Origin of Christmas 圣诞节的由来 The name Christmas is short for “Christ’s Mass”. A Mass is a kind of Church service. Christmas is a religious festival. It is a special day used to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. “圣诞节”这个名称是“基督弥撒”的缩写。弥撒是教会的一种礼拜仪式。圣诞节是一个宗教节日，人们把这一天用来庆祝耶稣的诞辰，因而又名耶诞节。 No one knows exactly when Jesus was born. The year 1 A.D., from which most modern calendars are dated, is supposed to be the year of his birth, but historians now know that he was actually born several years before that time. Christians have celebrated it on Dec.25 since the 4th century. Christianity, the major religious faith in the U.S., is based on the teachings and the life of Jesus Christ. There are special Christmas services in Christian churches all over the world. 耶稣诞生的确切时间不得而知，但大家把公元元年这个大多数现代日历的起始年代当作耶稣诞生的年份，历史学家如今知道其实在此前好些年耶稣就诞生了。圣徒们从公元四世纪开始在12月25日庆祝耶稣的诞生。这一天，世界所有的基督教会都举行特別的礼拜仪式。 Christianity, the major religious faith in the U.S., is based on the teachings and the life of Jesus Christ ---Jesus’ ideas of equality, care for the weak, forgiveness, and love and kindness to all. The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of caring for and sharing with others. Christmas celebrations are characterized by decorating the house and the Christmas tree, feasting, buying and sending gifts and cards, family reunion, singing Christmas carols and etc. Many of the festivities of Christmas nowadays, therefore, do not have anything to do with religion. Exchanging gifts, sending Christmas cards and receiving toys from Santa Claus are the modern ways of celebrating the Christmas in the world. 基督教是美国的主要宗教信仰，其根基就在于耶稣的教义和生平——人人平等、关爱弱者、宽厚博爱。圣诞节的精髓就是关爱他人、与人分享。 圣诞节的庆祝活动主要有装饰居室和圣诞树、享受圣诞大餐、购买分发圣诞礼物、家庭团聚、吟唱圣诞颂歌等等。所以，如今很多圣诞节的欢庆活动和宗教并无半点关联。交换礼物，寄圣诞卡，以及从圣诞老人那里收到玩具等礼物，这些都使圣诞节成为一个普天同庆的日子。 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/7691d64e767f5acfa1c7cd8d.html