圣誕節(jié)是一個歷史超過兩千年的節(jié)日。當(dāng)我們提起圣誕節(jié)，我們往往會想到裝飾品、閃亮的燈飾、瑞雪、禮物和圣誕樹。

然而，你知道圣誕樹上掛的星星的由來嗎？

誕節(jié)是慶祝耶穌誕生的節(jié)日，在基督教的信仰中，他是上帝之子。于兩千多年前，喬瑟夫和他大腹便便的妻子瑪利亞必須離開家園，長途跋涉到伯利恒。伯利恒為古代以色列的城市，位于約旦河西岸，距耶路撒冷僅有數(shù)公里之遙。

當(dāng)他們抵達伯利恒時，當(dāng)?shù)厮械穆灭^都客滿，因此他們找不到地方過夜。更糟的是，瑪利亞又即將臨盆。最后一名好心的男子讓他們借住于馬廄中，與驢子和羊只同睡。耶穌于當(dāng)晚出生，由于那里沒有床，所以他只好睡在馬槽里。

當(dāng)天夜晚，馬廄上空升起了一顆明亮的星星。三位智者看到這顆星星，便明了那是上帝的啟示。他們追尋著星星，找到了耶穌、瑪利亞和喬瑟夫。為了慶祝耶穌的誕生，他們分別送了一樣禮物給耶穌。

這就是為什么我們會在圣誕節(jié)互換禮物的原因。

Have you ever wondered about the real origin of the star that shines atop many a Christmas tree? The story of Jesus' birth in the Bible talks about a star guiding the "Three Wise Men" to the manger, the star heralding the birth of a king. But did that star actually exist? Astronomers in London have been trying to find out.

Looking out across snow-covered London is the Greenwich Royal Observatory.

At the Astronomy Centre, public astronomer Marek Kukula explains that despite the precise records of star movements kept by the Chinese at the time, there is no precise date for when the Wise Men tracked the "star", so it is difficult to know precisely what they witnessed.

One theory is that it was a conjunction of planets, where two or more planets seem to pass close together.