圣诞节很多人只知道它是个节日，但是由来历史是怎么样的呢？一盟小编今天为大家讲些小故事~

AN ANCIENT HOLIDAY 一个古老的节日

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoplesrejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.冬天过半时候很久之前就是世界各地庆祝的时间。在耶稣到来的数世纪之前，早期欧洲人在冬天最黑暗的那些日子里庆祝光明和诞生。很多人在冬至日期间都兴高采烈的，当最可怕的严冬过去了，他们可以期待更长的白天和变长了时间的日光。

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year. 在斯堪的纳维亚，挪威人从12月21日开始庆祝圣诞，直到1月。为了答谢回归的太阳，父亲们和儿子们会把大件木材搬回家，用来生火。人们会享受大餐直到木材都烧完，那至少要12天。挪威人相信，每个火花代表这小猪和小牛会在即将到来的一年里出生。

The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finallyfermented and ready for drinking.12月末在欧洲的大部分地方是个庆祝的完美时候。一年里的那个时候，大部分的牛仔会被屠宰所以他们不会在冬天喂食。对于很多人来说，这是一年里唯一有新鲜肉提供的时候。另外，多数葡萄酒和啤酒在这时候最终酿制好，可以提供饮用。

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.在德国，在冬季日人们向奥丁神表达敬意，多个人害怕奥丁，因为他们相信他能夜间飞行观察他的子民，然后决定谁可以富有或死亡。由于他的存在，很多人选择留在室内。

SATURNALIA 农神节

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.在罗马，冬天并没有像在遥远北方那样严酷，农神节——一个用来祭拜农神的日子，农业之神——而被庆祝。在冬至日一周以前开始，持续一个月，农神节是个快乐的节日，有很多美酒美食，一般罗马的社会秩序会天翻地覆。因为这个月，奴隶们会变成主人，农民会掌控这城市。商业和学校会关闭，一次每个人都可以享受快乐。

Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of theunconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra’s birthday was the most sacred day of the year.同时在这时间，罗马人庆祝少年节，一个祝贺罗马孩子的节日，在25号，上流社会的孩子常庆祝无敌的太阳之神的诞生。这是一年里最神圣的一天。

In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the end of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the way to Scandinavia. Today, in the Greek and Russian orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after the 25th, which is also referred to as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is the day it is believed that the three wise men finally found Jesus in the manger.在早年的基督教，复活节是最主要的节日，耶稣的诞生是不庆祝的。到了第四世纪，教会官员决定开始把耶稣诞辰变为假期。不幸的是，圣经没有提到他的生日（这个事实，清教徒后来指出，为了否认庆祝的合法性）尽管很多证据显示他的生日在春天（为什么牧师会在冬天中旬聚在一起？），教王一世选择了12月25。教会选择这天是为了适应和承接神农节的传统。第一次称这庆祝为耶稣诞，这传统延至埃及和英格兰。今天，在希腊俄罗斯，圣诞在25号后的13天庆祝，被提及为主显节和三国王日，这是一天认为是三个有智慧的男子终于在马厩里找到耶稣的那天。