特别广播英语第 388 课：Celebrating Christmas: A Visit With Nicholas
圣诞老人，报上名来-3

In England, he became known as Father Christmas. But in Holland, Saint Nicholas' name and reputation persisted as “sinterklaas.”. 在英格兰，尼古拉成为家喻户晓的圣诞节之父。而在荷兰，圣人尼古拉的名声依旧以“Sinterklaas”的名字流传。

In the 17th century, Dutch colonists took this tradition with them to America. 17世纪，荷兰的殖民者将这个传统带到美洲。

Later, Sinterklaas was adopted by the English-speaking majority as “Santa Claus.” 后来，“Sinterklaas”为多数说英语的人民所采用，并改成了“Santa Claus”。

The resulting image of a “jolly old elf” driving a sleigh with “eight tiny reindeer” crystallized in the 19th century. 他最后的形象──“快乐的老矮人”驾着“八只小驯鹿”拉的雪橇──是在19世纪开始变得明确具体起来的。

That was when Clement Moore wrote the now-famous poem “A Visit From Saint Nick.” 摩尔(Clement Moore)就在那时写了《圣人尼克的来访》这首闻名至今的诗。

And the red-and-white suit? That was created by a Coca-Cola adman in the 1930s. 还有那件红白套装呢？那是在20世纪30年代，可口可乐公司的广告商创造出来的。

Although greatly commercialized, the modern Santa Claus still embodies8 Saint Nicholas' generosity and love for children. 尽管现代的圣诞老人已经被高度商业化，他仍旧表现了圣人尼古拉的宽大胸怀和对孩子们的爱。

And for some, he still points to the Nativity of the babe in the manger, and reminds us of the reason we celebrate Christmas. 对某些人来说，他仍然象征着马槽里圣婴的诞生，并让我们想起庆祝圣诞节的缘由。