千禧及圣诞的由来.doc

千禧的由来 千禧年（millennium）又名千福年。在早期，千禧年的观念主要来自犹太人对末世的期待，通常也隐含著基督徒扬威世界的时刻即将来临之意。 千禧年教义明载於新约中启示录的第20章：千禧年是基督再度降临，撒旦被打入地狱，而殉道者复活并与基督共同统治千年的许诺。而到了这千年的末期，撒旦会再度作乱，但最後终归彻底失败。然後所有死者都将聚集起来，接受最後审判。 天主教会认为圣经上所载的千禧年，只是一段寓言式的叙述，千禧年并不在未来发生，而是已在五旬节便开始了。因此他们认同世上的天国就是教会。当西罗马帝国灭亡，蛮族肆虐欧洲大陆之後，许多人都相信西元1000年会是千禧年的开始。在中世纪时，千禧年的观念在宗教狂热人士间广为盛行。十四世纪黑死病肆虐後，千禧年主义又再度复活。到了十五世纪，一些教派团体则提出千禧年主义，用来对抗教会的权威。十九世纪後，人们对科学、知识的信心日渐增强，千禧年的概念亦被重新诠释成为人类创造全新世界秩序的进程。 时至今日，第二度的千禧年又将来临，千禧年在宗教上的涵义，已扩展为全人类的庆典活动；而原本隐含的末世意味，也被跨世纪的喜悦与期许所取代。圣诞节起源 “圣诞节”这个名称是“基督彌撒”的缩写。彌撒是教会的一种礼拜仪式。耶诞节是一个宗教节。我们把它当作耶苏的诞辰來庆祝，因而又名耶诞节。这一天，世界所有的基督教会都举行特別的礼拜仪式。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。 圣诞节是基督教世界最大的节日。4世纪初，1月6日是罗马帝国东部各教会纪念那稣降生和受洗的双重节日、称为“主显节”Epiphany，亦称“显现节”即上帝通过那稣向世人显示自己。当时只有那路拉冷的教会例外，那里只纪念耶稣的诞生而不纪念那稣的受洗。后来历史学家们在罗马基督徒习用的日历中发现公元 354年12月25日页内记录着：“基督降生在犹大的伯利恒。”经过研究，一般认为12月25日伴为圣诞节可能开始于公元336年的罗马教会）约在公元375年传到小亚细亚的安提阿，公元 430年传到埃及的亚历山大里亚，那路撒冷的教会接受得最晚，而亚美尼亚的教会则仍然坚持1月6日主显节是那稣的诞辰。12月25日原来是波斯太阳神（即光明之神）密特拉（Mithra）的诞辰，是一个异教徒节日，同时太阳神也是罗马国教众神之一。这一天又是罗马历书的冬至节，崇拜太阳神的异教徒都把这一天当作春天的希望，万物复苏的开始。可能由于这个原因，罗马教会才选择这一天作为圣诞节。这是教会初期力图把异教徒的风俗习惯基督教化的措施之一。后来，虽然大多数教会都接受12月25日为圣诞节，但又固各地教会使用的历书不同，具体日期不能统一，于是就把12月24日到第二年的1月6日定为圣诞节节期（Christmas Tide），各地教会可以根据当地具体情况在这段节期之内庆祝圣诞节。自从12月25日被大多数教会公认为圣诞节后，原来1月6日的主显节就只纪念耶稣受洗了，但天主教会又把1月6日定为“三王来朝节”，以纪念耶稣生时东方三王（即三位博士）来朝拜的故事。随着基督教的广泛传播，圣诞节已成为各教派基督徒，甚至广大非基督徒群众的一个重要节日。在欧美许多国家里，人们非常重视这个节日，把它和新年连在一起，而庆祝活动之热闹与隆重大大超过了新年，成为一个全民的节日。12月25日的主要纪念活动都与那稣降生的传说有关。 耶苏的出生是有一段故事的，耶苏是因着圣灵成孕，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“耶苏”，意思是要他把百姓从罪恶中救出來。 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戶籍。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，只有一个马棚可以暫住。就在這时，耶苏要出生了！於是马利亚唯有在马槽上，生下耶苏。后人为纪念耶苏的诞生，便定十二月二十五为圣诞节，年年望彌撒，纪念耶苏的出世。 圣诞节便是於十二月二十五日纪念耶苏的诞生，但真实的诞生日就沒有人知道了。十九世紀，圣诞卡的流行、圣诞老人的出现，圣诞节也开始流行起來了。 圣诞老人的传说 圣诞老人的传说在数千年前的斯堪的纳维亚半岛即出现。北欧神话中司智慧，艺术，诗词，战争的奥丁神，寒冬时节，骑上他那八脚马坐骑驰骋于天涯海角，惩恶扬善，分发礼物。与此同时，其子雷神着红衣以闪电为武器与冰雪诸神昏天黑地恶战一场，最终战胜寒冷。据异教传说，圣诞老人为奥丁神后裔。也有传说称圣诞老人由圣尼古拉而来，所以圣诞老人也称St.Nicholas.因这些故事大多弘扬基督精神，其出处，故事情节大多被淡忘，然而圣诞老人却永驻人们精神世界。每年圣诞日，圣诞老人骑在白羊星座上，圣童手持圣诞树降临人间，随着世事变迁，作家和艺术家开始把圣诞老人描述成我们今日熟悉的着红装，留白胡子的形象。同时不同的国度和文化对圣诞老人也有了不同的解释。在德国，传说他扮成圣童把坚果和苹果放在孩子们鞋里。他乘双轮马车四处漫游，观察人们的行为，尤其是小孩，如果表现好，将会得到苹果、坚果、糖等诸多奖品。坏孩子则得一鞭子。家长们灵机一动纷纷采用此传说来鼓励孩子们听话。大大超过了新年，成为一个全民的节日。圣诞老人已经成为圣诞节最受喜爱的象征和传统。他赶 着驯鹿，拉着装满玩具和礼物的雪橇挨家挨户给每个孩子送礼物的快乐老精灵的形象已深深地留在人们的记忆中。 11世纪末来自意大利的宗教士兵将Nicholas圣人的遗物带回意大利，并在港口城市Bari建造了一座教堂来纪念他。很快世界各地的基督教徒纷至沓来朝圣这位圣人。这些朝圣者将圣人Nicholas的故事带回他们的本土，所以有关圣诞老人的传说在各个国家都各具特色。 12世纪欧洲出现了圣人Nicholas纪念日，以互赠礼物和慈善活动为主。德国、法国、荷兰则将12月6日作为宗教纪念日，给孩子和穷人们赠送礼物。 荷兰殖民者来到美洲时，将他们的Sintirklass主教也带了去，Sintirklass身着红袈裟，骑着一匹白马。Sintirklass的美国形象后来逐渐演变成一个快乐的老精灵。起初美国作家华盛顿.欧文在他的喜剧纽约的历史中将他描述成一个又圆又胖的荷兰老人。1823年，诗人Clement Moore在他的诗歌St.Nicholas印象中继续将Sintirklass/Saint Nicholas的形象戏剧化，这就是各位在本篇开头看到的圣诞老人。 19世纪60年代卡通制作者Thomas Nash画了一幅胖胖的、慈祥的圣诞老人作为Harper的一周的插图。这个圣诞老人的形象开始深深地扎根于美国人民的脑海中。随着时间的推移，圣诞老人的形象传回欧洲，传到南美洲，传遍世界各地。 许多国家都保存了他们自己有关圣诞老人的风俗和传说。在荷兰的传说中，圣诞老人Sintirklass还带了一个叫Black Peter的助手，乘着一艘船于12月6日来到。他带着一本大书，书中描述了所有荷兰小孩在过去一年中的表现。表现好的小孩就送礼物给他们，不好的小孩便让他的助手带走。德国的圣诞老人也带着一个叫做Knecht Ruprecht、Krampus或Pelzebock的助手，肩上背着个装着礼物的大袋子，手上拿着一根棍子。好孩子可收到他的礼物，顽皮的孩子却要给教训几棍子。 