Origin of Christmas
圣诞节的由来
The name Christmas is short for 'Christ's Mass'. A Mass is a kind of Church service.Christmas is a religious festival. It is the day we celebrate as the birthday of Jesus.
“圣诞节”这个名称是“基督弥撒”的缩写。弥撒是教会的一种礼拜仪式。圣诞节是一个宗教节日我们把它当作耶稣的诞辰来庆祝，因而又名耶诞节。
There are special Christmas services in Christian churches all over the world. But many of the festivities of Christmas do not have anything to do with religion. Exchanging gifts and sending Christmas cards are the modern ways of celebrating the Christmas in the world.
这一天，世界所有的基督教会都举行特别的礼拜仪式。但是有很多圣诞节的欢庆活动和宗教并无半点关联。交换礼物，寄圣诞卡，这都使圣诞节成为一个普天同庆的日子。
Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was minded to put her away secretly.
While he thought about these things, Gabriel, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him did not be afraid to take Mary as wife. And Mary will bring forth a Son, and he shall call his name, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
耶稣的出生是有一段故事的，耶稣是因着圣灵成孕，由童女马利亚所生的。神更派遣使者加伯列在梦中晓谕约瑟，叫他不要因为马利亚未婚怀孕而不要她，反而要与她成亲，把那孩子起名为“耶稣”，意思是要他把百姓从罪恶中救出来。
Joseph also went up out of Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and of the lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
当马利亚快要临盆的时候，罗马政府下了命令，全部人民到伯利恒务必申报户籍。约瑟和马利亚只好遵命。他们到达伯利恒时，天色已昏，无奈两人未能找到旅馆渡宿，只有一个马棚可以暂住。就在这时，耶稣要出生了。
And the Christmas has become popular when Christmas cards appeared in 1846 and the concept of a jolly Santa Claus was first made popular in nineteenth Century.
圣诞节便始于十二月二十五日纪念耶苏的诞生，但真实的诞生日就没有人知道了。十九世纪，圣诞卡的流行、圣诞老人的出现，圣诞节也开始流行起来了。
圣诞节的来历如下：
第一个圣诞节是在公元138年，由罗马主教圣克里门倡议举行。而教会史载第一个圣诞节则在公元336年。由于圣经未明记耶稣生于何时，故各地圣诞节日期各异。
直到公元440年，才由罗马教廷定12月25日为圣诞节。公元1607年，世界各地教会领袖在伯利恒聚会，进一步予以确定，从此世界大多数的基督徒均以12月25日为圣诞节。其实哪一天并不要紧，重要的是应该知道它是为纪念救主耶稣降生。
圣诞节的由来英文版，有翻译：
Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. It is traditionally celebrated on December 25 by most Western Christian churches.
Although dating to probably as early as a.d. 200, the feast of Christmas did not become widespread until the Middle Ages.
Aspects of celebration may include gift-giving, Christmas trees, display of Nativity sets, church attendance, the Father Christmas/Santa Claus myth, and family gatherings. The word Christmas is derived from Middle English Christemasse.
It is a contrACTion meaning "Christ's mass". The name of the holiday is often shortened to Xmas because Roman letter "X" resembles the GREek letter X, an abbreviation for Christ.
圣诞节是庆祝天主教中心人物耶稣诞生的节日，通常西方天主教堂在12月25日庆祝。圣诞节最早可追溯到公元200年，但直到中世纪才开始广泛流传。
圣诞节庆祝活动包括赠送礼物、圣诞树、摆耶稣系列雕像、参加教堂活动、圣诞老人传说、家庭聚会等。
Christmas一词来源于中世纪英语Christemasse，大概的意思是耶稣的弥撒。有时候圣诞节被写成Xmas，因为罗马字母X和希腊文Chirst的缩写X很相似。
