馬上又到西方的圣誕節(jié)了。一提到圣誕祝福，很多人的條件反射只有一句：Merry Christmas！

但如果你在英國，尤其是在校園、寄宿家庭，或者外企的英國同事中，這句話未必是最常聽到的那一句。

在英國，人們更常說的是：Happy Christmas。這個(gè)細(xì)節(jié)，其實(shí)很多留學(xué)黨、外企人都會忽略。但英國人自己用起來，卻非常自然。

你如果看過《哈利·波特與魔法石》，一定記得那個(gè)經(jīng)典場景——圣誕節(jié)當(dāng)天，羅恩笑著對哈利說：“Happy Christmas, Harry!”

英國王室在圣誕致辭中，也更喜歡使用“Happy Christmas”，而不是更普遍的“Merry Christmas”。
因?yàn)椤癏appy”傳遞的是平靜、穩(wěn)固的幸福感，而“Merry”在維多利亞時(shí)代后期帶有一絲“醉酒作樂”的聯(lián)想，王室希望選擇更優(yōu)雅、莊重的表達(dá)，也影響了部分英國人跟隨。

如果你在英國還一味只說 Merry Christmas，雖然不會出錯(cuò)，但在英國人聽來，多少會有點(diǎn)“美式”。而一句 Happy Christmas，反而更容易拉近距離，讓人覺得你真的懂點(diǎn)英國文化。

接下來，就讓我們一起走進(jìn)英式圣誕，提前了解英國人的圣誕習(xí)俗，不只是“漲知識”，更是避免尷尬、拉近距離的社交加分項(xiàng)。

01 圣誕老人

"Santa Claus" is seen as an Americanism, and The Telegraph reported that even the British National Trust said that "Santa Claus should be known as 'Father Christmas' in stately homes and historic buildings because the name is more British."

在英國人眼中，“Santa Claus”（圣誕老人）這個(gè)稱呼帶有濃厚的美國色彩。據(jù)《觀察家報(bào)》報(bào)道，就連英國國家信托基金會（National Trust）也曾明確表示：在參觀莊園府邸或歷史遺跡時(shí)，應(yīng)當(dāng)統(tǒng)一使用“Father Christmas”這一稱呼，因?yàn)檫@個(gè)名字才更符合英國的傳統(tǒng)。

02 圣誕拉炮

Christmas crackers are often pulled at the start of the meal, and the paper hats found inside are worn throughout the meal. Also inside each cracker is a "banger," which makes a loud pop when the cracker is pulled, a joke, and a small prize.

英國人通常會在圣誕大餐開始前拉響圣誕拉炮，并在整個(gè)用餐過程中戴上里面的紙帽子。每個(gè)拉炮里藏著一根“爆竹”，拉開時(shí)會發(fā)出清脆的響聲，除此之外，里面通常還會附上一則小笑話和一份小禮物。

03 圣誕神曲

The British "Christmas No. 1" has been a tradition for over 50 years. Starting in 1952, the top song on the British singles chart has been a coveted spot every Christmas. Christmas No. 1 alums include The Beatles, Queen, Ed Sheeran, and more.

英國的“圣誕冠軍單曲”（已經(jīng)有超過 50 年的歷史。自 1952 年起，每年圣誕節(jié)英國單曲排行榜的冠軍位置都備受追捧。歷年的圣誕冠軍單曲演唱者包括披頭士、皇后樂隊(duì)、艾德·希蘭等眾多大牌歌手。

04 圣誕演講

Every year, families gather to watch the royal Christmas address, informally known as the Queen's or King's speech.

每年圣誕節(jié)，許多家庭都會聚在一起收看英國王室的圣誕致辭，這段講話通常被非正式地稱為“女王（或國王）的圣誕演講”。

The Telegraph reported that the first Christmas address was 251 words long, but Queen Elizabeth II later came to average 656 words in each speech. It is often one of the most-watched television programs on Christmas Day in the UK.

據(jù)《每日電訊報(bào)》報(bào)道，歷史上首次圣誕致辭只有 251 個(gè)詞，而伊麗莎白二世女王在位期間，每次演講的平均長度則達(dá)到了 656 個(gè)詞。這場致辭往往也是英國圣誕節(jié)當(dāng)天收視率最高的電視節(jié)目之一。

05 節(jié)禮日

Boxing Day is often referred to as the British equivalent of Black Friday, but there are notable differences between the two holidays. Boxing Day, which is a public holiday in the UK, falls on the day after Christmas and has a rich cultural history in Great Britain.

節(jié)禮日常被稱為英國版的“黑色星期五”，但這兩個(gè)節(jié)日之間仍有明顯區(qū)別。節(jié)禮日是英國的法定假日，通常在圣誕節(jié)的次日慶祝，在英國有著悠久而豐富的文化歷史。

Originating in the mid-1600s, the day was traditionally a day off for servants. On this day, servants would receive a "Christmas Box," or gift, from their master. The servants would then return home on Boxing Day to give "Christmas Boxes" to their families.

節(jié)禮日起源于 17 世紀(jì)中葉，最初是仆人的休息日。那一天，仆人會從主人那里收到一個(gè)“圣誕禮盒”或禮物。節(jié)禮日當(dāng)天，仆人們則會回家，把“圣誕禮盒”送給自己的家人。

06 主顯節(jié)前夕

In the UK, it's tradition to take down your tree and decorations 12 days after Christmas — known as Twelfth Night — to avoid bad luck in the new year.

