聖誕傳統與節慶活動的吉祥三寶動物
With winter well and truly upon us and the festive period fast approaching, we will soon be surrounded by robins on our Christmas cards, hear stories of magical reindeer pulling sleighs and sitting down to a turkey on our dinner table.
冬天已經來了，聖誕即將到來。轉眼之間，我們就會被印着知更鳥的聖誕賀卡層層包圍，一邊聽着神奇馴鹿拉雪橇的故事，一邊坐到晚飯桌前享用火雞大餐。How did these wild animals become part of our festive traditions and celebrations?
這些野生動物是如何成爲聖誕傳統與節慶活動的吉祥物的？Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
知更鳥（拉丁學名：Erithacus rubecula）
No other bird invokes the spirit of Christmas and winter like the robin. Perhaps it is because robins are one of the only UK birds that can be heard singing in the garden on Christmas day, warning off intruders from their territories with melodic song. Or is it their bright red breasts, which give a splash of colour and hope in the bleak midwinter?
再沒有其它鳥類能像知更鳥一般使人想起那種聖誕的節日氣氛和冬日的興致了。這或許是因爲，知更鳥屬於僅有的幾種會於聖誕當天在花園中唱歌的英國鳥類，它們用音調優美的歌聲警告自己領地上的闖入者。又或者是因爲它們胸前長着鮮紅色的羽毛，讓身處蕭瑟隆冬的人們看到一抹亮色、感到一線希望？
Robins started to appear on Christmas cards in the mid-1800s after they gave their name to some of the first postal employees who wore red jackets, and who were often referred to as 'robins’. On some of these early cards, the robin was often pictured carrying an envelope or postcard in its bill, delivering it like a postman.
19世紀中葉，在首批郵局僱員中，有一些僱員身穿紅色夾克衫，由此，人們常常以知更鳥的名字稱呼他們，自那以後，聖誕賀卡上便漸漸開始出現知更鳥的形象。在這些早期賀卡的部分圖片上，知更鳥往往用喙銜着一枚信封或一張明信片，像郵遞員一樣進行遞送工作。Simply put, the robin gave its name to the postman and the postman gave its role to the robin. Every year since, robins have adorned our Christmas cards, stamps and other festive decorations.
簡而言之，郵遞員因知更鳥而得了綽號，知更鳥因郵遞員而擁有了人格化的角色。之後每年的聖誕賀卡、郵票和其它節日飾品上，都少不了要鑲上知更鳥的圖畫。Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
馴鹿（拉丁學名：Rangifer tarandus）Children still wait excitedly for Dasher, Prancer and the other flying reindeer that pulled Santa Claus’s sleigh round the world to deliver their presents.
時至今日，孩子們依然滿心激動地等待着猛衝者（Dasher）、歡騰（Prancer）和其它會飛的馴鹿拉着聖誕老人的雪橇，滿世界兜轉，遞送他們的禮物。
Most likely these magical deer made it into festive lore because of the 1823 poem titled The Night Before Christmas. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was a 20th-century addition to the team, lighting the way on a foggy Christmas Eve.
馴鹿最有可能是因1823年的一首題爲《聖誕前夕》（The Night Before Christmas）的詩，而披上有魔力的外衣、走進聖誕傳說當中的。紅鼻子馴鹿魯道夫（Rudolph）於二十世紀加入聖誕麋鹿隊列，它的紅鼻子照亮了平安夜霧濛濛的道路。Reindeer, or caribou as they are known in North America, can outperform all other large land animals with their energy efficiency – so really are a fitting choice as the legendary Christmas sleigh-pullers. Since their domestication reindeer have been a sled-puller of choice for many people in the Polar Regions.
由於馴鹿（或按北美的叫法稱北美馴鹿）的運動能效出色，體能勝過其它所有大型陸地動物；又鑑於許多生活在極地地區的人都選擇用馴養的馴鹿來拉雪橇，因而，由馴鹿來擔當傳說中聖誕老人的坐騎，真真是再合適不過了。They are able to survive in the extreme cold and snow of the Arctic, withstanding extreme temperatures as low as -40°C thanks to their compact bodies, warm insulating fur and large hooves.
馴鹿能夠在極端寒冷、冰天雪地的北極生存下來。因其體格結實，皮毛溫暖防凍，蹄型巨大，所以它們能夠承受低至零下40攝氏度的極端低溫。Rather than flying through the air on Christmas Eve, reindeer are more usually seen on their mammoth annual migration to the Arctic, during which the North American herds might travel for more than 5,000km.
一反其在平安夜空中飛馳的形象，我們較常看到的馴鹿正在進行它們一年一度的大遷徙。爲了到達北極，北美馴鹿羣可能要跨越5000多公里的旅程。This extraordinary feat that can see them travel further than any other land mammal, so they are the best contender for being able to deliver presents all over the world in just one night!
這種非凡的壯舉，足以見證它們所馳行的距離比任何其它的陸地哺乳動物都要遠，所以，也難怪它們能夠在短短一個晚上將禮物送達世界各地，馴鹿是當仁不讓的最佳聖誕坐騎！Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
野生火雞（拉丁學名：Meleagris gallopavo）
For many a traditional Christmas dinner would not be the same without a turkey and all the trimmings. In England it first replaced meats such as peacock, boar and goose in the 16th-century, after King Henry the VIII was said to have dined on turkey as part of his Christmas feast. But it did not start to gain popularity until the Victorian times.
對許多人來說，備有各種配料的火雞是傳統聖誕晚餐所不可或缺的大菜。據稱，火雞肉首次取代諸如孔雀肉、野豬肉、鵝肉等的肉類發生在十六世紀，在英國國王亨利八世（King Henry the VIII）把火雞肉納入他的聖誕大餐之後。但直到維多利亞時代，這一習俗才漸漸普及開來。
Native to the Americas, explorers brought wild turkeys to Europe, and their domestication was so successful that English settlers actually took them back to America to farm.
野生火雞原本生長於美洲，是探險家將其引進到歐洲。隨後，人們對它們進行了非常成功的馴化，以至於英國殖民者竟然又把它們帶回到美國去養殖。Turkeys are the largest member of the game bird family, which also includes partridges, grouse and pheasants. During the breeding season, or when they get excited, the colour of their head can change through shades of red, white and blue.
火雞是體型最大的狩獵野禽，狩獵野禽科還包括了鵪鶉、松雞和野雞。在繁殖季節中，或者當火雞感到興奮時，它們頭部的顏色就會在紅、白、藍三色中發生變化。Beyond the festive period, turkeys are perhaps best known for the 'gobbling’ calls made by the males to attract a mate, leading to the name 'gobbler'.
除了身爲聖誕吉祥物以外，火雞最爲人所知的或許莫過於，雄性火雞求偶時會發出快速的咯咯大叫聲。人們也因此用“gobbler”來指稱雄性火雞。
