每年圣誕節(jié)，人們總是忙著為親朋好友挑選禮物，為今年的開銷頭痛一番。但在歐洲的奧地利，當(dāng)?shù)厝怂坪醺匾暪?jié)日本身的內(nèi)涵。這里與眾不同的生活氣息、濃厚的節(jié)日氣氛讓人置身于浪漫的氣息當(dāng)中——在寒冷的天氣里，四處飄來的圣誕頌歌溫暖著人們的心房……還等什么？一起到奧地利聆聽別樣的《平安夜》吧！

我一直很向往舊時(shí)歐式賀卡上描繪的那種圣誕節(jié)慶。我想乘著馬車在老城鋪滿鵝卵石的街道上兜風(fēng)，在教堂鐘樂的伴奏下聽少年唱詩班用甜美的嗓音唱著“平安夜，圣善夜”。我想看著孩子們在結(jié)了冰的池塘上溜冰，聽他們的父母和朋友在一旁祝福彼此圣誕快樂。

去年十二月，在一次為期一周的奧地利之旅中，我找到了所有這些能夠喚起圣誕喜慶氣氛的情景。在整個(gè)城市和所有鄉(xiāng)村公園里，芬芳的冷杉樹高高聳立，樹上只是簡單地裝點(diǎn)著白色蠟燭。太陽早早下山了，城里到處閃爍著圣誕彩燈，小小的爐火上烤著栗子，雪花就要飄落，空氣寒冷得仿佛能發(fā)出噼噼啪啪的響聲。

圣誕節(jié)期間，維也納、薩爾茨堡和因斯布魯克這幾個(gè)城市的慶祝滿載著質(zhì)感、味道和傳統(tǒng)，足以讓鐵石心腸的憤世嫉俗者成為信徒。

我乘飛機(jī)到達(dá)維也納，然后坐火車在該國旅行。這三座城市之間的轉(zhuǎn)接點(diǎn)很多，距離也很短，這意味著即使獨(dú)自旅行也是很輕松的事。很多人都會(huì)講英語。

在薩爾茨堡，我坐有軌電車去古要塞聽了一場莫扎特的燭光音樂會(huì)。音樂會(huì)在一個(gè)溫暖舒適的房間里舉行，房間的天花呈拱形，墻壁有五英尺厚。在因斯布魯克，盛裝打扮的音樂家們用純管樂演繹了圣誕頌歌和當(dāng)代音樂。

作為蒂羅爾州首府的因斯布魯克呈現(xiàn)出一派熱鬧的冬季活動(dòng)景象。在和一些大學(xué)生的交談中，我了解到因斯布魯克大學(xué)的姐妹學(xué)校是新奧爾良大學(xué)。為什么我不感到吃驚？因?yàn)檫@兩個(gè)地方的節(jié)日氣氛不相上下！

在圣誕節(jié)的前幾周人們會(huì)舉行很多宗教活動(dòng)。你可以在當(dāng)?shù)亟烫寐牭侥?、勃拉姆斯和施特勞斯美妙的音樂。在平安夜，多達(dá)一萬人來到薩爾茨堡舊城區(qū)的教堂參加午夜彌撒，這里距離莫扎特的出生地只有幾百米遠(yuǎn)。

薩爾茨堡這個(gè)僅有11.5萬人的城市擁有48座教堂，其中有些的歷史可以追溯到公元13世紀(jì)。在降臨節(jié)期間，風(fēng)琴獨(dú)奏會(huì)和贊美詩獻(xiàn)唱更為小禮拜堂和大教堂平添了幾分莊嚴(yán)與神圣。

奧地利眾多受到重視的節(jié)日慶典中還有著名的圣誕集市，其歷史已有700年之久。即使你對(duì)購物不感興趣，你還是會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)去圣誕集市的購物體驗(yàn)非同一般。事實(shí)上，這是一場真正的視覺、聽覺、嗅覺和味覺的盛宴。

圣誕集市從11月下旬開始，持續(xù)五周。那里有各種值得家庭珍藏的手工藝品出售。你可以看著藝術(shù)家們在你眼前制作布偶、玩具和服飾。圣誕集市通常在市中心的大教堂、市政廳附近甚至某一座皇宮前面舉行。

你可以一邊聽著降臨節(jié)的頌歌，一邊徜徉在小販們精心裝扮的攤檔之間。攤檔上出售磨砂玻璃圣誕樹飾品、漂亮的手織毛線圍巾和帽子、兒童木制玩具，甚至還有樂器和雕刻而成的棋具。

