【功夫汉语】圣诞树，圣诞袜，还有那圣诞卡，你知道这些习俗怎么来的吗？[中英双语]( 二 ) 要价|放到|价值|街头

冬青与常青藤Holly and ivy
Synonymous with Christmas and the subject of a traditional British folk carol, both holly and ivy were originally used in pre-Christian times to celebrate the winter solstice. As they provide a rare splash of colour in the darkest month of the year, their popularity has endured.这两种植物与圣诞节简直就是同义词，它们也是一首英国传统民谣的主题。早在基督教之前，冬青和常青藤就被用来庆祝冬至了。它们在一年中最灰暗的月份里难得地为大地增添了一抹颜色，因此它们也就一直备受欢迎。
圣诞爆竹Christmas crackers
London sweet-maker Tom Smith invented Christmas crackers in the late 1840s, inspired by traditional, paper-wrapped French bonbons. Even though he included mottos or riddles inside each, it was not until he found a way to make them “crack” when pulled apart that sales took off. His sons Tom, Walter and Henry later added hats and novelty gifts.伦敦的糖果师汤姆·史密斯受法国传统纸卷的小糖果启发，在19世纪40年代末发明了圣诞爆竹。尽管他在每个爆竹里都放了格言和谜语，但销量一直不是很好。直到他找到了一种方法，让爆竹被拉开的时候能“爆”，销售量才突飞猛进。他的儿子汤姆、沃尔特和亨利后来又给爆竹加进小帽子和新奇的礼物。
火鸡Turkey
Turkeys originated in Mexico and were first brought to Britain in 1526 by William Strickland. Henry VIII enjoyed turkey and although the bird became fashionable in high society in the late 19th century it was Edward VII who made it de rigueur at Christmas for the middle classes.吃火鸡的习俗起源于墨西哥，最初由威廉·斯特瑞兰德在1526年引入英国。亨利八世很喜欢吃火鸡。尽管这道菜在19世纪晚期已经成为上流社会的最爱，但最终是爱德华七世把吃火鸡变成中产阶层的节日必备活动。
Even by 1930, however, it took a week’s wages to buy one and turkey remained a luxury until the 1950s.但即使到了1930年，买一只火鸡也得花上一周的薪水，因此直到20世纪50年代为止，吃火鸡一直是一种奢侈的享受。

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编辑?圣诞布丁Christmas Pudding
Also known as plum or figgy pudding, this Christmas staple possibly has its roots as far back as the Middle Ages in a wheat-based pottage known as frumenty. By the mid 17th century, it was thicker and had developed into a dessert with the addition of eggs, dried fruit and alcohol.圣诞布丁也叫作梅子布丁或无花果布丁。这款圣诞的主菜可能要追溯到中世纪的一种叫做牛奶麦粥的食物，它主要以小麦为原料。到了17世纪中叶，它渐渐变厚，并加入了鸡蛋、干果和酒精而变成了一种甜点。
In Victorian times plum pudding was a Christmas favourite. It is traditionally made a week before Advent on what is known as “stir-up Sunday”.在维多利亚时代，梅子布丁是基督徒们最喜欢的食物之一。传统上，梅子布丁要在基督降临节的前一周制作，那一天被称作“唤醒星期日”。

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编辑?槲寄生Mistletoe
Hanging mistletoe in the home is an ancient pagan practice adopted by early Christians. The word itself is Anglo-Saxon and the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe originated in England. Each kiss required a berry to be plucked until none remained.在屋里挂一束槲寄生是早期基督徒从古代异教习俗中吸纳的一种做法。这个词本身是盎克鲁-撒克逊语，在槲寄生下接吻这一传统则起源于英格兰。每一次亲吻都要摘除一颗槲寄生的浆果，直到摘完为止。