想要到美国留学，同学们也要关注一下美国的法定节假日的安排。一方面便于大家更好地了解美国文化，另外一方面是如果赶到法定节假日，很多办公事项都无法办理哟。本篇文章为大家整理了世界各国或地区圣诞节习俗，供大家参考。

英国圣诞节

以前的英国，在圣诞节后的第一个工作日(first working day after Christmas)，佣人们会带一个盒子到雇主家里讨个吉利(servants customarily bring boxes to work)，雇主们也相应给他们些馈赠钱币、礼品放入箱子中作年终奖励(employers will then drop money andseasonal gifts in the boxes as reward)。

在英国，圣诞节往往在家和家人一起过，且被视为对家庭和睦的一种庆祝。大家寄贺卡且在家最显眼的地方装饰圣诞树。尽管这已经成为了根深蒂固的传统，圣诞树最早是由维多利亚女王的丈夫，阿尔伯特王子在1840年从德国引入这一风俗，且开始流行起来。

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一些房子用常青植物(冬天不会掉叶子的植物)装点;前门挂圣洁的花圈，屋内用圣洁的花冠，常春藤和皮毛装饰。一捆捆的槲寄生经常放在门口上方——从下走过的情侣都必须互吻!

要准备的传统食物：甜馅的派，一个花式的圣诞蛋糕和圣诞布丁。人人都有自己喜爱的食谱，但都用足了香料，坚果，干果和白兰地。礼物是买来包好的，通常都是在圣诞夜摆放在圣诞树下的。圣诞节也是世俗的宗教节日，许多家庭喜欢在圣诞夜去教堂参加午夜活动，或者在圣诞节早上去教堂庆祝圣诞。

圣诞节最兴奋的要属孩子了，他们在壁炉边或者床角挂起袜子(一只旧袜子，或者贪心点，一个枕头)，来装圣诞老人的礼物。英国的圣诞老人或者叫Santa Claus最先在1653年被木刻下来，穿着传统的红白服饰，但是关于圣诞老人坐驯鹿拉的雪撬来，并且下到烟囱里给孩子送礼物的故事却是来源于美国的。

实际上，人人都在圣诞节那天下午早早地坐下吃圣诞晚餐，烤火鸡是传统食物，但有些家庭更喜欢鹅或者烤牛肉。在圣诞布丁之后上的菜就是热气腾腾的火鸡。白兰地斟在布丁上，然后点燃。晚饭后，所有人都去散散步放松一下，玩玩游戏，赏玩他们的礼物或者看看电视。

澳大利亚圣诞节

在澳大利亚的传统的饭菜庆典圣诞节火鸡大餐、猪肉和火腿。圣诞节葡萄干布丁是著名的圣诞甜点。有时金掘金同样出现在圣诞节期间圣诞布丁黄金的灯心草。

在东部邦迪海滩悉尼郊区是著名的挂了成千上万的游客在庆祝圣诞节。

圣诞前夜在澳大利亚以庆祝圣诞颂歌在烛光下。庆祝圣诞节期间,成千上万的人在他们的周围精心布置圣诞布什。圣诞节布什是一位土生土长的圣诞当地的植物和红色花的叶子。

西班牙圣诞节

在西班牙不同的送礼物的传统的存在。假期延伸到1月6日,被称为三王一天,主显节直到三王西班牙儿童的那一天收到他们的礼物。主显节前夕,孩子们制定了一双鞋子来装满礼物的三王。通常,三个盘子的食品和三杯酒被排斥在外游船,等待鞋通常是用稻草填充的东方三博士为骆驼骑。

虽然礼物都没有提供,直到三王的日子,西班牙仍然庆祝圣诞节。其中最重要的圣诞节传统的建设的诞生场景,是稳定的基督出生在,完整的父母,天使和动物。这些场景通常是精心制作的和需要大量的材料和工艺。需要建材引发了另一个西班牙传统:圣诞节的市场。这些露天市场由一连串的摊位街头和方块。出售的东西所定展位饰品和小礼物和建筑材料的数据显示诞生场景。

