On Christmas Eve， it starts with a drink and nibbles（小吃）， followed by a starter course（開(kāi)胃菜） such as seafood， and then stuffed turkey. The dessert（點(diǎn)心） is a kind of cake made with cream. Father Christmas is called “Saint Nicholas” and he brings presents to children on December 6th. St. Nicholas Day comes earlier than Christmas.

圣誕夜，歡慶活動(dòng)由小飲和小吃開(kāi)始，然后是開(kāi)胃菜，如海鮮。接下來(lái)的菜是填滿佐料的火雞。甜點(diǎn)是一種帶奶油的蛋糕。圣誕老人叫做“圣尼古拉斯”。他在12月6日這一天為孩子們帶來(lái)禮物。“圣尼古拉斯節(jié)”時(shí)間遠(yuǎn)在圣誕節(jié)前。

Finnish people believe that Father Christ-

mas（Santa Claus） lives in the north part of Finland called Korvatunturi （科瓦山）， north of the Arctic Circle（北極圈）. People from all over the world send letters to Santa Claus in Finland. There is even a big tourist theme park called“Christmas Land” in the north of Finland， near to where Father Christmas lives. Everyone cleans their houses to greet the three holy days of Christmas—Christmas Eve， Christmas Day， and Boxing Day（節(jié)禮日）. Christmas Eve is very special. People eat rice porridge and plum fruit juice in the morning. They will then decorate（裝飾） a spruce tree（云杉樹(shù)） in the house. Many families will visit cemeteries（公墓） and grave-yards（墓地） to place a candle on the burial graves of family members. Cemeteries are very beautiful at Christmas-time.

芬蘭人相信圣誕老人（圣克勞斯）住在芬蘭北部一個(gè)叫做科瓦山的地方，位于北極圈北部。全世界的人們都把寄給圣誕老人的信發(fā)往芬蘭。在芬蘭的北部甚至有一個(gè)大型旅游主題公園被稱為“圣誕地”，就位于傳說(shuō)中圣誕老人的居住地附近。每家每戶都清掃各自的房屋以迎接圣誕節(jié)的三個(gè)圣日——圣誕夜、圣誕日和節(jié)禮日。圣誕夜是個(gè)重要的節(jié)日。人們?cè)缟虾让字嗪屠钭又?，然后他們?cè)诩抑醒b飾云杉樹(shù)。很多家庭會(huì)前往墓地，在已故親屬的墓上獻(xiàn)上一根蠟燭。圣誕節(jié)時(shí)墓地都顯得格外漂亮。

In France， everyone has a Christmas tree. Sometimes they are decorated in the old way with red ribbons and real white candles. Fir trees（杉樹(shù)） in the garden are often decorated， too， with lights on all night. Father Christmas is called Père Nol（圣誕阿爸）. The Christmas meal is an important family gathering with the best wine and delicious food. Not everyone sends Christmas cards.

在法國(guó)，每人都有一棵圣誕樹(shù)。有時(shí)圣誕樹(shù)按傳統(tǒng)的方式用紅綢帶和真正的白蠟燭裝飾。庭院中的冷杉樹(shù)也經(jīng)常被裝飾起來(lái)，通宵都亮著小彩燈。圣誕老人被叫做“圣誕阿爸”。圣誕宴是一次重要的家庭聚會(huì)，席上滿是美酒佳肴。圣誕卡不是每個(gè)人都寄的。

Germans love to decorate their houses at Christmas. Many houses will have little wooden frames holding electric candles in their windows， and colored pictures of paper or plastic. It looks beautiful from outside at night. After people have been to a church meeting， Father Christmas brings presents in the late afternoon of Christmas Eve. The presents are then found under the Christmas tree. One person in the family will ring a bell and call everyone to come to the room. On Christmas Day， carp（鯉魚） or goose will be cooked.

德國(guó)人喜歡在圣誕節(jié)裝飾他們的房子。很多房子的窗戶上都會(huì)有用小木架支起來(lái)的燈泡、蠟燭以及印在紙上或塑料上的彩色圖片，晚上從屋外看非常漂亮。圣誕老人在圣誕夜傍晚人們?nèi)ソ烫镁蹠?huì)之后帶來(lái)禮物。禮物放在圣誕樹(shù)下。每家有一個(gè)人搖著鈴鐺叫所有人去屋里看禮物。圣誕節(jié)人們烹飪鯉魚或者家鵝。

In the days of the Soviet Union， Christmas was not celebrated very much. New Year was the important time—when “Father Frost（霜父）” brought presents to children. Now Christmas can be openly celebrated either on December 25th， or more often on January 7th. Choosing this unusual date is because the Russian Orthodox Church（俄羅斯東正教） uses the old “Julian” calendar for religious（宗教的） celebration days. Special Christmas food includes cakes， pies and “meat dumplings.”

蘇聯(lián)時(shí)期，人們不大過(guò)圣誕節(jié)。新年是一個(gè)重要的節(jié)日——這時(shí)“霜父”為孩子們帶來(lái)禮物。現(xiàn)在圣誕節(jié)可以被公開(kāi)慶祝，或者在12月25日，或者更通常在1月7日。選擇后者這個(gè)不尋常的日子是因?yàn)槎砹_斯東正教按照古老的儒略歷確定宗教節(jié)日。典型的圣誕宴包括蛋糕、餡餅以及“肉餃”。

The most important day is Christmas Eve. A special Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve—ham（pork）， herring fish（鯡魚）， and brown beans—and this is the time when families give presents to each other. Many people attend a church meeting early on Christmas Day.

最重要的日子是圣誕夜。特別的圣誕宴安排在圣誕夜，有豬肉火腿、鯡魚和褐豆 。這也是各家互贈(zèng)禮物的時(shí)候。很多人在圣誕節(jié)這一天一大早便去教堂參加聚會(huì)。