意大利的圣诞老人叫La Befana ；法国的圣诞老人叫Father Christmas或Pere Noel ；瑞士的圣诞老人叫Christkindl或Christ Child；斯勘的纳维亚地区的圣诞人叫julenisse 或 juletomte ；而英国的圣诞老人和法国一样也叫Father Christmas（圣诞之父），他的形象比其它圣诞老人更庄严，更清瘦一些。北美的圣诞老人便是乘着驯鹿拉的雪橇来给孩子们送礼物的。 圣诞袜的传说 很久很久以前有一个心地善良的贵族，他的妻子因病去逝，抛下他和他的三个女儿。 这个贵族尝试了不少发明，都失败了，但也因此耗尽了钱财，所以他们不得不搬到一家农舍里生活，他的女儿们也只得亲自烧煮、缝纫和打扫。 一晃几年过去，女儿们陆续到了出嫁的年龄，父亲却变得更加沮丧，因为他没钱给女儿们买嫁妆。一天晚上，女儿们洗完衣服后将长统袜挂在壁炉前烘干。圣人Nicholas知道了她们父亲的境况后，就在那天晚上，来到她们的家门前。他从窗口看到一家人 都已睡着了，同时也注意到了女孩们的长统袜。随即，他从口袋里掏出三小包黄金从烟囱上一个个投下去，刚好掉在女孩们的长统袜里。 第二天早上，女儿们醒来发现她们的长统袜里装满了金子，足够供她们买嫁妆了。这个贵族也因此能亲眼看到他的女儿们结婚，从此便过上了幸福快乐的生活。 后来，世界各地的孩子们都继承了悬挂圣诞袜的传统。有些国家的孩子则有其它类似的风俗，如在法国，孩子们将鞋子放在壁炉旁等等。 圣诞小知识12月25日这一天，不论是否礼拜天，各教会都要分别举行崇拜仪式。天主教与东正教举行圣诞弥撤，新教举行圣诞礼拜。有些教会的庆祝活动从午夜零点就开始。除崇拜仪式外，还演出圣诞剧，表演耶稣降生的故事。 圣诞夜报佳音：圣诞夜指12月24日晚至25日晨。教会组织一些圣诗班（或由信徒自发地组成）挨门挨户地在门口或窗下唱圣诞颂歌，叫作“报佳音”，意思是再现当年天使向伯利恒郊外的牧羊人报告耶稣降生的喜讯。“报佳音”的人称为Christmas Waits，这项活动往往要进行到天亮，人数越来越多，歌声越来越大，大街小巷满城尽是歌声。圣诞颂歌：圣诞节时唱的赞美诗称为“圣诞颂歌”。圣诞颂歌很多，曲谱多取自著名音乐家的名作。经常唱的有普世欢腾，救主下降、（Joy to the World！）、天使歌唱在高天（Angels We Have Heard on High）、缅想当年时方夜半（It Came tbe Midnight Clear）、美哉小城，小伯利恒（O Little Town of Bethlehem）、 牧人闻信（While Shepherds Wa tched Their Flocks）、远远在马槽里（Away in the Manger ）、荣耀天军（Angels，from the Realms of Glory）、听啊，天使唱高声（Hark！ the Herald Angels Sing）、圣诞钟声（I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day）、等等，其中以平安夜（Silent Night）最为有名。据说，1818年在奥地利一个名叫奥本多夫的小镇上住着一个默默无闻的乡村牧师一摩尔。这年圣诞节，摩尔发现教堂里管风琴的管于被老鼠咬坏了，修理已经来不及了。怎么庆祝圣诞呢？摩尔为此闷闷不乐。他忽然想起路加福音里记载着，那稣降生时，天使向伯利恒郊外的牧羊人报佳音后，高唱颂歌：“在至高之处荣耀归于上帝，在地上平安归于他所喜悦的人。”他灵机一动，根据这两句经文写成一首赞美诗，取名平安夜。摩尔写好歌词后拿给本镇小学教师葛路伯看，请他谱曲。葛路怕读完歌词很受感动，谱好曲，第二天在教堂里演唱，大受欢迎。后来有两个商人路过这里，学会了这首歌，他们为普鲁士国王威廉四世演唱，威廉四世听后大力赞赏，下令把平安夜定为全国教堂过圣诞节时必唱的歌曲之一。此外，有条件的教堂每年圣诞节时还会演唱德国著名音乐家韩德尔的弥赛亚（又名救世主）等音乐作品，通过这些音乐崇拜活动来加强节日的喜庆气氛。圣诞老人：据说他原是小亚细亚每拉城的主教，名叫圣尼古拉，死后被尊为圣徒，是一位身穿红袍、头戴红帽的白胡子老头。每年圣诞节他驾着鹿拉的雪橇从北方面来，由烟囱进入各家，把圣诞礼物装在袜子里挂在孩子们的床头上或火炉前。所以，西方人过圣诞节时，父母把给孩子的圣诞礼物装在袜子里，圣诞夜时挂在孩子们的床头上。第二天，孩子们醒来后的第一件事就是在床头上寻找圣诞老人送来的礼物。如今，圣诞老人已成为吉祥如意的象征，不仅是过圣诞节时不可缺少的人物，而且也是欢庆新年时不可缺少的人物。 圣诞树：据说有一位农民在一个风雪交加的圣诞夜里接待了一个饥寒交迫的小孩，让他吃了一顿丰盛的圣诞晚餐，这个孩子告别时折了一根杉树枝插在地上并祝福说：“年年此日，礼物满枝，留此美丽的杉村，报答你的好意。”小孩走后，农民发现那树枝竟变成了一棵小树，他才明白自己接待的原来是一位上帝的使者。这个故事就成为圣诞树的来源。在西方，不论是否基督徒，过圣诞节时都要准备一棵圣诞树，以增加节日的欢乐气氛。圣诞树一般是用杉柏之类的常绿树做成，象征生命长存。树上装饰着各种灯烛、彩花、玩具、星星，挂上各种圣诞礼物。圣诞之夜，人们围着圣诞树唱歌跳舞，尽情欢乐。圣诞卡：是祝贺圣诞及新年的贺卡，上面印着关于耶稣降生故事的图画，以及“庆祝圣诞、新年快乐之类的祝愿的话。圣诞节节礼：指西方人过圣诞节时给邮差或佣人的节礼，通常放在一个小盒里，所以英文称为”Christmas Box。Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!Beautiful dream comes trueBring you Good wishes of happiness. This Christmas and on the coming year.During this Season may the loy and love of Christmas be yours.Each Christmas brings me wonderful thoughts and memories. and you get lots of presents, Oh well, Merry Christmas.Greeting you warmly with a wish thats sincere for a healthy happy and wonderful days.Have a heartwarming holiday! Warmest wishes for a very merry ChristmasHave a Wonderful Holiday Season!Here are special greetings And the best of wishes, too - May Christmas and the coming year Bring happiness to you!Hope your holiday is great and your New Year a prosperous one.Hope you holidays are filled with all you favorite things this Christmas . and all the happiness you could wish for.I could always tell that you wrapped Santas presentsI hope you will join with me in bringing in the new spring. