圣诞老人从何而来？：英语精读讲义

On the 24th of December every year,

每年12月24日，

children around the world put out milk and cookies

世界各地的孩子们都会摆出牛奶和饼干

in the hopes of luring a magic fat man into their home 短語搭配

希望能引诱一个神奇的胖子进入他们的家

who will leave presents behind 短語動詞

他会留下礼物

before sneaking into the house next door.

然后再偷偷溜进隔壁邻居的房子。

How did such an odd tradition begin?

这个奇怪的传统是怎么开始的？

You can pretty much blame Northern Europe

你基本上可以怪北欧

where the winter weather is cold and dark and depressing

那里的冬季天气寒冷、黑暗且令人抑郁

and the coldest and darkest and depressingest day

而最冷、最暗、最令人抑郁的日子

is the solstice

就是冬至

on December 21st or 22nd

也就是12月21日或22日

when the sun only gives a few weak hours of light,

那时太阳只能提供几个小时微弱的光芒，

if any at all. 短語搭配

甚至可能根本没有。

These sun-deprived people

这些缺乏阳光的人们

invented magical characters to visit them

发明了会来拜访他们的神奇角色

and lighten the mood by bringing gifts and celebrations. 習語

通过带来礼物和庆典来缓解情绪。

These characters ranged from elves to gods to goats, 語法

这些角色从精灵到神仙再到山羊，无所不包，

but there are two of particular interest to the modern story. 短語搭配

但有两个角色对现代故事特别重要。

The first is Saint Nick in the Netherlands.

第一个是荷兰的 Saint Nick。

Saint Nick is thin and perhaps a bit stern,

Saint Nick 身材瘦长，可能还有点严厉，

but still brings presents to children in early December.

但仍会在12月初给孩子们带来礼物。

He dresses like a bishop in red and white with a staff

他穿着像主教一样的红白相间长袍，手持权杖

and rides on a horse named Amerigo

骑着一匹名叫 Amerigo 的马

for whom Dutch children are encouraged to leave out a carrot. 短語動詞

荷兰的孩子们被鼓励为这匹马留下一根胡萝卜。

Saint Nick is called Sinterklaas in Dutch.

Saint Nick 在荷兰语中被称为 Sinterklaas。

The second character is Father Christmas from England.

第二个角色是来自英国的 Father Christmas。

Father Christmas is a big jolly pagan

Father Christmas 是一个快乐的异教徒大胖子

dressed in green with a holly wreath on his head.

穿着绿衣，头上戴着冬青花环。

Traditionally, he is less concerned with children and gifts 語法

传统上，他不太关心孩子和礼物

than he is with food and wine and celebration

而是更喜欢美食、美酒和庆祝活动

and is perhaps best known for being one of the three spirits of Christmas 講解

也许他最出名的身份是圣诞三精灵之一

who terrorize Scrooge.

就是恐吓 Scrooge 的那几个。

When Europeans settled the colonies, 用詞

当欧洲人在殖民地定居时，

Saint Nick and Father Christmas and the other characters

Saint Nick、Father Christmas 以及其他角色

began to mix together.

开始混合在一起。

This explains why the US version has so many names. 表達脈絡

这就解释了为什么美国版的圣诞老人有这么多名字。

Santa Claus is the Americanization of Sinterklaas, 文化背景

Santa Claus 是 Sinterklaas 的美国化拼法，

but he's also called Saint Nick and Father Christmas and Kris Kringle,

但他也被称为 Saint Nick、Father Christmas 和 Kris Kringle，

which comes from Germany.

最后一个名字来自德国。

In the old world, 文化背景

在旧世界，

these were different characters,

他们是不同的角色，

but in the new world over time,

但在新世界，随着时间的推移，

they evolved into one,

他们演变成了一个，

which you can see happening in the older stories.

你可以在早期的故事中看到这种演变。

For example,

例如，

the poem The Night Before Christmas

诗歌《The Night Before Christmas》

came out in 1823 in New York, 短語動詞

于1823年在纽约出版，

which established that Santa lands on the roof 用詞

它确立了圣诞老人降落在屋顶上

and fills stockings with toys. 短語搭配

并在长筒袜里装满玩具的形象。

But this Santa is an elf

但这里的圣诞老人是一个精灵

much like those from Nordic countries.

很像北欧国家的那些精灵。

He's small and drives a miniature sleigh with tiny reindeer,

他身材矮小，驾驶着由微型驯鹿拉着的迷你雪橇，

which makes a lot more sense

这就合理多了

for someone whose job description includes fitting down chimneys.

毕竟他的工作内容包括钻烟囱。

Also, the word Santa appears nowhere in the poem.

而且，Santa 这个词在诗中根本没有出现。

The original title is A Visit from Saint Nick.

