聖誕老人從哪裡來？：英語精讀講義

On the 24th of December every year,

每年12月24日，

children around the world put out milk and cookies

世界各地的孩子們都會擺出牛奶和餅乾

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

希望能引誘一個神奇的胖子進入他們的家

who will leave presents behind 片語動詞

他會留下禮物

before sneaking into the house next door.

然後再偷偷溜進隔壁鄰居的房子。

How did such an odd tradition begin?

這個奇怪的傳統是怎麼開始的？

You can pretty much blame Northern Europe

你基本上可以怪北歐

where the winter weather is cold and dark and depressing

那裡的冬季天氣寒冷、黑暗且令人抑鬱

and the coldest and darkest and depressingest day

而最冷、最暗、最令人抑鬱的日子

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,

那時太陽只能提供幾個小時微弱的光芒，

if any at all. 片語搭配

甚至可能根本沒有。

These sun-deprived people

這些缺乏陽光的人們

invented magical characters to visit them

發明了會來拜訪他們的神奇角色

and lighten the mood by bringing gifts and celebrations. 慣用語

透過帶來禮物和慶典來緩解情緒。

These characters ranged from elves to gods to goats, 文法

這些角色從精靈到神仙再到山羊，無所不包，

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

但有兩個角色對現代故事特別重要。

The first is Saint Nick in the Netherlands.

第一個是荷蘭的 Saint Nick。

Saint Nick is thin and perhaps a bit stern,

Saint Nick 身材瘦長，可能還有點嚴厲，

but still brings presents to children in early December.

但仍會在12月初給孩子們帶來禮物。

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

他穿著像主教一樣的紅白相間長袍，手持權杖

and rides on a horse named Amerigo

騎著一匹名叫 Amerigo 的馬

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

荷蘭的孩子們被鼓勵為這匹馬留下一根胡蘿蔔。

Saint Nick is called Sinterklaas in Dutch.

Saint Nick 在荷蘭語中被稱為 Sinterklaas。

The second character is Father Christmas from England.

第二個角色是來自英國的 Father Christmas。

Father Christmas is a big jolly pagan

Father Christmas 是一個快樂的異教徒大胖子

dressed in green with a holly wreath on his head.

穿著綠衣，頭上戴著冬青花環。

Traditionally, he is less concerned with children and gifts 文法

傳統上，他不太關心孩子和禮物

than he is with food and wine and celebration

而是更喜歡美食、美酒和慶祝活動

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

也許他最出名的身分是聖誕三精靈之一

who terrorize Scrooge.

就是恐嚇 Scrooge 的那幾個。

When Europeans settled the colonies, 用詞

當歐洲人在殖民地定居時，

Saint Nick and Father Christmas and the other characters

Saint Nick、Father Christmas 以及其他角色

began to mix together.

開始混合在一起。

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

這就解釋了為什麼美國版的聖誕老人有這麼多名字。

Santa Claus is the Americanization of Sinterklaas, 文化背景

Santa Claus 是 Sinterklaas 的美國化拼法，

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

但他也被稱為 Saint Nick、Father Christmas 和 Kris Kringle，

which comes from Germany.

最後一個名字來自德國。

In the old world, 文化背景

在舊世界，

these were different characters,

他們是不同的角色，

but in the new world over time,

但在新世界，隨著時間的推移，

they evolved into one,

他們演變成了一個，

which you can see happening in the older stories.

你可以在早期的故事中看到這種演變。

For example,

例如，

the poem The Night Before Christmas

詩歌《The Night Before Christmas》

came out in 1823 in New York, 片語動詞

於1823年在紐約出版，

which established that Santa lands on the roof 用詞

它確立了聖誕老人降落在屋頂上

and fills stockings with toys. 片語搭配

並在聖誕襪裡裝滿玩具的形象。

But this Santa is an elf

但這裡的聖誕老人是一個精靈

much like those from Nordic countries.

很像北歐國家的那些精靈。

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

他身材矮小，駕駛著由微型馴鹿拉著的迷你雪橇，

which makes a lot more sense

這就合理多了

for someone whose job description includes fitting down chimneys.

畢竟他的工作內容包括鑽煙囪。

Also, the word Santa appears nowhere in the poem.

而且，Santa 這個詞在詩中根本沒有出現。

The original title is A Visit from Saint Nick.

