American Culture

美国文化

圣诞节

Christmas

圣诞或者圣诞节是美国一年一度在十二月二十五日的国定假日，为的是纪念拿撒勒人耶稣的诞生。圣诞节的活动是圣诞节日期间一切活动的中心。在有些地方，基督徒把他们的圣诞节节期定为十二天，从十二月二十五日一直到一月六日的凌晨。

从历史的角度来讲，圣诞节应该仅仅是基督教的节日，但是现在很多非基督教的人士也广泛地庆祝圣诞节，圣诞节已经风靡全世界。于是也就有很多世俗的、非基督教的内容和活动在圣诞节的时候借圣诞节的名义出现。目前流行的圣诞节期的活动有互赠礼品，交换节日卡片，圣诞音乐。当然还有基督教教会的活动，比如教会的圣诞庆祝活动，圣诞大餐。还有为圣诞节所特有的装饰，比如圣诞树，圣诞节的彩灯、花环、挂件、圣诞铃等等，和耶稣诞生的场景。另外圣诞老人在北美、澳大利亚和爱尔兰等地区也很流行，常常是在圣诞节给孩子们赠送玩具的象征。

因为在圣诞节期间，无论是不是基督教的信徒，大家都会相互赠送礼品和进行其他的一系列活动，在十二月底的时候已经成为大家购货的一个特有的旺季，这对零售商来说这也是一个至关重要的商业时期。圣诞期间，在世界的很多地方的零售情况不断看好，这在最近几百年里已经成为一个重要的商业象征了。

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas is central to the Christmas and it's holiday season, and in some places, Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

Although traditionally a Christian holiday, Christmas is widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and some of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, and garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, Santa Claus in North America, Australia and Ireland is a popular mythological figure, associated with the bringing of gifts for children.

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.