圣诞歌曲知多少？
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圣诞节到啦，小编祝大家圣诞快乐！好听的圣诞歌曲大家一定听过不少，那么关于演唱圣诞歌曲的传统，大家了解多少呢？
Carols and Carol-singing
圣诞歌曲及其演唱
Carols are traditional songs that are sung just before Christmas. Many of them celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
圣诞歌曲是在圣诞节前夕被人们传唱的传统歌曲。许多歌曲赞颂耶穌基督的诞生。
Carols were first sung in the 14th century. They were popular songs with a lively tune, and contained references to the celebrations and feeling of goodwill associated with Christmas, as well as to Chris’s birth. One of the oldest printed carols, dating from 1521, is the Boar’s Head Carol, which was sung in Queen’s College, Oxford as Christmas lunch was carried in. Other traditional carols that are thought to have originated at this time include God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen, and While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night.
圣诞歌曲最早在14世纪就开始有人唱了。这些歌曲非常受欢迎，曲调活泼，提及了与圣诞节以及耶稣的诞生相关的一些庆祝和良好祝愿。最古老的印刷版的圣诞歌曲之一是1521年牛津大学的女王学院进圣诞午餐时歌唱的《野猪头圣歌》。还有其他一些传统的圣诞歌曲，包括《上帝让你感到幸福，先生》和《当牧羊人在夜晚看护他们的羊群》等，人们认为这些歌曲也起源于这一时期。
In England during the 16th century, the Puritans tried to stop people singing carols, but the words continued to be handed down from generation to the next. In the 19th century of these carols were collected and printed. Some tunes were taken from folk songs, others were specially written. Many of the most popular carols heard today date from this time. They include O Come, All Ye Faithful, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, Good King Wenceslas, Away in a Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem.
在16世纪的英格兰，清教徒们想禁止人们唱圣诞歌曲，但歌词还是一代一代传了下来。到了19世纪，许多这样的圣诞歌曲被收集起来，付诸印刷。有的曲调是来自民歌，有的则是专门创作的。许多现在还很流行的圣诞歌曲都来自这个时期。它们包括《啊，来吧，全体虔诚的教徒》《天使高声唱》《马德里的好心的王》《远远在马槽里》和《小城伯利恒》等歌曲。
Christmas Carols, New and Old (1871)
Traditional carols are very popular in Britain and America, but children also like more modem songs, such as Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer, about how a reindeer’s bright red nose lights the way for Santa Claus to take toys to children during a storm, and Frosty the Snowman, which tells the story of a figure made of snow who comes to life.
传统的圣诞歌曲在英国和美国十分流行，但是孩子也喜欢比较现代的歌曲，比如《鲁道夫，红鼻子的驯鹿》，讲述了一头驯鹿的明亮的红鼻子如何在一场暴风雨中为圣诞老人照亮道路，把玩具送到孩子们手中的故事。还有《雪人弗洛斯蒂》，讲了一个雪人变成活人的故事。
In the 19th century groups of carol-singers, called waits, used to gather in the streets to play and sing for local people, who thanked them by offering drinks or mince pies (= small round pies containing dried fruit, apples and sugar). This custom became known as wassailing and still continues in Britain, with people meeting to sing carols in most town and village centres. Any money that is collected is given to charity. Some singers walk from street to street, singing carols outside each house. In the US door-to-door carol-singing is not common, except in a few small communities. Families sing carols when they decorate the Christmas tree.
19世纪，许多圣诞歌曲的歌手，又叫街头乐团，在街上聚集起来为当地人演唱，而当地人则给他们提供饮料或小圆百果馅饼作为回报。这一习俗被称为唱圣歌，现在在英国仍然可以看到，在大多数城市和村庄中心人们聚集起来唱圣歌。收集到的钱都捐给慈善事业。也有歌手走街串巷，在每户人家门外唱圣歌。在美国，除了一些小社区，挨门挨户唱圣歌的情形并不常见。家庭成员们在装饰圣诞树时，会一起唱圣诞歌曲。
Carols are also sung in churches and schools, special Christmas services. One of the most famous carol services is the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which is performed at King’s College, Cambridge, and broadcast on BBC radio on Christmas Eve.
在教堂和学校里也唱圣诞歌曲，尤其是在特别的圣诞节仪式中。最著名的圣诞歌曲仪式之一是剑桥大学国王学院的九课和圣诞歌曲节，圣诞夜的这一活动会在英国广播公司的无线电广播中转播。
以上内容摘自《牛津英美文化词典》，图片来自网络。
本词典为《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》 的姊妹篇， 英文版于1999年出版， 共收文化词目10000 余条， 详细解说英美两国的历史、 文学、 艺术、 传说、 风俗等各个方面，以及国外报刊和文学作品所涉及的各种背景知识。 全书英文解释浅显易懂， 较难的单词后面附有简单的英文解释， 配有丰富的插图和照片。
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