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@ 50373 中國聖誕節
A 這幾天我看到許多商店的櫥窗裡都放上了聖誕樹，街上也常常可以聽到聖誕音樂，怎麼中國人也過聖誕節嗎？
zhè jǐtiān wǒ kàndào xǔduō shāngdiàn de chúchuāng lǐ dōu fàng shàng le shèngdànshù, jiē shàng yě chángcháng kěyǐ tīngdào shèngdàn yīnyuè, zěnme zhōngguórén yě guò shèngdànjié ma?
In the last few days I've seen a lot of stores put Christmas trees in their display windows. And you can often hear Christmas music on the street. How can it be that Chinese are also celebrating Christmas?
B 現在中西文化交流頻繁，西方的很多節日都傳入了中國，聖誕節當然也不例外。
xiànzài zhōng xī wénhuà jiāoliú pínfán, xīfāng de hěn duō jiérì dōu chuán rù le Zhōngguó, shèngdànjié dāngrán yě bù lìwài.
These days there's a lot of cultural exchange between China and the West. A lot of Western holidays have been transmitted into China. Of course, Christmas is no exception.
A 可是我聽說大部分的中國人都不信奉基督教。
kěshì wǒ tīngshuō dàbùfēn de zhōngguórén dōu bù xìnfèng jīdūjiào.
But I hear that most Chinese people don't believe in Christianity.
B 是啊，所以聖誕節在中國並不算是一個宗教性的節日，而是第二個情人節。
shì ā, suǒyǐ shèngdànjié zài Zhōngguó bìng bù suànshì yī ge zōngjiào xìng de jiérì, érshì dì èr ge qíngrénjié.
That's true. So in China, Christmas is not a religious holiday. It's a second Valentine's Day.
A 什麼？聖誕節在中國是第二個情人節？
shénme? shèngdànjié zài Zhōngguó shì dì èr ge qíngrénjié?
What? In China, Christmas is a ``second Valentine's Day?"
B 沒錯，這就叫“本土化改造”。
méicuò, zhè jiù jiào `` běntǔhuà gǎizào" .
That's right. That's what we call ``localized re-memodeling."
A 我怎麼越聽越糊塗了，什麼又叫“本土化改造”啊？
wǒ zěnme yuè tīng yuè hútu le, shénme yòu jiào `` běntǔhuà gǎizào" ā?
How is it that the more I hear, the more confused I am? What's ``localized re-modeling?"
B 就像中國料理傳到西方以後，為了適應西方人的口味，許多當地的中餐館都改變了食物的味道一樣，聖誕節傳入中國以後，也被改造成了適應中國人需要的節日。在中國過聖誕節的主要是年輕人，他們覺得聖誕節的氣氛非常浪漫，所以常常在這一天和戀人約會，於是聖誕節就變成了第二個情人節。
jiùxiàng Zhōngguó liàolǐ chuándào xīfāng yǐhòu, wèile shìyìng xīfāngrén de kǒuwèi, xǔduō dāngdì de zhōngcānguǎn dōu gǎibiàn le shíwù de wèidao yīyàng, shèngdànjié chuánrù Zhōngguó yǐhòu, yě bèi gǎizào chéng le shìyìng zhōngguórén xūyào de jiérì. zài Zhōngguó guò shèngdànjié de zhǔyào shì niánqīngrén, tāmen juéde shèngdànjié de qìfēn fēicháng làngmàn, suǒyǐ chángcháng zài zhè yī tiān hé liànrén yuēhuì, yúshì shèngdànjié jiù biànchéng le dì èr ge qíngrénjié.
It's just like how many local restaurants changed the flavor of their Chinese food to make it more suited to Westerners' tastes when it arrived in the West. After Christmas arrived in China, it was remade as a holiday that would suit Chinese people's needs. In China, young people celebrate Christmas the most. They think that the Christmas atmosphere is really romantic. So they often make a date with their sweetheart on this day. So Christmas has become a second Valentine's Day.
A 原來如此，這就叫“本土化改造”啊。
yuánlái rúcǐ, zhè jiù jiào `` běntǔhuà gǎizào" ā.
Oh, so that's how it is. That's what ``localized re-modeling" means.
B 當然不止這樣，你說說看西方的聖誕節有些什麼習俗？
dāngrán bùzhǐ zhèyàng, nǐ shuōshuo kàn xīfāng de shèngdànjié yǒuxiē shénme xísú?
Of course, that's not the only thing. Tell me, what Christmas customs are there in the West?
A 全家團聚，一起吃聖誕大餐，還有去教堂禱告。孩子們會在床頭掛上襪子，等聖誕老人把禮物放進去，第二天大家一起拆禮物。
quánjiā tuánjù, yīqǐ chī shèngdàn dàcān, hái yǒu qù jiàotáng dǎogào. háizǐmen huì zài chuáng tóu guàshàng wàzi, děng shèngdànlǎorén bǎ lǐwù fàng jìnqù, dì èr tiān dàjiā yīqǐ cā lǐwù.