这首诗的原名是《A Visit from Saint Nick》。

As the 1800s continued,

随着19世纪的发展，

a fat human-looking immortal Santa

一个胖胖的、看起来像人类的不朽圣诞老人

evolved into the standard among American authors,

演变成了美国作家笔下的标准形象，

and it was in the States 語法

正是在美国

that he gained both his elvish workforce and a wife.

他同时拥有了精灵劳动力和一个妻子。

By about 1900, 語法

到了1900年左右，

Santa had developed into his current iconic style.

圣诞老人已经发展成了他现在的标志性造型。

It should be noted that contrary to popular belief, 表達脈絡

应该指出的是，与人们普遍的看法相反，

Coca-Cola didn't change his colors to their corporate scheme, 語法

可口可乐并没有为了配合其企业配色而改变他的颜色，

but instead used the conveniently red and white Santa

而是利用了正好是红白相间的圣诞老人

in 1931

在1931年

to help sell more soda during their off-season. 用詞

帮助他们在淡季销售更多的汽水。

Though Coke didn't create him,

虽然可口可乐并没有创造他，

their omnipresent ads

但他们无处不在的广告

probably did brand this as the one true Santa 講解

可能确实在数百万人的脑海中

in the minds of millions,

将他打造成了唯一真正的圣诞老人，

helping spread him round the world

帮助他传播到了世界各地

to many cultures with no traditions of winter gift-givers.

进入许多原本没有冬季送礼传统的文化中。

This American Santa

这个美国版的圣诞老人

in turn influenced his relations in Northern Europe 表達脈絡

反过来又影响了他在北欧的同类

to become more like him,

让他们变得更像他，

although not always to the pleasure of the locals.

尽管这并不总是让当地人高兴。

In particular,

特别是，

the British Father Christmas

英国的 Father Christmas

has been completely assimilated into the Santa collective 用詞

已经完全被同化到了圣诞老人这个集体形象中

to the point where many Britons don't realize they were ever separate. 語法

以至于许多英国人都没有意识到他们曾经是分开的。

In the Netherlands,

在荷兰，

however,

然而，

Saint Nick is still successfully holding his own 習語

Saint Nick 依然成功地保持着自己的地位

as a distinct character.

作为一个独立的角色。

The one last detail about modern Santa that's still up for debate, 習語

关于现代圣诞老人，最后一个仍然有争议的细节，

at least between countries,

至少在国家之间是这样，

is exactly where he lives.

就是他究竟住在哪里。

In the late 1800s,

在19世纪末，

his home was the Magnetic North Pole

他的家在北地磁极

centered under the Aurora Borealis.

位于北极光的正下方。

While this would be the most diplomatic option for Santa, 用詞

虽然这对圣诞老人来说是最不偏不倚的选择，

Magnetic North has since moved off the polar ice sheet 語法

但北地磁极后来已经移出了极地冰盖

and into the ocean,

进入了海洋，

a rather inconvenient place to set up a toy factory. 短語動詞

这可不是建立玩具工厂的方便地方。

So Canada claims his workshop is somewhere in Nunavut

因此加拿大声称他的工作室在 Nunavut 的某个地方

and has given Santa a postcode

并且给了圣诞老人一个邮政编码

and, no joke, 語氣意圖

而且，不开玩笑，

official Canadian citizenship.

还有正式的加拿大公民身份。

The American response is that the North Pole doesn't refer 語法

美国的回答是，北极并不指代

to the obviously inhospitable sheet of non-domestic ice,

那片显然不适合居住、不属于任何国家的冰层，

but rather to the little town of North Pole, Alaska.

而是指阿拉斯加的 North Pole 小镇。

Denmark claims he lives in their former colony of Greenland,

丹麦声称他住在他们以前的殖民地格陵兰岛，

and Greenland not surprisingly agrees.

而格陵兰岛自然也同意这一点。

The Nordic countries quarrel about his exact location,

北欧国家对他的确切位置争论不休，

but Finland is the clear winner of this argument

但芬兰显然是这场争论的赢家

with his workshop in Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle.

他的工作室位于北极圈上的 Rovaniemi。

For the evidence-inclined, 用詞

对于那些讲究证据的人来说，

you can actually go visit Santa and see the elves,

你实际上可以去拜访圣诞老人并看到精灵、

toys, reindeer, and post office,

玩具、驯鹿和邮局，

which makes Finland's claim pretty strong.

这使得芬兰的主张相当有说服力。

Santa is even available during the off-season.

甚至在淡季也能见到圣诞老人。

But no matter where he might be based, 語法

但是，无论他的大本营在哪里，

Santa still manages to get round the world in just one night 短語動詞

圣诞老人总能在短短一夜之间环游世界

to deliver all those presents

送出所有这些礼物

and eat all those cookies.

并吃掉所有这些饼干。