西班牙有许多独特的美味佳肴,服务于传统的圣诞节。虽然有些事奉土耳其,世界范围内的喜爱,很多人更带有明显的西班牙菜单。这顿饭可能会是杏仁汤,紧随其后的是海鲜。为沙漠,糖果叫杏仁蛋白软糖了。杏仁蛋白软糖是由杏仁、鸡蛋和糖。

法国

Children of East France have an evil visitor to keep them behaving all year long. Le Pere Fouettard， which translates into “The Whipping Father，” accompanies Saint Nicolas in on December 6. While St. Nick gives good children presents， Le Pere Fouettard gives coal and whippings to the naughty children.

法国东部的孩子们有个邪恶的造访者，他叫“鞭子老爹”(Le Pere Fouettard)，确保孩子们一整年都表现乖巧。圣诞老人12月6号给孩子分发礼物时，他也陪伴左右。“鞭子老爹”会给淘气的孩子煤块和一顿鞭子。

One of the most popular origin stories of the character say that he was a greedy inn keeper who killed three rich boys on their way to boarding school. In many versions of the story， he even eats the children. Whether or not he cannibalizes the boys， the story ends when Saint Nick finds out and resurrects the children and forces Le Pere Fouettard to act as his servant throughout time.

关于“鞭子老爹”这个人物的起源，最流行的一个版本是说，他是一个贪婪的旅馆老板，在三个富男孩上学路上把他们杀了。很多其他版本甚至流传他吃小孩。故事的结局是圣诞老人找到并救出了孩子们，还迫使“鞭子老爹”永世做他的仆人。

Aside from The Whipping Father， another popular French tradition involves making a cake that looks like a traditional Yule log， known as buche de Noel. Christmas trees never really caught on in the country and while most people don’t have any use for an actual Yule log， the cake is a fun and festive substitute. Some of the buche de Nol can get fairly elaborate and even involve meringue mushrooms and edible flower decorations.

除了“鞭子老爹”的故事，法国圣诞还有一个传统是做“圣诞柴蛋糕”。其实圣诞树从未风靡全法国。虽然圣诞柴对法国人来说没什么实际用途，但这个蛋糕代表了人们的愉快和节日的喜庆。有些“圣诞柴蛋糕”做得相当精致，甚至有蛋白酥皮小蘑菇和能吃的花朵装饰品。

德国

Belsnickel is the German Santa’s dark enforcer， but he’s not nearly as evil as Krumpus or The Whipping Father. Instead he just wears fur from head to toe and gives good girls and boys candy and bad children coal and switches.

贝尔森克(Belsnickel)是德国圣诞老人的惩罚执行者，但他没克拉普斯或鞭子老爹那么邪恶。他从头到脚穿着毛皮，给好孩子们发糖果，给坏孩子们煤块和一顿鞭子。

Many are decorated with a wreath known as an “Adventskranz.” These wreaths have four candles which serve as a sort of weekly advent calendar， as each Sunday marks the opportunity to light a new candle.

许多地方都装饰有“降临节花环”(Adventskranz)。花环上有四只蜡烛，代表着降临节周历。每周日都点燃一只蜡烛。四只都被点燃时就意味着圣诞节到了。

On December 21， St. Thomas Day is believed to be the shortest day of the year and anyone who arrives late to work is called a “Thomas Donkey.” They are also given a cardboard donkey and made fun of throughout the rest of the day.

12月21日是“圣·托马斯日”(St. Thomas Day)，据说是一年中最短的一天。任何在这一天上班迟到的人都被叫做“托马斯驴子”，他们还会收到一个纸板做的驴子，并且被嘲笑一整天。

Like many places in Europe， the Christmas tree is kept secret from the children until Christmas Eve. The parents bring the tree in， decorate it with candies， tinsel， lights and toys， put presents and plates of candy treats under the tree and then ring a bell signaling that the children can enter. The children then get to eat snacks and the whole family opens presents.