The whole family is reunited, they have a big Christmas dinner together, and they go to church to pray. Kids hang stockings from the head of their bed and wait for Father Christmas to put Christmas gifts inside. The next day, everyone unwraps their Christmas gifts.
B 是啊，可是大部分中國人不是基督教徒，所以聖誕節並不去教堂，而且中國人慶祝聖誕節基本上只在平安夜。
shì ā, kěshì dàbùfēn zhōngguórén bù shì jīdūjiàotú, suǒyǐ shèngdànjié bìng bù qù jiàotáng, érqiě zhōngguórén qìngzhù shèngdànjié jīběn shang zhǐ zài píngānyè.
Right. But the majority of Chinese people are not Christians. So on Christmas they don't go to church. So Chinese people generally only celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve.
A 這又是為什麼？
zhè yòu shì wèishénme?
Why?
B 因為在中國，聖誕節並不是法定假日，既然不放假，大家就只好在晚上活動了。一般年輕的戀人們會在平安夜去餐廳吃飯、交換禮物、聽音樂會或者看電影什麼的，很多地方還會在平安夜舉行盛大的聖誕晚會呢。
yīnwèi zài Zhōngguó, shèngdànjié bìng bù shì fǎdìng jiǎrì, jìrán bù fàngjià, dàjiā jiù zhǐhǎo zài wǎnshang huódòng le. yībān niánqīng de liànrénmen huì zài píngānyè qù cāntīng chīfàn, jiāohuàn lǐwù, tīng yīnyuèhuì huòzhě kàn diànyǐng shénme de, hěn duō dìfang hái huì zài píngānyè jǔxíng shèngdà de shèngdàn wǎnhuì ne.
Because in China, Christmas isn't a legal holiday. Since they don't get vacation, everybody can only have some activities during the evening. Generally, young sweethearts will go out for dinner on Christmas Eve, exchange gifts, listen to music or go to see a movie. Many places will hold huge Christmas parties on Christmas Eve.
A 真有意思，中國聖誕節還有哪些是和西方不一樣的？
zhēn yǒuyìsi, Zhōngguó shèngdànjié hái yǒu nǎxiē shì hé xīfāng bùyīyàng de?
That's really interesting. What other things about Christmas in China are different from the West?
B 多著呢，比如說現在有很多商店在促銷的時候，會讓扮演聖誕老人的職員穿上中式傳統的對襟紅袍，老字號的中餐館會推出中式的“聖誕大餐”，很多聖誕歌曲都被翻唱成了中文，總之就是要把聖誕節改造得有中國特色。
duō zhe ne, bǐrú shuō xiànzài yǒu hěn duō shāngdiàn zài cùxiāo de shíhou, huì ràng bànyǎn shèngdànlǎorén de zhíyuán chuānshàng zhōngshì chuántǒng de duìjīn hóng páo, lǎozìhào de zhōngcānguǎn huì tuīchū zhōngshì de `` shèngdàn dàcān" , hěn duō shèngdàn gēqǔ dōu bèi fānchàng chéng le Zhōngwén, zǒngzhī jiùshì yào bǎ shèngdànjié gǎizào de yǒu Zhōngguó tèsè.
There's a lot. For instance, when they have sales promotions, a lot of stores now have the guy who plays Santa Claus wear a Chinese style jacket with buttons and a red robe. Respected old restaurants will have ``Christmas Banquets." And a lot of Christmas carols have been translated into Chinese. All in all, they really remake Christmas with Chinese characteristics.
A 哈哈，那還是聖誕節嗎？
hāhā, nà háishì shèngdànjié ma?
Ha ha, is it still Christmas?
B 本來我們過聖誕節就只是想借這麼一個節日的名義來好好放鬆一下，和朋友們交流交流嘛，是不是原汁原味並不重要，享受聖誕節那種溫馨熱鬧的氣氛才是真的。
běnlái wǒmen guò shèngdànjié jiù zhǐshì xiǎng jiè zhème yī ge jiérì de míngyì lái hǎohāo fàngsōng yīxià, hé péngyǒumen jiāoliú jiāoliú ma, shì bu shì yuánzhīyuánwèi bìng bù zhòngyào, xiǎngshòu shèngdànjié nàzhǒng wēnxīn rènao de qìfēn cái shì zhēnde.
From the beginning, we only celebrated Christmas as a way of borrowing a reason for relaxing and getting together with friends. It's really not important whether it's original-- the only real thing is enjoying that cozy, lively Christmas atmosphere.
A 我明白了，原來中國聖誕節只是一個大家想過節的藉口啊！
wǒ míngbai le, yuánlái Zhōngguó shèngdànjié zhǐshì yī ge dàjiā xiǎng guòjié de jièkǒu ā!
I get it-- in China, Christmas is just an excuse for everybody to have a holiday!
Key Vocabulary
櫥窗 chúchuāng display window
頻繁 pínfán frequent
信奉 xìnfèng to believe
本土化 běntǔhuà localization
團聚 tuánjù to reunite
促銷 cùxiāo sales promotion
原汁原味 yuánzhīyuánwèi original
溫馨 wēnxīn warm
藉口 jièkǒu excuse
Supplementary Vocabulary
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