Christmas
圣诞节
Christmas Day, observed generally on 25 December, is a religious and cultural celebration to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is a public holiday in many of the world's nations. It is celebrated culturally by a large number of former or non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
圣诞节通常在12月25日，是一个具有宗教色彩的文化庆典，用以纪念耶稣诞生。圣诞是全球许多国家的公共假日。许多信仰基督或非基督教的人们都举行文化庆祝活动。圣诞节也是圣诞季和假期的重要组成部分。
Festive activities on Christmas include gift giving, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebration, Christmas decorations and so on. The exchanging of gifts is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for retailers and businesses throughout the world. The modern popular image of Santa Claus was created in the United State. He is dressed in a red or green suit trimmed with white fur, often girdled with a wide black belt, a matching hat, often long and floppy in nature, and boots. He will carry a large brown sack filled with toys on his back to give children all over the world some gifts. The practice of putting up special decorations at Christmas has a long history. It was recorded that in London it was the custom at Christmas for every house and all the parish churches to be decked with ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green”. The traditional colors of Christmas decorations are red, green, and gold.
圣诞庆祝活动包括赠送礼物、互换圣诞贺卡、举行教堂庆祝仪式和进行圣诞装饰等。交换礼物是现代圣诞庆祝最重要的一项活动，因此圣诞节成为全球零售商获利最丰的时间。现在流行的圣诞老人形象创造于美国。圣诞老人身穿红色或绿色的服装，以白色的皮毛装饰，再系上宽大的黑色腰带，戴上一顶又长又软的红色帽子，穿着一双黑色皮靴。他背着一个装满玩具的袋子，给全世界的小朋友分发礼物。在圣诞节进行装扮的习惯历史悠久。根据记载，伦敦有这样的习俗，即在圣诞节每个房子和教堂都用常春藤、桂冠或其他任何当季为绿色的东西装扮。一般圣诞装扮的颜色有红色、绿色和金色。
