Boxing Day - the Day after Christmas!
节礼日-圣诞节后的第二天!
Boxing Day takes place on December 26th and is only celebrated in a few countries. It was started in the UK about 800 years ago, during the Middle Ages.
在12月26日节礼日发生在少数几个国家。这是大约800年前在英国开始于中世纪。
It was the day when the alms box, collection boxes for the poor often kept in churches, were traditionally opened so that the contents could be distributed to poor people.
捐赠节礼的那一天,为穷人收集的节礼经常保存在教堂,按传统打开时,里面的物品可以分发给穷人。
Some churches still open these boxes on Boxing Day.
一些教会仍然打开这些箱子于节礼日。
It might have been the Romans that first brought this type of collecting box to the UK, but they used them to collect money for the betting games which they played during their winter celebrations!
这可能是罗马人首先给英国带来了这种类型的收集盒,但他们用它们在冬季庆祝玩的赌博游戏中收钱!
In Holland, some collection boxes were made out of a rough pottery called 'earthenware' and were shaped like pigs. Perhaps this is where we get the term 'Piggy Bank'!
在荷兰,一些收藏盒是用粗糙的称为“陶”的陶器做成的,形状捏的像猪。也许这就是我们说的“储蓄罐”!
The Christmas Carol, Good King Wenceslas, is set on Boxing Day and is about a King in the Middle Ages who brings food to a poor family.
圣诞颂歌,好的温塞斯拉斯国王,设置在节礼日,大约是在中世纪国王带来了食物给一个贫困的家庭。
It was also traditional that servants got the day off to celebrate Christmas with their families on Boxing Day.
Before World War II, it was common for working people (such as milkmen and butchers) to travel round their delivery places and collect their Christmas box or tip.
也是传统的仆人有一天放假于节礼日与家人庆祝圣诞节。
This tradition has now mostly stopped and any Christmas tips, given to people such as postal workers and newspaper delivery children, are not normally given or collected on Boxing Day.
在第二次世界大战之前,常见的劳动人民(比如送奶工和屠夫)周游交货地点和收集他们的圣诞节礼物或小费。
Boxing Day has now become another public holiday in countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It is also the traditional day that Pantomimes started to play.
圣诞节这一传统基本上已经没有了,任何小费,给人如邮政工人和报纸传递的孩子,一般不给或收集于节礼日。
There are also often sports played on Boxing Day in the UK, especially horse racing and football matches!
节礼日现在已经成为另一个公共假期在英国等国家,加拿大,澳大利亚和新西兰。它也是传统的哑剧演出的节日。
The 26th December is also St. Stephen's Day. Just to confuse things, there are two St. Stephens in history!
在节礼日在英国有许多运动可以进行,尤其是赛马和足球比赛!
The first St. Stephen was a very early follower of Jesus and was the first Christian Martyr (a person who dies for their religious beliefs). He was stoned to death by Jews who didn't believe in Jesus.
12月26日也是圣斯蒂芬的一天。为了迷惑一些事物,历史上有两个圣史蒂芬斯!
The second St. Stephen was a Missionary, in Sweden, in the 800s. He loved all animals but particularly horses (perhaps why there is traditionally horse racing on boxing day).
第一圣斯蒂芬是一个非常早期的耶稣的追随者和是第一个基督教殉道者(献身于他们的宗教信仰的人)。他被不相信耶稣的犹太人用石头砸死。
He was also a martyr and was killed by pagans in Sweden. In Germany there was a tradition that horses would be ridden around the inside of the church during the St. Stephen's Day service!
第二个圣斯蒂芬是一个传教士,在瑞典,在800年代。他喜欢所有动物特别是马(可能这就是为什么有传统的赛马在节礼日了)。
他也是一个烈士,在瑞典被异教徒杀死。在德国有一个传统,在教会里面骑马于圣史蒂芬日服务期间!