在英國，有一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)：圣誕節(jié)過后12 天再收起圣誕樹和裝飾，這一天被稱為“第十二夜”，據(jù)說這樣做可以避免新年的厄運(yùn)。

In the Anglican tradition, Twelfth Night, or Epiphany Eve, is the day before Epiphany, which celebrates the coming of the Magi to baby Jesus and marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas.

在圣公會傳統(tǒng)中，“第十二夜”也稱為主顯節(jié)前夕，是主顯節(jié)的前一天。主顯節(jié)紀(jì)念東方三博士朝拜嬰兒耶穌，同時(shí)也標(biāo)志著圣誕節(jié) 12 天慶祝的結(jié)束。

07 圣誕美食

就像中國人在除夕夜一定要圍坐一桌，吃一頓象征團(tuán)圓與新年的年夜飯一樣，對英國人來說，圣誕節(jié)的意義，也有很大一部分藏在餐桌上。

那么，英國人的圣誕餐桌上，究竟會出現(xiàn)哪些經(jīng)典美食？下面就帶你一起看看英式圣誕不可或缺的幾樣代表性美食。

Christmas pudding

圣誕布丁

A Christmas pudding is a dense fruit cake often made weeks or even months in advance. This process allows the dried fruit to absorb the alcohol that's regularly poured onto the cake in the weeks leading up to consumption.

圣誕布丁是一種質(zhì)地緊實(shí)的水果蛋糕，通常會提前幾周，甚至幾個(gè)月就開始制作。這樣的做法，是為了讓蛋糕中的干果在等待食用的這段時(shí)間里，充分吸收定期淋在蛋糕上的酒液。

On Christmas, the cake is set alight and then topped with a sauce of brandy butter or rum butter, cream, lemon cream, ice cream, custard, or sweetened béchamel. It is also sometimes sprinkled with caster or powdered sugar.

到了圣誕節(jié)當(dāng)天，人們會將蛋糕點(diǎn)燃，再搭配白蘭地黃油或朗姆黃油食用，也可以配上奶油、檸檬奶油、冰淇淋、卡仕達(dá)醬，甚至甜味白醬一起享用。有時(shí)，表面還會撒上一層細(xì)砂糖或糖粉作為點(diǎn)綴。

Yorkshire pudding

約克郡布丁

A traditional British roast dinner wouldn't be complete without Yorkshire puddings filled with Bisto or homemade gravy. Yorkshire puddings — not to be confused with sweet puddings — are made of eggs, flour, and milk or water.

一頓傳統(tǒng)的英式烤肉大餐，如果沒有淋滿Bisto家肉汁或自制肉汁的約克郡布丁，那絕對是不完整的。約克郡布丁可不是甜點(diǎn)，千萬別把它和那種甜膩的布丁搞混。它是用雞蛋、面粉和牛奶（或水）調(diào)制而成的。

After they're cooked in hot oil in the oven, they end up with a distinct hole in the middle.

在烤箱的高溫油鍋中烤制后，布丁中心會自然凹陷，形成一個(gè)獨(dú)特的圓孔。

Christmas cake

圣誕蛋糕

While fruit cake is certainly a polarizing dessert wherever you are, Brits seem to make it a little better with thick, sweet white icing. Often, Christmas cake is also topped with festive holly decorations.

水果蛋糕向來都是一種頗具爭議的甜點(diǎn)，但英國人似乎用一層厚實(shí)、甜美的白色糖霜，讓它變得更討喜了一些。圣誕蛋糕上常常還會點(diǎn)綴象征節(jié)日氣氛的冬青裝飾，讓整體看起來更加應(yīng)景。

Mince pie

百果餡餅

The BBC reported that the first-known mince pie recipe dates back to an 1830s English cookbook. By the mid-17th century, people reportedly began associating the small pies with the Christmas season.

據(jù) BBC 報(bào)道，已知最早的百果餡餅食譜可以追溯到 19 世紀(jì) 30 年代的一本英國烹飪書。不過，據(jù)記載，早在 17 世紀(jì)中葉，人們就已經(jīng)開始將這種小餡餅與圣誕節(jié)聯(lián)系在一起了。

At the time, they were traditionally filled with pork or other kinds of meat, sage, and other spices. Nowadays, the pies are filled with dried fruits and sugar powder.

在當(dāng)時(shí)，這種餡餅的傳統(tǒng)做法是塞滿豬肉或其他肉類，并加入鼠尾草等香料調(diào)味。而演變到今天，百果餡餅的內(nèi)餡已經(jīng)變成了由干果制成的甜味餡料，表面還會撒上潔白的糖粉。

今天的內(nèi)容就要這里了！趁著圣誕節(jié)，滬江也為各位學(xué)員的英語學(xué)習(xí)準(zhǔn)備了一份“節(jié)日福利”！

這個(gè)圣誕節(jié)，不只是收禮物的日子，更是給自己投資的時(shí)刻?？斐霉?jié)日好機(jī)會，讓英語能力升級，為明年的留學(xué)、職場加分吧！