Mistletoe, a woody plant with leathery green leaves and white berries, is hung above doorways during the Christmas
season. Tradition says that a person caught standing underneath the hanging mistletoe can not refuse to give a kiss to
anyone who might ask.
檞寄生葉子綠而堅韌,結白色小漿果,人們在聖誕佳節時分將其懸掛在門口。有個習俗是若你站在檞寄生下方時,有人要求
親吻你,你可不能拒絕對方喔。
Needless to say this has resulted in many a kiss being given both in friendship and in passion.
不用說,很多時候人們會因友情、愛慕之情而要求親吻。
You may well be wondering where this warm Christmastime tradition came from and I think you will be
surprised to learn that this custom was actually inspired by a very ancient Norse legend.
你或許會納悶這個溫馨的聖誕習俗打哪兒來的?而我想你可能會驚訝它的由來是古挪威民間傳說。
This legend tells of Balder, the god of peace, who was killed by the evil god Loki with an arrow made of mistletoe -
mistletoe was the only thing that could hurt Balder.
傳說和平之神伯德,被邪惡之神羅其以世上唯一可致其死地的武器,也就是檞寄生所製的箭刺死。
When Balder's mother, Frigga - the goddess of love, found out about her son's death she was grief-stricken. She
and the other gods worked desperately to restore Balder's life and when they had at last succeeded Frigga was so
grateful that she promised to bestow a kiss upon anyone who stood beneath the mistletoe.
伯德的母親-愛神費迦得知此事時悲痛萬分,於是和眾神拼命地挽救伯德的生命,最後終於成功地將他救活。費迦實在太感激
了,便允諾只要有誰站在檞寄生下,便賜給那人一個親吻。
Thus, this ancient legend not only created the "kissing tradition" that we know today but also
enshrined forever the mistletoe as a symbol of love, peace and forgiveness - three qualities
which are an essential part of the Christmas spirit
因此這個傳說不但造就了一個至今我們所熟悉的親吻習俗,也永遠將檞寄生象徵的含意,也就是愛、和平、寬恕保存下來,
而這三者也正是耶誕節重要的精神所在。
Sorce: http://www.en8848.com.cn/read/culture/sdj/89478.html