双语阅读｜为什么我们在圣诞节用冬青树装饰？

双语阅读

Holly is known for its vibrant red color, which stands out against the starkness of winter.
冬青以其鲜红的颜色而闻名，在严冬的严寒中显得格外醒目。
During the holiday season, holly adorns houses all over the world. The prickly green plant and its red berries are a popular ornament for those looking to enliven their homes with a little Christmas spirit. But where did this tradition begin? Why do we deck our halls with boughs of holly foliage every December? What does holly represent in the celebration of Christmas?
在节日期间，冬青装饰着世界各地的房屋。这种多刺的绿色植物和它的红色浆果是那些希望用一点圣诞精神来活跃他们的家的人很受欢迎的装饰品。但是这个传统是从哪里开始的呢?为什么每年十二月我们都要用冬青树枝装饰大厅?冬青在圣诞节的庆祝活动中代表什么?
In this article, you"ll learn where holly grows, what it"s used for (besides holiday décor), how it gets those red berries and why it would make your season most unjolly if you ate them. You will also learn about the Christian and pre-Christian symbolism of this famous plant, and the legends surrounding its existence.
在这篇文章中，你将了解冬青生长在哪里，它的用途(除了节日décor)，它是如何得到那些红色浆果的，以及为什么如果你吃了它们会让你的季节最不快乐。您还将了解到这种著名植物的基督教和前基督教的象征意义，以及围绕其存在的传说。
Despite its association with the Christmas season, holly did not get its name from "holy." It is translated in Old English as holegn, with variations in Old Norse as hulfr, German as hulst, French as houx, and Welsh as celyn. The literal translation for all of these terms is "holly," but the origin is probably the Proto-Indo-European (the ancient root language of the Indo-European languages) base, qel, which appropriately means "prickly" or "to prick." Even in ancient times, people took advantage of the sharp ends of holly"s leaves. The Druids hung it on windows and doorways to fend off evil witches and spirits [source: National Trust UK].
尽管冬青与圣诞节有关，但它的名字并不是来自“神圣的”。它在古英语中被翻译为holegn，在古斯堪的纳维亚语中被翻译为hulfr，德语被翻译为hulst，法语被翻译为houx，威尔士语被翻译为celyn。所有这些术语的直译都是“holly”，但其起源可能是原始印欧语系(印欧语系的古老词根语言)的词根qel，它的意思是“刺痛的”或“刺痛的”。甚至在古代，人们就利用冬青叶子锋利的末端。德鲁伊教把它挂在窗户和门口，以抵御邪恶的女巫和幽灵[来源:英国国民信托]。
Holly is known for its vibrant red color, which stands out against the starkness of winter. But did you know that it"s also associated with males and is considered to bring men good luck and protection; the female counterpart to holly is ivy. A famous English Christmas carol, "The Holly and the Ivy," uses the holly symbol to celebrate the birth of Christ. One line states that "The holly bears a berry/As red as any blood/And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ/To do poor sinners good." Another line says "The Holly bears a prickle/As sharp as any thorn/And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ/On Christmas Day in the morn" [source: The Hymns and Carols of Christmas].
冬青以其鲜红的颜色而闻名，在严冬的严寒中显得格外醒目。但你知道吗，它也和男性有关，被认为能给男性带来好运和保护;与冬青对应的女性是常春藤。著名的英国圣诞颂歌《冬青与常青藤》(The Holly and The Ivy)用冬青的符号来庆祝基督的诞生。有一句诗是这样写的:“冬青结浆果/红得像血/玛丽生下甜美的耶稣基督/为可怜的罪人做好事。”另一句是“冬青刺/像任何刺一样锋利/玛丽生下甜美的耶稣基督/在圣诞节的早晨”[来源:圣诞赞美诗和颂歌]。

History of Holly 冬青的历史

Before holly was hung in houses to accompany Christmas trees, it was considered to be a sacred plant by the Druids. While other plants wilted in winter weather, holly remained green and strong, its berries a brightly colored red in the harshest of conditions.
在冬青和圣诞树一起挂在房子里之前，它被德鲁伊教认为是一种神圣的植物。当其他植物在冬天枯萎时，冬青却保持着绿色和强壮，它的浆果在最恶劣的条件下仍是鲜红色的。

