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原味人文風情：Every year, people all across the globe celebrate the Christmas season with all sorts of lights and decorations.
每年，世界各地慶祝圣誕季時會布置各式各樣的燈飾或飾品。
But no holiday decoration is more iconic than the Christmas tree.
但最具代表性的節慶裝飾物莫過于圣誕樹了。
But have you ever wondered, Why do we decorate trees to celebrate Christmas? Let's find out on today's episode of Colossal Questions.
但你是否曾經好奇，為什么慶祝圣誕節要裝飾圣誕樹呢？一起在今天這集《大哉問》中找出答案吧。
Most historians agree that the very first Christmas tree was decorated over 1,300 years ago in modern-day Germany.
多數歷史學家贊同，第一棵被裝飾的圣誕樹出現在一千三百年前的德國。
As the old story goes, an English missionary named Saint Boniface traveled to Germany in the 700s.
這個古老故事是這樣的：圣波尼法爵是位英國傳教士，在公元八世紀時前往德國傳教。
While in Germany, he came across a group of Norse pagans, who were preparing to make a sacrifice to the sacred oak tree.
在那里，他遇上一群北歐異教徒，他們正準備向神圣的橡樹獻祭。
Boniface stopped the sacrifice by cutting down the oak tree with one swing of an ax.
圣波尼法爵斧頭一揮砍斷橡樹，終止了獻祭儀式。
And according to the legend, a fir tree sprang up in the spot where the oak tree had been standing.
據說，原先橡樹生長的地方長出了一棵冷杉樹。
Now, that story is just an old legend. Saint Boniface never really cut down a tree, and a fir tree never really sprung up instantly in its place.
這故事不過是個古老傳說。圣波尼法爵從未砍倒橡樹，橡樹生長處也沒有立刻長出一棵冷杉樹。
But what is true is that the Christmas tree is a melding of pagan and Christian traditions.
但有件事是真的，那就是圣誕樹結合了異教徒和基督教傳統。
Okay, so, that's where the Christmas tree comes from, but how did it go from a story about a fir tree to lights and ornaments in our living room?
好，這是圣誕樹的由來，但這棵冷杉樹又是如何發展成我們客廳中掛滿燈飾和飾品的圣誕樹的呢？
Well, it started to take shape during the Middle Ages when churches began decorating living fir trees with apples on Christmas Eve.
嗯，最早可以追溯到中世紀，當時教堂開始在平安夜時用蘋果裝飾冷杉樹。
They didn't call them Christmas trees yet, though. Back then, they were known as "Paradise Trees."
但那時還不叫圣誕樹。在當時，那些樹被稱作“天堂樹”。
By the mid-1500s, people started adding lit candles to the fir trees to go with the apples.
到了 16 世紀中，人們開始在蘋果旁擺上蠟燭作為裝飾。
Slowly but surely, the Christmas tree as we known it today was starting to take shape.
從那時開始，這種傳統就緩慢而穩定地發展成我們今日熟知的圣誕樹。
It wasn't until 1841 that Christmas trees became widely known outside of Germany.
不過直到 1841 年，圣誕樹才在德國以外地區廣為人知。
That's because Queen Victoria of England married a German prince named Albert.
這是因為維多利亞女王嫁給德國的阿爾伯特親王。
That winter, he began the custom of decorating a large Christmas tree at the queen's castle. In those days, Queen Victoria wasn't just a queen.
那年冬天，阿爾伯特親王在女王的城堡開啟裝飾大型圣誕樹的傳統。在當時，維多利亞女王不只是女王。
She was also a fashion icon. So everything she did became fashionable.
更是時尚指標。因此她的一舉一動都會成為流行。
So, after a print was published of the queen and her family in front of their decorated fir tree, Christmas trees became all the rage across the Western world.
當維多利亞女王一家站在裝飾的冷杉樹前的照片刊登出來，圣誕樹開始蔚為風潮，席卷了西方世界。
In the United States, Christmas trees were mostly just decorated by German immigrants who came to the U.S. and lived in places like Pennsylvania.
在美國，早期會裝飾圣誕樹的大多是來自賓州的德國移民。
It wasn't until the invention of the electric light that Christmas trees really took off in America.
直到電燈發明后，圣誕樹才開始盛行。
People across the country loved it. And just like that, the modern Christmas tree was born.
圣誕樹也深受全國人民喜愛。就這樣，現代圣誕樹誕生了。
And now you know why we put up trees at Christmastime. Comment below if you have a question you'd like to know the answer to.
而現在，你已經知道我們為什么會在圣誕時節立圣誕樹。如果有問題想問，歡迎在下方留言。
And don't forget to subscribe for more episodes of Colossal Questions! Only on DreamWorksTV.
另外也別忘了訂閱我們的頻道，觀看更多《大哉問》!只在 DreamWorksTV 頻道。