跟欧洲许多地方一样，在德国，圣诞树直到平安夜才能让孩子们看到。父母们把圣诞树拉出来，装饰上蜡烛、金属亮片、彩灯和玩具，把礼物和一碟碟的糖果放在树下，然后摇一下铃，表示孩子们可以进来了。小孩子们便可以吃小吃，全家一起打开礼物。

波兰

For Poles， Christmas Eve is a night of magic when animals are said to talk and people have the power to predict the future. It’s a time for families to gather and reconcile any differences， and to remember loved ones who have gone before them.

对于波兰人来说，平安夜是充满魔力的一夜。据说动物在这一夜可以与人说话，而人有预测未来的能力。家人们会在平安夜团聚一堂，调和矛盾，并怀念过世的亲人。

Wigilia (vee-GEEL-yah)， which literally means "vigil，" or waiting for the birth of Baby Jesus， is considered more important than Christmas Day itself.

对波兰人来说，“守夜”或“等待婴孩耶稣的诞生”(Wigilia)比圣诞节那一天更重要。

Wigilia is a meatless meal because， years ago， Roman Catholics fasted for the four weeks of Advent， including Christmas Eve. In the past there were thirteen main dishes (representing the Apostles and Christ)， but， these days， many families have replaced this tradition with a twelve-fruit compote for dessert.

“守夜”晚餐是素食，因为多年前，罗马天主教徒在降临节四周一直到平安夜都斋戒。过去晚餐有13道主菜(代表耶稣和他的使徒)。但是如今许多家庭转而选择12样水果的果盘甜点。

The foods are to represent the four corners of the earth -- mushrooms from the forest， grain from the fields， fruit from the orchards， and fish from the lakes and sea.

食物代表地球的天涯海角——蘑菇来自于森林，谷物来自于田地，水果来自于果园，而鱼来自于湖海。

Meals vary from family to family but usually include a special soup followed by many elegant fish preparations， vegetables， and pierogi.

每家的饭菜都不同，但通常都包括一种特制的汤，还有许多精致的鱼肉餐、蔬菜和半圆形小酥饼。

意大利

In Italy， there is no Santa， but instead there a woman called a Befana that performs the general duties of Saint Nick. The story is that the three wise men stopped during their travels and asked a woman for food and shelter. She said no， but later realized her mistake when it was too late. She now travels the earth looking for the baby Jesus and on January 6th， she leaves kids a sock filled with candy or a lump of coal.

意大利没有圣诞老人，但有一个叫贝法娜(Befana)的女巫，她履行圣诞老人一般的职责。据说从前有三位智者在旅行中请求一位女士给些吃的，并能让他们留宿，但女士拒绝了。她接着意识到了自己的错误，但这已经太晚了。如今她环游全球，寻找婴孩时的耶稣，并会在1月6号给孩子们留下装满糖果或煤块的袜子。

日本

While most Japanese residents are not Christian， the majority of people still celebrate Christmas just for the fun of it. Unsurprisingly， the rituals are slightly different than those we are used to. Because KFC has marketed the idea that fried chicken is the traditional meal for the holidays， the restaurants are so busy on Christmas Day that reservations are required.

尽管大多数日本人都不是基督徒，但绝大多数人都图个好玩儿来庆祝圣诞节。仪式跟我们所熟知的稍有不同，这不足为奇。由于肯德基已经推广了“炸鸡是圣诞传统小吃”这一概念，节日当天肯德基餐馆业务太繁忙，顾客需要预订才能买到炸鸡。

Most of the holiday celebrations revolve around romantic love more than family relationships and bakeries even sell cakes for sweethearts.

