英美文化：為什么英國王室不在圣誕節(jié)當天拆禮物？

和普通民眾一樣，英國王室也會過圣誕節(jié)，但是他們過圣誕的方式可能和你想的不太一樣，比如說，不同于英國民眾的傳統(tǒng)，他們不會等到圣誕節(jié)當天早上才拆禮物，而是在圣誕前夜就拆了，這是什么緣故呢?

The idea of Christmas with the royal family may conjure images of all the royals gathered around the tree with mountains of presents on the morning of December 25, but it turns out that their holiday is structured in a different way than you might expect.

提起英國王室過圣誕，人們的腦海里可能會浮現(xiàn)出這樣一個畫面：所有的王室成員都在12月25日這天早上聚在堆滿了禮物的圣誕樹周圍，但事實上，英國王室過圣誕節(jié)的方式和你想象的可能不一樣。

According to their official website, the royal family holds their gift-giving festivities on December 24 by laying their gifts out on trestle tables and opening them over teatime. This typically takes place in Sandringham Estate, the queen's private home in Norfolk, UK.

據(jù)王室官網(wǎng)稱，英國王室成員在12月24日互送禮物，他們把禮物放在擱板桌上，喝著下午茶就把禮物拆了。送禮物環(huán)節(jié)通常在女王位于英國諾?？丝さ乃秸５铝譂h姆莊園進行。

According to the Mirror, the white, linen-covered tables are in the estate's red drawing room and feature name tags designating each member of the family's pile.

據(jù)《鏡報》報道，禮物會擺在莊園內(nèi)紅色客廳中的一張張蓋著亞麻桌布的白色桌子上，每張桌子上擺著寫有指定禮物歸屬的王室成員名字標牌。

The royal family's former chef Darren McGrady told Express that the tradition is a nod to their German heritage.

英國王室的前御廚達倫·麥格雷迪告訴《每日快報》說，這一傳統(tǒng)是向王室的德國血統(tǒng)致敬。

"The royals are of German descent so they weave in German traditions to their celebrations," he said according to Express. "After afternoon tea, they open gifts on Christmas Eve, as is the German tradition."

《每日快報》援引他的話說：“英國王室是德國人的后代，所以他們在圣誕慶祝活動中會加入一些德國傳統(tǒng)。在喝完下午茶后，他們會遵循德國傳統(tǒng)，在圣誕前夜拆開禮物。”

Exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve frees up the family's Christmas morning to attend the annual church service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham Estate.

在圣誕前夜互換了禮物，這樣圣誕節(jié)早上一家人就有時間去桑德林漢姆莊園的圣馬利亞-瑪?shù)铝战烫脜⒓右荒暌欢鹊氖フQ禮拜。

McGrady told Cosmopolitan that the service is followed by a big lunch consisting of roast chicken, salads, and traditional sides such as parsnips and Brussels sprouts. They then regroup later for afternoon tea and fruitcake, followed by a buffet-style dinner later in the evening.

麥格雷迪告訴《大都市》雜志說，做完圣誕禮拜后，王室成員們會享用一頓豐盛的午餐，有烤雞、沙拉，還有防風草、球芽甘藍這種傳統(tǒng)配菜。稍后他們又會聚到一起喝下午茶、吃水果蛋糕，晚上他們還會舉行一場自助餐式的晚宴。

The queen also has a few special traditions of her own to ensure the holiday spirit reaches everyone around her.

女王還有幾個自己的特別傳統(tǒng)，確保身邊的每個人都感受到節(jié)日氣氛。

Each year she personally hands out gifts to members of the royal household in Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. She also purchases about 1,500 Christmas puddings for staff throughout the palaces, which she pairs with a greeting card from herself and Prince Philip.

每年她都會親自把禮物分發(fā)給白金漢宮和溫莎堡的每一個王室家族成員。她還會購買約1500個圣誕布丁分給王宮上下的所有員工，送上每一份布丁的同時還會附上來自她自己和菲利普親王的一張賀卡。

So gift-giving certainly seems to be a huge part of the royal family's holiday celebrations, just not necessarily on Christmas Day.

因此，送禮物看起來是英國王室慶祝圣誕的一個很重要的部分，只不過不是在圣誕節(jié)當天拆禮物罷了。