這首詩的原名是《A Visit from Saint Nick》。

As the 1800s continued,

隨著19世紀的發展，

a fat human-looking immortal Santa

一個胖胖的、看起來像人類的不朽聖誕老人

evolved into the standard among American authors,

演變成了美國作家筆下的標準形象，

and it was in the States 文法

正是在美國

that he gained both his elvish workforce and a wife.

他同時擁有了精靈勞動力和一個妻子。

By about 1900, 文法

到了1900年左右，

Santa had developed into his current iconic style.

聖誕老人已經發展成了他現在的標誌性造型。

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

應該指出的是，與人們普遍的看法相反，

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

可口可樂並沒有為了配合其企業配色而改變他的顏色，

but instead used the conveniently red and white Santa

而是利用了剛好是紅白相間的聖誕老人

in 1931

在1931年

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

幫助他們在淡季銷售更多的汽水。

Though Coke didn't create him,

雖然可口可樂並沒有創造他，

their omnipresent ads

但他們無處不在的廣告

probably did brand this as the one true Santa 講解

可能確實在數百萬人的腦海中

in the minds of millions,

將他打造成了唯一真正的聖誕老人，

helping spread him round the world

幫助他傳播到了世界各地

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

進入許多原本沒有冬季送禮傳統的文化中。

This American Santa

這個美國版的聖誕老人

in turn influenced his relations in Northern Europe 表達脈絡

反過來又影響了他在北歐的同類

to become more like him,

讓他們變得更像他，

although not always to the pleasure of the locals.

儘管這並不總是讓當地人高興。

In particular,

特別是，

the British Father Christmas

英國的 Father Christmas

has been completely assimilated into the Santa collective 用詞

已經完全被同化到了聖誕老人這個集體形象中

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

以至於許多英國人都沒有意識到他們曾經是分開的。

In the Netherlands,

在荷蘭，

however,

然而，

Saint Nick is still successfully holding his own 慣用語

Saint Nick 依然成功地保持著自己的地位

as a distinct character.

作為一個獨立的角色。

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

關於現代聖誕老人，最後一個仍然有爭議的細節，

at least between countries,

至少在國家之間是這樣，

is exactly where he lives.

就是他究竟住在哪裡。

In the late 1800s,

在19世紀末，

his home was the Magnetic North Pole

他的家在北地磁極

centered under the Aurora Borealis.

位於北極光的正下方。

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

雖然這對聖誕老人來說是最不偏不倚的選擇，

Magnetic North has since moved off the polar ice sheet 文法

但北地磁極後來已經移出了極地冰蓋

and into the ocean,

進入了海洋，

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

這可不是建立玩具工廠的方便地方。

So Canada claims his workshop is somewhere in Nunavut

因此加拿大聲稱他的工作室在 Nunavut 的某個地方

and has given Santa a postcode

並且給了聖誕老人一個郵遞區號

and, no joke, 語氣意圖

而且，不開玩笑，

official Canadian citizenship.

還有正式的加拿大公民身分。

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

美國的回答是，北極並不指代

to the obviously inhospitable sheet of non-domestic ice,

那片顯然不適合居住、不屬於任何國家的冰層，

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

而是指阿拉斯加的 North Pole 小鎮。

Denmark claims he lives in their former colony of Greenland,

丹麥聲稱他住在他們以前的殖民地格陵蘭島，

and Greenland not surprisingly agrees.

而格陵蘭島自然也同意這一點。

The Nordic countries quarrel about his exact location,

北歐國家對他的確切位置爭論不休，

but Finland is the clear winner of this argument

但芬蘭顯然是這場爭論的贏家

with his workshop in Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle.

他的工作室位於北極圈上的 Rovaniemi。

For the evidence-inclined, 用詞

對於那些講究證據的人來說，

you can actually go visit Santa and see the elves,

你實際上可以去拜訪聖誕老人並看到精靈、

toys, reindeer, and post office,

玩具、馴鹿和郵局，

which makes Finland's claim pretty strong.

這使得芬蘭的主張相當有說服力。

Santa is even available during the off-season.

甚至在淡季也能見到聖誕老人。

But no matter where he might be based, 文法

但是，無論他的大本營在哪裡，

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

聖誕老人總能在短短一夜之間環遊世界

to deliver all those presents

送出所有這些禮物

and eat all those cookies.

並吃掉所有這些餅乾。