The Druids regarded holly as a symbol of fertility and eternal life, thought to have magical powers. In Druid lore, cutting down a holly tree would bring bad luck. In contrast, hanging the plant in homes was believed to bring good luck and protection. Holly was also thought to protect homes against lightning strikes. Romans associated holly with Saturn, the god of agriculture and harvest, and decked the halls with its boughs during the festival of Saturnalia.
德鲁伊教认为冬青是生育和永生的象征，被认为具有神奇的力量。在德鲁伊教的传说中，砍伐冬青树会带来厄运。相反，人们认为在家里悬挂这种植物会带来好运和保护。冬青还被认为可以保护房屋免受雷击。罗马人将冬青与农业和丰收之神土星联系在一起，并在农神节期间用冬青的树枝装饰大厅。
Early Christian calendars mark Christmas Eve as templa exornatur, meaning “churches are decked,” though supposedly Saturnalia celebrators didn’t allow some Christians to hang boughs in honor of Christmas. Christians adopted the holly tradition from Druid, Celtic and Roman traditions, and its symbolism changed to reflect Christian beliefs.
早期的基督教日历将平安夜标记为templa exornatur，意思是“教堂被装饰了”，尽管据说农神节庆祝者不允许一些基督徒悬挂树枝来庆祝圣诞节。基督教徒从德鲁伊、凯尔特和罗马传统中汲取了冬青传统，其象征意义也发生了变化，以反映基督教信仰。
Today, Christians consider holly symbolic of Jesus Christ in two ways. The red berries represent the blood that Jesus shed on the cross on the day he was crucified. Legend states that holly berries were originally white, but that the blood Christ shed for the sins of humankind stained the berries forever red. A holly"s pointed leaves symbolize the crown of thorns placed on Jesus" head before he died on the cross.
今天，基督徒认为冬青在两个方面象征着耶稣基督。红色的浆果代表耶稣被钉在十字架上那天在十字架上流的血。传说冬青莓原本是白色的，但基督为人类的罪恶所流的血使冬青莓永远染成红色。冬青的尖叶象征耶稣死在十字架上之前戴在他头上的荆棘冠。
Holly is known as christdorn in German, meaning "Christ thorn." Both of these symbols are meant to serve as a reminder to Christians of Jesus" suffering, but they aren"t the only stories tying holly to Jesus. One claims that the cross on which Jesus was crucified was constructed of holly. Another says that holly sprang up from his footsteps. Less common symbolism includes the holly"s white blossoms representing purity, and the idea that if the holly used to decorate a home for Christmas is prickly, the man will rule the house for the coming year; but if the holly used is smooth, the woman will rule.
冬青在德语中被称为christdorn，意思是“基督刺”。这两个象征都是为了提醒基督徒耶稣所受的苦难，但它们并不是唯一把冬青和耶稣联系在一起的故事。一种说法是，耶稣被钉在十字架上的十字架是用冬青建造的。另一种说法是冬青从他的脚步中冒了出来。不太常见的象征符号包括冬青的白色花朵代表纯洁，以及这样的想法:如果用来装饰圣诞节的冬青是带刺的，那么这个男人将在来年统治这个家;但如果使用的冬青是光滑的，女人将统治。

Characteristics of Holly 冬青的特点

Holly berries are prominent in the winter.
冬青浆果在冬天很显眼。
Holly (Ilux Aquifolium) is a shrub or tree found primarily in North America, Europe and Asia. With hundreds of species of the plant ranging from short shrubs (two meters high) to tall trees (up to forty meters high), it"s known primarily for its bright crimson berries and prickly green leaves.
冬青(Ilux Aquifolium)是一种灌木或乔木，主要分布在北美、欧洲和亚洲。这种植物有数百种，从低矮的灌木(两米高)到高大的树木(高达40米)，它主要因其鲜红的浆果和带刺的绿叶而闻名。
Hollies can be evergreen, meaning the plant"s glossy leaves are on the tree year-round, or deciduous, meaning the leaves fall off seasonally. Most hollies are evergreens that can thrive in the sunlight or the shade and benefit from well-drained soil. The leaves, characterized by a waxy texture and serrated edges, are dioecious, with male and female reproductive structures found on separate plants. Both male (staminate) and female (pistillate) hollies bloom in May or June, yielding white flowers. But only the females can produce berries. In order for this production to occur, a male plant must be near a female plant for the process of pollination to take place. Insects, like bees, help cross-pollinate female hollies, transferring pollen from the male to the female plants.
冬青树可以是常绿的，这意味着这种植物有光泽的叶子一年四季都在树上，也可以是落叶的，这意味着树叶会随季节掉落。大多数冬青是常绿植物，可以在阳光下或阴凉处茁壮成长，并受益于排水良好的土壤。叶片的特征是蜡质和锯齿边缘，是雌雄异株，有雄性和雌性生殖结构可以在不同的植物上找到。雄冬青(雄花)和雌冬青(雌花)都在5月或6月开放，开白色的花。但只有雌性能结出浆果。为了使这种生产发生，雄性植物必须靠近雌性植物，以便授粉过程发生。昆虫，比如蜜蜂，帮助雌花冬青异花授粉，将花粉从雄花转移到雌花。
Like its holiday companion, mistletoe, a holly"s berries are toxic to humans, resulting in nausea and severe stomachaches when ingested. Not so for some animals. Berries are a vital source of food for birds such as thrushes and blackbirds. Holly berries, which ripen in early winter, typically contain four seeds each. The birds that eat these seeds help scatter them for germination, the growth of new holly plants.
就像它的假日伴侣槲寄生一样，冬青的浆果对人类是有毒的，摄入后会导致恶心和严重的胃痛。但有些动物却不是这样。浆果是画眉和黑鹂等鸟类的重要食物来源。冬青浆果在初冬成熟，通常每颗含有四颗种子。鸟类吃了这些种子，帮助它们发芽，生长新的冬青植物。
­Although the scarlet berries are famously prominent in homes for the holiday season, they"re not the only useful part of hollies. The berries are poisonous, but the green leaves have been used in herbal remedies for centuries for various medical conditions like dizziness, fever and hypertension, though there is little medical proof of the plant"s effectiveness. Holly wood is hard and compact, making it excellent for carving; it"s sometimes used to make chess pieces and walking sticks. And while the berries provide nourishment for birds, a holly"s bark can be used to make a sticky substance called birdlime, used for trapping birds. Birdlime, which can be made by boiling holly bark for several hours, is illegal in many countries and viewed as inhumane.
尽管在节日期间，红色浆果在家庭中非常重要，但它们并不是冬青中唯一有用的部分。黑莓是有毒的，但几个世纪以来，它的绿叶一直被用作草药，用于治疗各种疾病，如头晕、发烧和高血压，尽管几乎没有医学证据证明这种植物的有效性。冬青木坚硬而紧凑，非常适合雕刻;它有时被用来制作棋子和手杖。虽然冬青的浆果为鸟类提供营养，但冬青的树皮可以用来制作一种叫做鸟石灰的粘性物质，用于诱捕鸟类。用冬青树皮煮几个小时就可以得到鸟石灰，这种做法在许多国家是非法的，被认为是不人道的。