koei圣诞节英语故事：Where Did Santa Claus Come from-

2021年1月15日发(作者：毛燧传)

圣诞节英语故事：Where Did Santa Claus
Come from?


【我寄语】在圣诞节来临之际，笔者为大家精心整理
了有关圣诞节的英语故事《Where Did Santa Claus Come
from?》，以供大家参考，祝大家圣诞节快乐！
This time of year, many westerners, perhaps
Americans more so, are familiar with the popular tune
in many a store, “Here comes Santa Claus, right down
Santa Claus Lane…” Santa visits children all over the
world on Christmas Eve, and more recently, has also
added some Chinese children to his list. But where did
he come from anyway?
Many western children grow up with the mystical
notion of the jolly, old, bearded, fat man who defies
physics and plunges down the chimney with a sack full
of toys, eats cookies left by the tree and merrily
leaves presents.
Chinese people are now familiar with Santa Claus
faces and Christmas trees in restaurants and huge,
‘twinkly’ and impressive Christmas trees in the
plazas by Shanghai’s Jingan Temple or in front of
Beijing’s famous Workers’ Stadium, but the actual
history behind Santa Claus is one that remains
relatively unknown here in China and admittedly to many
westerners as well.
In the West, Santa Claus is more than just a
symbol for many kids. Millions of western children grow
up with the idea that there is a man who watches over
them the entire year, noting every mischievous deed or
unruly tantrum and could at any moment cross their
scribbled name off his famous list.
Every child knows severity of this seemingly
menial act because Santa’s list decides the fate of
their stocking content: presents for good behavior, a
lump of coal for bad.
In order to assure good rapport with Santa Claus,
children take the time to write letters to Santa, some
speculate that hundreds of thousands of letters are
received every year from 150 countries, to ask for gifts
or their hopes.
On the actual evening of Santa’s arrival,
traditionally, many offer milk and cookies as a
possible incentive for Santa to be more gracious.
So where did this idea of a jolly old fat man
bringing toys down the chimney originate and how do you
explain him to someone unfamiliar?
The idea for the man called Kris Kringle from the
German Christkindl, Father Christmas, Saint Nick, or
just plain Santa Claus may be a bit difficult to explain
to children in China, where chimneys are hardly common
and the idea of a fat, white and hairy man dressed in
red who flies through the sky in a reindeer sled may
seem a bit odd.
The actual history of Santa Claus is truly
dizzying and encircles so many cultures and regional
folklore and fables that have developed over centuries,
beginning in Europe and flourishing into the
rosy- cheeked, fat man who comes down the chimney.
What some people don’t realize is that the idea
of Santa Claus in America evolved from the European
tradition a bit and branched in its own direction.
The concept of Santa Claus as some think of him
today is a far cry from how he started out. Conflicting
histories originate with the idea either of a robed,
secret gift giver named Saint Nicholas or the Eastern
Roman Empire or Greek persona named Basil of Caesarea.
Both were credited as altruistic men who cared for the
poor and underprivileged with an unmatched generosity.
Saint Nicholas was a real man who lived during
in the 2nd century AD in what is now present day Turkey.
He was a wealthy man who was known for his benevolence
and later made a saint.
Most famously, conflicting stories of his
generosity cycle around a tale of three Italian
daughters.
One story goes that a poor man did not have enough
money for his daughters’ wedding day. The three girls
hung up their stockings by the fireplace to dry, and
Saint Nicholas deposited golden coins inside the
daughters’ stocking which they had left drying by the
fireplace.
Another story suggests that the coins were either
thrown through the window or down the chimney for the
girls’ dowries and in turn, saved them from slavery.
Every saint is honored on a day in the calendar,