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!In our hearts, well always be near Merry Christmas!Joy to the World. Wishing you an extremely merry ChirstmasJoyous Christmas! Warm Holiday Wishes!May Happiness follow wherever you goMay Peace and Happiness be with you at this holy Chirstmas season and always.May magic fill your days and all your dreams come true this holiday season.May the blessings of Christmas fill you heart with hope and joy!May the joy and peace of Christmas be with you today and always.May the light of our Saviors love be with you at Christmas and always. and all the happiness you could wish for.May the light of the holiday season shine brightly in your heartMay the magic of this Christmas season fill your heart with peace.May you be blessed with all things bright and beautiful at Christmastime and AlwaysMay your Christmas be merry as a song And your heart be happy the whole year long!May your days be filled with love and light. wanted.Merry Christmas . and all the happiness you could wish for.Merry Christmas and then happy days over and over again !Peace on earth, good will to men.Seasons Greetings and Best Wishes for the Coming yearSending you wishes for holidays that begin and on a happy note. Wishing you happiness always.Sing a song of seasons; Something bright in all .Sleight bells are jingling through the night. Children are singing spirits and bright . Merry Christmas!Should you see flowers in bloom, you would see smiles at a lover of beauty.Thanks for making every thing right! Merry Christmas!The Christmas we were going to tell everyone that the real meaning of the Season was not gifts .The presents are wrapped, the stockings all hung, all thats left now is the holiday fun! Merry Christmass!This holiday season, it seems everyone is watching their weight . :)To be frazzled! Best wishes for a calm and peacefl and Holiday Season!To wish you all the joy of Christmas and happiness all through the New Year.To wish you happiness at Christmas time.To wish you happiness for the christmas season and the coming year.We wish you a merry christmas & a happy new year.Wishing you a bright white holiday full of love.Wishing You a Happy Christmas and to hope the New Year too. Will be a very prosperous Healthy and Happy Time for you .Wishing you all the blessings of a beautiful Christmas seasonsWishing you all the joys of the Christmas season and have very happy New Year may you enjoy good health in the coming yearWishing you and those around you a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New YearWishing you the Gifts of Peace and Happiness this Christmas and throughout the New YearChristmas storiesIn the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.Before there was anything, there was God. Before there was ice cream and chocolate sauce; or popcorn and pop; or computers, VCRs and TVs; or the sun, the moon and the stars - or even space itself - God was there. There wouldnt be anything at all if God hadnt thought it all up. But he did. God said, Let there be light! And there was light.God