里，他遇上一群北欧异教徒，他们正准备向神圣的橡树献祭。

Boniface stopped the sacrifice by cutting down the oak tree with one swing of an ax. 圣波尼法爵斧头一挥砍断橡树，终止了献祭仪式。

And according to the legend, a fir tree sprang up in the spot where the oak tree had been standing⁴. 据说，原先橡树生长的地方长出了一棵冷杉树。

Now, that story is just an old legend. Saint Boniface never really cut down a tree, and a fir tree never really sprung up instantly in its place. 这故事不过是个古老传说。圣波尼法爵从未砍倒橡树，橡树生长处也没有立刻长出一棵冷杉树。

But what is true is that the Christmas tree is a melding of pagan and Christian⁵ traditions. 但有件事是真的，那就是圣诞树结合了异教徒和基督教传统。

Okay, so, that's where the Christmas tree comes from, but how did it go from a story about a fir tree to lights and ornaments⁶ in our living room? 好，这是圣诞树的由来，但这棵冷杉树又是如何发展成我们客厅中挂满灯饰和饰品的圣诞树的呢？

Well, it started to take shape during the Middle Ages when churches began decorating living fir trees with apples on Christmas Eve. 嗯，最早可以追溯到中世纪，当时教堂开始在平安夜时用苹果装饰冷杉树。

They didn't call them Christmas trees yet, though. Back then, they were known as "Paradise Trees." 但那时还不叫圣诞树。在当时，那些树被称作“天堂树”。

By the mid-1500s, people started adding lit candles to the fir trees to go with the apples. 到了 16 世纪中，人们开始在苹果旁摆上蜡烛作为装饰。

Slowly but surely, the Christmas tree as we known it today was starting to take shape. 从那时开始，这种传统就缓慢而稳定地发展成我们今日熟知的圣诞树。

It wasn't until 1841 that Christmas trees became widely known outside of Germany. 不过直到 1841 年，圣诞树才在德国以外地区广为人知。

That's because Queen Victoria of England married a German prince named Albert. 这是因为维多利亚女王嫁给德国的阿尔伯特亲王。

That winter, he began the custom of decorating a large Christmas tree at the queen's castle. In those days, Queen Victoria wasn't just a queen. 那年冬天，阿尔伯特亲王在女王的城堡开启装饰大型圣诞树的传统。在当时，维多利亚女王不只是女王。

She was also a fashion icon¹. So everything she did became fashionable. 更是时尚指标。因此她的一举一动都会成为流行。

So, after a print was published of the queen and her family in front of their decorated fir tree, Christmas trees became all the rage across the Western world. 当维多利亚女王一家站在装饰的冷杉树前的照片刊登出来，圣诞树开始蔚为风潮，席卷了西方世界。

In the United States, Christmas trees were mostly just decorated by German immigrants who came to the U.S. and lived in places like Pennsylvania. 在美国，早期会装饰圣诞树的大多是来自宾州的德国移民。

It wasn't until the invention of the electric light that Christmas trees really took off in America. 直到电灯发明后，圣诞树才开始盛行。

People across the country loved it. And just like that, the modern Christmas tree was born. 圣诞树也深受全国人民喜爱。就这样，现代圣诞树诞生了。

And now you know why we put up trees at Christmastime. Comment below if you have a question you'd like to know the answer to. 而现在，你已经知道我们为什么会在圣诞时节立圣诞树。如果有问题想问，欢迎在下方留言。

And don't forget to subscribe⁷ for more episodes of Colossal Questions! Only on DreamWorksTV. 另外也别忘了订阅我们的频道，观看更多《大哉问》!只在 DreamWorksTV 频道。

 

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

3 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。