It’s Christmas time!
聖誕節到了!
What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word Christmas? It could be jolly Christmas carols, colorful fairy lights hanging all around, presents under the Christmas tree or even beautiful white snow. The traditional imagery of Christmas is a little different in South Africa because unlike most countries, Christmas in South Africa is not cold and snowy but really warm and sunny.
當你聽到聖誕節時，你第一時間聯想到的是什麼呢？可能是想到歡樂的聖誕歌曲，色彩繽紛如天使般的掛架燈飾，聖誕樹下的禮物還是美麗的白雪。在南非傳統的聖誕節與人們印象中的聖誕節有一點不同，因為不像其它大部份的國家，在南非的聖誕節是不冷或不下雪的而且是很溫暖晴朗的。
Although I have never seen snow before, Christmas time is far from gloomy. In South Africa what we miss out in the snow we make up in the sea. Almost everybody goes down to the beach over this season and there is always an abundance of fun and games going on. Volleyball competitions, games for kids, singing, dancing and modeling contests are all part of the fun you can find on the beautiful beaches. While some like to get involved doing as many things as possible, others prefer to tan under the warm sun or read under the shade of an umbrella.
雖然我不曾看過雪，但聖誕節是從不曾憂鬱的。為了彌補在南非無法看到雪的缺失，我們大多在海上渡過這個節日。通常在這個季節大多數的人皆在海邊戲水玩遊戲。沙灘排球比賽為大多數孩子們參與的活動，同時在海灘上還可見到孩童遊戲，歌唱，舞蹈和模特兒走秀比賽等，以上皆為美麗沙灘上常見的活動。當部份的人們踴躍參加沙灘活動的同時，其它的人們喜歡在溫暖的太楊下曝曬或在陽傘下閱讀。
Different families celebrate Christmas Day in different ways. In my family, we have a big celebration on Christmas Eve. The whole family, usually around 40 people, comes together to enjoy the biggest meal of the year and many other fun activities.
The evening starts off with the meal consisting of every kind of food including a braai (a South African barbeque) After we are all stuffed like turkeys we move on to the entertainment where the children venture to perform plays, songs, dances and jokes. After the entertainment it’s time to open the gifts, which are usually under the large colorfully decorated Christmas tree. After all that excitement it’s about time to leave, but not before we’ve eaten our fill of delicious desserts.
不同家庭有不同慶祝聖誕節的方式。我家裡通常會在聖誕夜舉行一個慶祝宴。整個家族約40個人會聚在一起享用一年內最豐盛的一餐，並且在同時參與有趣的活動。晚宴通常以多元化的餐點包括braai作為重頭戲。(braai為南非式烤肉) 當每個人都吃到撐得像火雞時，娛樂時間就正式開始，小孩們也會在這個時候大膽的演話劇，歌唱，舞蹈及說笑話與大人們分享。娛性節目結束後就是開禮物的時間，通常這個儀式都是在大型有色彩佈置的聖誕樹下開禮物。在這些興奮的活動後就是節慶的尾聲，但在大家回家之前還是一定會吃完甜點才離開。
Seasons greetings and a merry Christmas to all of you,
在這特別的季節問候各位，祝大家聖誕快樂!
Jonny
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