saw that the light was good, and so he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called, Night.Evening came. It was the end of the first day of Gods creation.The next day God made the earth, and he put the blue sky above it. At first the earth was completely covered with water. There wasnt any dry ground anywhere. Evening came again, and that was the end of the second day.Morning came on the third day, and God made dry land appear. God called the dry ground Earth and the water he called, Sea. And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good.Then God said, Let there be plants on the earth, and all the things that grow! And all the different kinds of plants and trees began to grow; apple trees and banana trees, grass and dandelions and roses, wheat to make bread, and corn so kids would have a vegetable they would like; but God made spinach and broccoli too.And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good, even the broccoli and spinach.There was evening and there was morning. The third day had come and gone.On the fourth day God said, Let the great lights appear in the sky! (so kids will know when to go to bed and when to get up for school). And just by his word God made the sun and the moon and the stars. And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good.There was evening and there was morning. That was the fourth day.On the fifth day God said, Let there be swimming things in the oceans and lakes, and birds in the air! And the oceans were filled with hammerhead sharks and dolphins and whales. And in the sky there were robins and eagles, blue jays, cardinals and yellow bellied sapsuckers. Until then the earth must have been a very quiet place. But not any more!And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good.There was evening and there was morning, the fifth day had come and gone.Then God said, Let there be animals upon the earth! God made giraffes, and zebras, and lions and tigers and bears. He made moose with great big antlers, and little gophers and chipmunks and squirrels. He made monkeys swinging through the trees and giant gorillas sitting in the forests eating bananas. He made huge elephants, and he made hippopotamuses rolling around in the mud. What a great imagination God has!Then God said, Let us make people in our own image (God said, us because God the Father was there, and so was Jesus, and so was the Holy Spirit - but still he was just one God). So God made people in his own image. When you look at yourself in a mirror, you see an image of yourself. What you see in a mirror is a reflection of what you are like. We are the image of God. We are a reflection of what God is like.God made us in his own image. Always remember that.So God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good.And there was evening, and there was morning, and that was the sixth day.On the morning of the seventh day God saw that the whole universe and everything in it was finished. Nothing else needed to be made. And it was all very good. So God rested on the seventh day to celebrate all the good work he had