此外，每個(gè)市政廳外都聚集著許多音樂家為人們表演，而周圍的人群也高興地跟著唱和。興高采烈的親朋好友齊聚一堂，一起出門到處逛逛，到這兒停下來試試一種香腸，到那兒喝一杯溫酒（字面意思為“熱紅酒”）。

維也納和其他一些舊奧匈帝國城市不同，并不喜歡改變。這不是一個(gè)充斥著建筑起重機(jī)的城市，這里的孩子也不會(huì)把頭發(fā)染成藍(lán)色或者穿鼻環(huán)?，斃騺啞ぬ乩孜鱽啴?dāng)年為自己的16個(gè)孩子設(shè)想的社會(huì)至今依然可以在歌劇、華爾茲之夜、化妝舞會(huì)和其他浪漫的音樂活動(dòng)中找到。這三個(gè)主要城市的表演多不勝數(shù)，所以要搶到一張票也不難。我在維也納欣賞了一場無與倫比的《茶花女》，票價(jià)只要40美金。

去年十二月，《時(shí)代》雜志報(bào)導(dǎo)說91%的美國人認(rèn)為圣誕過于商業(yè)化。對(duì)許多人而言，罐頭音樂（錄制的音樂）、塑料樹、網(wǎng)上購物和郊區(qū)商場的圣誕老人等等都使這個(gè)重要的節(jié)日蒙上了一層人工味。

去奧地利過圣誕，你可以捕捉到歐洲圣誕節(jié)的魅力。旅行社會(huì)提供各種套餐，其中包括到城堡和要塞觀看表演的門票——盛裝打扮的音樂家為你重現(xiàn)數(shù)個(gè)世紀(jì)前為國王和皇后所寫的音樂。

記得一定要去奧地利的村莊看看，從市區(qū)一般只需乘坐當(dāng)?shù)氐挠熊夒娷嚰纯傻竭_(dá)。當(dāng)?shù)鼐用穹钚惺フQ節(jié)的儀式，例如唱圣誕頌歌、制作蠟燭，正如幾百年前他們的祖父母所做的一樣。

在小鎮(zhèn)奧本多夫，我參觀了《平安夜》這首頌歌首次演出的教堂。這座小小的巴洛克建筑只有六排長凳和一本賓客留言簿，上面有來自世界各地的人的簽名。我也寫上了自己的名字，暗自許愿以后能度過更多美妙的圣誕節(jié)。

I longed for the Christmas celebration pictured on an old-fashioned European greeting card. I wanted to ride about an old towns cobbled1 streets in a horse-drawn carriage2， listening to cathedral carillons3 with the sweet voices of a youthful choir4 singing “Silent Night， Holy Night.” I wanted to see children skate on a frozen pond as their parents and friends wish each other a Merry Christmas.

On a weeklong visit to Austria last year during December， I found all of these evocative5 expressions of Christmas cheer. Throughout city and country parks， fragrant fir6 trees stand tall， decorated simply with white candles. The sun sets early； Christmas lights twinkle all over town； chestnuts are roasting over a small fire； snow is imminent7； the air crackles8 with the cold.

At Christmastime， the cities of Vienna， Salzburg and Innsbruck steep9 their celebrations with enough texture， taste and tradition to make even a hardened cynic10 a believer.

I flew to Vienna， and traveled by train within this country. Frequent connections and short distances between the three cities means it is easy to travel here on your own. Many people speak English.

In Salzburg， I took the tram11 to the top of the Old Fortress for an evening candlelight concert of Mozarts music. The concert was held in a cozy room that had an arched12 ceiling and walls that were more than five feet thick. In Innsbruck， costumed musicians performed an all brass13 evening of Christmas carols and contemporary14 songs.

The capital of the province of Tyrol， Innsbruck is jumping with winter activities. Talking there with some college students， I learned that the University of Innsbrucks sister school is the University of New Orleans. Why was I not surprised？ The sense of festivities15 is equal in both locations！

Many religious events take place in the weeks before Christmas， and the beautiful music of Mozart， Brahms and Strauss can be heard coming from the local churches. On Christmas Eve， as many as 10，000 people attend Midnight Mass at the cathedral in Salzburgs Old Town， just a few hundred meters from Mozarts birthplace.

Salzburg， a city of 115，000 people， has 48 churches， some dating back to the 1200s. During Advent注1， organ16 recitals17 and chorale18 performances add to the majesty19 of the chapels and cathedrals.

