圣誕節的英語簡介

The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes maesse, or "Christ's Mass". Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion. Most historians peg the first celebration of Christmas to Rome in 336 AD.

Christmas is both a holiday and a Holy Day. In America it is the biggest event of the year (especially for kids), and for members of the Christian religions it is an important day on the religious calendar. The federal government, all state governments, all schools/colleges/universities and the vast majority of businesses in America give employees one or two days off at Christmas, making it an important holiday (other federal holidays are: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving). In the Roman Catholic calendar, Christmas is one of 6 holy feast days celebrated in America, the others being: Circumcision (New Year's Day), Ascension, Assumption (Mary's Assumption into heaven, August 15), All Saints (November 2), and the Immaculate Conception (December 8).

譯文：

這個詞來自圣誕節的話Cristes maesse ，或“基督彌撒” 。圣誕節是慶祝耶穌誕生的成員的基督教。大部分歷史學家匯率首次慶祝圣誕節羅馬公元336 。圣誕節是一個節日和圣日。在美國，它是最大的賽事，今年(尤其是孩子) ，并為成員的基督宗教是一個重要的日子對宗教的日歷。聯邦政府，州政府所有，所有學校/學院/大學和絕大多數的美國企業員工提供一個或兩個休息日，圣誕節，使它成為一個重要的節日(其他聯邦節假日是：元旦，馬丁路德金一天，華盛頓誕辰紀念日，陣亡將士紀念日，獨立日，勞動節，哥倫布日，退伍軍人節，感恩節) 。在羅馬天主教日歷，圣誕節是一個6神圣節日慶祝在美國，其余是：包皮環切(元旦) ，阿森松島，圣母升天(瑪麗的設想變成天堂， 8月15日) ，萬圣節( 11月2日) ，以及圣母無染原罪堂( 12月8日) 。

圣誕節的起源英文版

The name Christmas is short for "Christ's Mass". A Mass is a kind of Church service. Christmas is a religious festival. It is the day we celebrate as the birthday of Jesus. There are special christmas services in Christian churches all over the world. But many of the festivities of Christmas do not have anything to do with religion. Exchanging gifts and sending Christmas cards are the modern ways of celebrating the Christmas in the world.

The birth of Jesus had a story: In Nazareth, a city of Galilee. The virgin's name was Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was minded to put her away secretly. While he thought about these things, Gabriel, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him did not be afraid to take Mary as wife. And Mary will bring forth a Son, and he shall call his name, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Before Jesus births, Joseph and Mary came to Quirnius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up out of Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and of the lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to bedelivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And that, Christmas is the feast of the nativity of Jesus, is on 25th, December every year. But nobody know the actual birthday of Jesus. And the Christmas has become popular when Christmas cards appeared in 1846 and the concept of a jolly Santa Claus was first made popular in nineteenth Century.

譯文：

“圣誕節”這個名稱是“基督?撒”的縮寫。?撒是教會的一種禮拜儀式。耶誕節是一個宗教節。我們把它當作耶蘇的誕辰?慶祝，因而又名耶誕節。這一天，世界所有的基督教會都舉行特?的禮拜儀式。但是有很多圣誕節的歡慶活動和宗教并無半點關聯。交換禮物，寄圣誕卡，這都使圣誕節成為一個普天同慶的日子。

圣誕節是基督教世界最大的節日。4世紀初，1月6日是羅馬帝國東部各教會紀念那穌降生和受洗的雙重節日、稱為“主顯節”Epiphany，亦稱“顯現節”即上帝通過那穌向世人顯示自己。當時只有那路拉冷的教會例外，那里只紀念耶穌的誕生而不紀念那穌的受洗。后來歷史學家們在羅馬基督徒習用的日歷中發現公元 354年12月25日頁內記錄著：“基督降生在猶大的伯利恒。”經過研究，一般認為12月25日伴為圣誕節可能開始于公元336年的羅馬教會)約在公元375年傳到小亞細亞的安提阿，公元 430年傳到埃及的亞歷山大里亞，那路撒冷的教會接受得最晚，而亞美尼亞的教會則仍然堅持1月6日主顯節是那穌的誕辰。12月25日原來是波斯太陽神(即光明之神)密特拉(Mithra)的誕辰，是一個異教徒節日，同時太陽神也是羅馬國教眾神之一。這一天又是羅馬歷書的冬至節，崇拜太陽神的異教徒都把這一天當作春天的希望，萬物復蘇的開始。可能由于這個原因，羅馬教會才選擇這一天作為圣誕節。這是教會初期力

圖把異教徒的風俗習慣基督教化的措施之一。后來，雖然大多數教會都接受12月25日為圣誕節，但又固各地教會使用的歷書不同，具體日期不能統一，于是就把12月24日到第二年的1月6日定為圣誕節節期(Christmas Tide)，各地教會可以根據當地具體情況在這段節期之內慶祝圣誕節。自從12月25日被大多數教會公認為圣誕節后，原來1月6日的主顯節就只紀念耶穌受洗了，但天主教會又把1月6日定為“三王來朝節”，以紀念耶穌生時東方三王(即三位博士)來朝拜的故事。隨著基督教的廣泛傳播，圣誕節已成為各教派基督徒，甚至廣大非基督徒群眾的一個重要節日。在歐美許多國家里，人們非常重視這個節日，把它和新年連在一起，而慶祝活動之熱鬧與隆重大大超過了新年，成為一個全民的節日。12月25日的主要紀念活動都與那穌降生的傳說有關。

耶蘇的出生是有一段故事的，耶蘇是因著圣靈成孕，由童女馬利亞所生的。神更派遣使者加伯列在夢中曉諭約瑟，叫他不要因為馬利亞未婚懷孕而不要她，反而要與她成親，把那孩子起名為“耶蘇”，意思是要他把百姓從罪惡中救出?。

當馬利亞快要臨盆的時候，羅馬政府下了命令，全部人民到伯利恒務必申報?籍。約瑟和馬利亞只好遵命。他們到達伯利恒時，天色已昏，無奈兩人未能找到旅館渡宿，只有一個馬棚可以?住。就在?時，耶蘇要出生了!於是馬利亞唯有在馬槽上，生下耶蘇。后人為紀念耶蘇的誕生，便定十二月二十五為圣誕節，年年望?撒，紀念耶蘇的出世。

圣誕節便是於十二月二十五日紀念耶蘇的誕生，但真實的誕生日就?有人知道了。十九世?，圣誕卡的流行、圣誕老人的出現，圣誕節也開始流行起?了。