为什么圣诞树上会挂腌黄瓜状饰品

时间:2018-12-26 07:12:36

(单词翻译:单击)

Every year, families across the US and the UK hang up quirky little pickle1-shaped ornaments3 when it comes time to trim their Christmas trees.
 
每年圣诞节,美国和英国的家庭都会在圣诞树上挂上新奇有趣的腌黄瓜状小饰品。
 
 
The practice is favored by many English-speaking families, and is thought to be a centuries-old tradition brought over from Germany.
 
The tradition involves hiding the pickle ornament2 among the branches, and rewarding the child who finds it with the chance to open gifts first -- or, alternatively, that person simply gets good luck for the year.
 
The origin of the tradition, however, is a bit murky4.
 
In fact, it doesn't seem to have actually originated in Germany at all, since most Germans don't practice it.
 
A 2016 New York Times article pointed5 to a YouGov poll, in which 2,057 Germans were asked about the Christmas pickle.
 
The survey found that 91 percent had never even heard of it.
 
Another theory is that the tradition of hanging a pickle didn't actually start in Germany, but with a German immigrant in the US.
 
According to a 2011 edition of Tampa Bay magazine, one legend goes that a German man named John Lower, who was born in Bavaria in 1842, moved to the US and became ill when he was in prison during the Civil War.
 
He convinced a guard to give him a pickle as a last meal, but he ended up surviving.  After being released, he honored that pickle by starting his own family tradition of hiding a pickle in his Christmas tree for the kids -- saying whoever found it would have the same good fortune he did.
 
Of course, that story is also unconfirmed, and could just be a tale that popped up to explain the pickles6 later on.
 
According to Wide Open Country, the whole pickle game was most likely a marketing7 ploy8 to sell German glass ornaments to Americans.
 
It was said to be concocted9 by F.W. Woolworth when the store began importing the ornaments in 1880. Each one would come with a card that told the story of the tradition.
 
Whether the tradition is real or manufactured, pickle ornaments have become quite ubiquitous.
 
While whimsical foodie ornaments shaped like avocado toast, hot sauce, pancakes, and ramen have become popular in recent years, pickle ornaments aren't just a fad10.

分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 pickle mSszf     
n.腌汁,泡菜;v.腌,泡
参考例句:
  • Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
  • Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。
2 ornament u4czn     
v.装饰,美化;n.装饰,装饰物
参考例句:
  • The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
  • She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。
3 ornaments 2bf24c2bab75a8ff45e650a1e4388dec     
n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 );点缀;装饰品;首饰v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
  • Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 murky J1GyJ     
adj.黑暗的,朦胧的;adv.阴暗地,混浊地;n.阴暗;昏暗
参考例句:
  • She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
  • She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。
5 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
6 pickles fd03204cfdc557b0f0d134773ae6fff5     
n.腌菜( pickle的名词复数 );处于困境;遇到麻烦;菜酱
参考例句:
  • Most people eat pickles at breakfast. 大多数人早餐吃腌菜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I want their pickles and wines, and that.' 我要他们的泡菜、美酒和所有其他东西。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
7 marketing Boez7e     
n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西
参考例句:
  • They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
  • He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。
8 ploy FuQyE     
n.花招,手段
参考例句:
  • I think this is just a government ploy to deceive the public.我认为这只是政府欺骗公众的手段。
  • Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder,not a cynical marketing ploy.圣诞节应该是兴奋和美妙的时刻,而不该是一种肆无忌惮的营销策略。
9 concocted 35ea2e5fba55c150ec3250ef12828dd2     
v.将(尤指通常不相配合的)成分混合成某物( concoct的过去式和过去分词 );调制;编造;捏造
参考例句:
  • The soup was concocted from up to a dozen different kinds of fish. 这种汤是用多达十几种不同的鱼熬制而成的。
  • Between them they concocted a letter. 他们共同策划写了一封信。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 fad phyzL     
n.时尚;一时流行的狂热;一时的爱好
参考例句:
  • His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
  • A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

©2005-2010英文阅读网