12-5 圣诞夜（在线收听）

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve celebrations often outshine those of Christmas itself. In Denmark, Christmas Eve is the biggest occasion of the year. The partying goes on all night, with traditional prune stuffed roast goose, red cabbage, fried pastries, and cinnamon laced rice pudding. The Christmas elves are appeased¹ with offerings of rice pudding, and dishes of seeds are placed outdoors for wild birds. Rumanians serve a myriad layered cake, said to represent Jesus’ swaddling² clothes. In France, children set out their shoes in hopes that le petit Jesus will fill them during the night with small gifts. Mexicans attend a midnight service called la misa del gallo, “the rooster’s mass,” and sing lullabies³ to Jesus. Norwegians eat lye treated codfish and wash it down with boiled potatoes, rice porridge, gingerbread, and punch. Swedes eat lye? treated codfish, too, and welcome the Christmas elves and the Christmas goat generally held responsible for the distribution of presents. The Swiss wait breathlessly for the Christ child, to arrive with gifts for all in his reindeer? drawn sleigh. Meanwhile, Czechs eat a soup made of cod roe and tempt⁴ each other with tales of a mythical golden pig.

注释：

1. appease [E5pi:z] vt.（以满足对方要求等让步方式）抚慰

2. swaddling [5swCdliN] n. [常作～s] 襁褓用长布条

3. lullaby [5lQlEbai] n.  摇篮曲，催眠曲

4. tempt [tempt] vt.  吸引，引起……的兴趣