Among the many treasured Austrian holiday festivals are the famous Christmas Markets， which date back 700 years. Even if you are not interested in shopping， youll discover that the Markets are not an ordinary shopping experience. Rather， they are a feast of authentic20 sights and sounds and smells and tastes.

Beginning in late November and lasting for five weeks， the Markets offer hand-crafted items that will become family treasures. Artisans create dolls， toys and clothing as you watch. The Markets are found in the center of the city near the cathedral， the Town Hall or even in front of one of the many imperial21 palaces.

You can hear Advent carols while you walk among dozens of decorated stalls where vendors22 sell frosted glass23 tree ornaments24， pretty hand-knit wool scarves and hats， childrens wooden toys， even musical instruments and carved chess sets.

In addition， outside every city hall you can find musicians entertaining the crowds who happily sing along. Cheerful families and groups of friends gather for an outdoor walkabout， stopping here to sample a sausage25， there to down a cup of Gluhwein （ literally26 glow-wine）.

Unlike some of the other cities of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire， Vienna turns a cold shoulder to change. This is not a city of construction cranes27 and kids with blue hair and pierced28 noses. The society that Empress Maria Theresa注2 foresaw for her 16 children still lives on in the Opera， Waltz Evenings， fancy dress balls29 and other romantic musical events. Performances in the three main cities are so numerous that it is always possible to snag30 a ticket. In Vienna， I enjoyed a magnificent performance of La Traviata注3， and the cost was only $40.

Last December， Time magazine reported that 91% of Americans feel that Christmas is too commercialized. For many， things like canned music31， plastic trees， online shopping and suburban mall Santas add up to an artificial32 take33 on this important holiday.

By choosing a Christmas visit to Austria， you can capture the charm of a European Christmas. Tour operators offer packages that include tickets to performances in castles and fortresses by costumed musicians who recreate music written centuries ago for kings and queens.

Be sure to visit some of the countrys many villages， usually just a local tram ride from the cities. Residents observe Christmas rituals34， such as caroling and candle-making， much as their grandparents did in the last centuries.

In the small town of Obendorf， I visited the chapel where Silent Night was first performed. The tiny baroque35 building has six small pews36 and a guest book with signatures of people from all over the world. I added my own with a wish for many more beautiful Christmases.

單詞卡片··

1）cobble n.（鋪路的）圓石，大鵝卵石

2）carriage n.馬車

3）carillon n.鐘琴，鐘樂器

4）choir n.（教堂的）唱詩班

5）evocative a.喚起……的，引起……的

6）fir n.冷杉

7）imminent a.即將發(fā)生的，逼近的

8）crackle v.發(fā)尖而輕的爆裂聲

9）steep v.使?jié)B透

10）cynic n.憤世嫉俗的人

11）tram n.有軌電車

12）arch v.使成拱形

13）brass n.銅管樂器

14）contemporary a.同時(shí)代的

15）festivity n.節(jié)日，喜慶日

16）organ n.風(fēng)琴，管風(fēng)琴

17）recital n.獨(dú)奏會(huì)

18）chorale n.（合唱的）贊美詩

19）majesty n.雄偉，莊嚴(yán)

20）authentic a.真的，真正的

21）imperial a.帝王的

22）vendor n.小販

23）frosted glass 毛玻璃，磨砂玻璃

24）ornament n.裝飾，飾物

25）sausage n.香腸，肉腸

26）literally ad. 照字面地；逐字地

27）crane n.起重機(jī)

28）pierce v.刺穿，戳入

29）fancy dress ball 化妝舞會(huì)，假面舞會(huì)

30）snag v.迅速抓住

31）canned music 唱片音樂，預(yù)先錄制好的音樂

32）artificial a.人找的，人工的

33）take n.反應(yīng)，看法

34）ritual n.典禮，（宗教儀式）

35）baroque a.羅巴克藝術(shù)的

36）pew n.. 座位，教堂內(nèi)的靠背長凳

【注】

1：“Advent”來自拉丁文“adventus”， 意為“來臨”。降臨節(jié)是指自圣誕節(jié)前四星期的星期日起至圣誕節(jié)止、為迎接耶穌的誕生和他將來的復(fù)臨這段時(shí)期。

2：瑪利亞·特雷西亞（1717-1780），奧地利女大公、匈牙利女王、度西米亞女王以及羅馬帝國弗朗西斯一世的皇后。

3：《茶花女》是由朱塞佩·威爾第（Giuseppe Verdi）作曲的著名三幕歌劇。