done.God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.What does that mean? When something is holy that means that it is special. When God made the seventh day holy, he made it a special day, different from all the rest. God rested from his work on the seventh day and enjoyed all that he had made. That is what God wants us to do too. That way we will always remember that all good things come from God.God made everything there is.And God is good. Christmas history Christmas is the most widely celebrated festival world over, and also the most popular festival globally. We have tried to present you with not only the history, but also enjoyable information on the different icons that we associate with Christmas. In fact, these things have become so common with the celebration of Xmas, when we see the Santa riding on a reindeer sledge with the stocking full of gifts and candies; or the familiar coniferous green trees being decorated with tinsels and stars, and gingerbread and fruits; or houses being decorated with holly twigs and mistletoes - we know Christmas has come. For, these are what Christmas mean to us, at least symbolically. Let us take a look at what they really mean and their association with Christmas: 圣诞节是基督徒纪念耶稣诞生的一个重要节日。根据圣经记载耶稣诞生在犹太的一座小城伯利恒。该书记载圣母玛利亚是因圣神的感动而怀孕，就在与丈夫若瑟返往家乡时遇上所有的旅店客满，因此玛利亚被迫在马槽里产下耶稣。据说当耶稣安祥的睡在马槽里，在遥远的东方有三博士追随天上的一颗明亮星星找到耶稣，并膜拜他。牧羊人在旷野中也听到有天使的声音在天上发出，向他们报耶稣降生的佳音。 耶稣诞生的年份已无从考察，但大多数考古学家都认为应该是在划分世纪的那一年（即是公元前一年）为其诞生之年。但正确的日期却无法确定，因此在早期的基督教派便把罗马帝国密司拉教在十二月二十五日纪念太阳神诞辰改为圣诞节。 SILENT NIGHT （平安夜）Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright, Round yon Virgin Mother and Child. Holy Infant, so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night! Holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight; Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavnly host sing, Alleluia, Christ, the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born! Silent night! Holy night! Son of God, loves pure light, Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth. UP ON THE HOUSE TOP Up on the house-top reindeer pause, Out jumps good old Santa Claus; Down through the chimney with lots of toys, All for the little ones, Christmas joys. Ho, ho, ho! who wouldnt go! Ho, ho, ho! who wouldnt go! Up on the house-top click, click, click, Down through the chimney with old Saint Nick. DECK THE HALL Deck tha hall with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la la la, Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la, la la la la. See the blazing Yule before us, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la la la la la, While I tell of Yuletide treasure, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Fast away the old year passes, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Hail the new, yye lads and lasses, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Sing we joyous all together, Fa la la la la la la, Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa la la la la, la la la la. SILVER BELLS City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style. In the air theres a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing, meeting