节日庆祝活动大多以浪漫爱情为主题，而非家庭亲情。面包店甚至会给甜食控们提供蛋糕。

Children still have a Santa figure though， only in this case， he is a traditional Japanese god who is known for his generosity. Hoteiosho is a heavy-set Buddhist priest who carries a large sack of presents. Children know they have to be good because Hoteiosho has eyes in the back of his head.

但是孩子们还是有一个圣诞老人形象(Hoteiosho)的。他是传统的日本神，以慷慨著称。他的形象是一个身材魁梧的佛教徒，背着一大麻袋礼物。孩子们都知道自己得好好表现，因为圣诞老人后脑勺上长了眼睛。

乌克兰

While the story about German families hiding a pickle ornament on their tree is false， Ukrainians actually do hide a spider web ornament on their tree and it is supposed to be good luck for the person who finds it. The story behind the tradition is that an old widow had no money to decorate her tree and went to bed upset that her children would have an undecorated tree the next day. While she was asleep， a spider decorated the tree with a beautiful web. When the first light of day hit the webs， they turned to silver and gold and the widow and her children never went longing again.

尽管德国家庭在树上藏泡菜装饰物的故事是假的，但乌克兰人事实上的确会在树上藏一个蜘蛛网装饰物，据说这可以为找到它的人带来好运。这个传统背后的故事是，有一个老寡妇没有钱来装饰圣诞树，她沮丧地上床睡觉，因为她的孩子第二天只能得到一颗没有任何装饰的树。然而，当她醒来时，一只蜘蛛用一张漂亮的网装饰了圣诞树。当第一缕晨光照到网上时，网变成了银子和金子，老妇人和她的孩子从此再也不愁钱花了。

挪威

Norwegian folklore says that Christmas Eve is kind of like Halloween and brings about a number of evil spirits and witches. The brooms of the houses are hidden to keep them away from witches and men will often go outside and shoot their guns to ward off evil spirits.

挪威的民间故事说平安夜类似于万圣节，会招进一些邪恶的精灵和女巫。屋里的扫把都被藏起来了，来防止女巫们作恶。男士通常会出门放几枪，来祛除邪恶的精灵。

Pagan winter celebrations used to revolve around Thor’s pet goat and a person would arrive at the parties wearing a goatskin and carrying a goat head. He would eventually fake his death and then return to life. As Christianity started to take over the area， the goat was recast as a form of the devil and he was eventually banned.

无神论者的圣诞庆祝过去都是以托尔(Thor)的宠物羊和一位穿着羊皮、拿着羊头出现在聚会上的人为主题。这个人会诈死，然后复生。随着基督教在挪威的盛行，山羊被重新定义为一种邪恶的化身，这个人最终也被禁止在故事中流传。

Since then， the goat character was morphed into Julebukk， a “yule goat.” The new story of the goat involved him traveling from door to door where he would get gifts for keeping the evil spirits away. Nowadays， kids dress up and play the role of the Julebukk， where they get treats as they visit the houses.

自那以后，“山羊人”演变为“圣诞羊”(Julebukk)。在新故事中，他挨家挨户的拜访，并且会因祛除邪恶精灵而得到礼物。如今，孩子们会打扮得像“圣诞羊”，也会像他那样在拜访每家每户得到奖赏。

芬兰

Finnish people honor their departed loved ones on Christmas Eve by visiting the cemeteries and leaving candles on the graves of their family members. If they live too far away to visit their loved one’s graves， most graveyards have an area you can light a candle to remember those buried in other cemeteries. The soft snow and gentle glow of the candles make graveyards a very beautiful place to visit on Christmas Eve.

芬兰人会在圣诞节去墓地，并在他们家人的墓地上留下点燃的蜡烛，以此来怀念他们过世的亲人。如果他们住的太远，没办法去亲人的墓地，大多数墓地上都会有一个区域供他们怀念在其他墓地上安息的亲人们。柔软的积雪和轻柔的烛光让墓地成了一个的漂亮的平安夜拜访地。

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