Christmas圣诞节 参考文本：

　　Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, believed by Christians to be the son andrepresentative of God on Earth. Most peoplecelebrate on December 24th (Christmas eve) and25th (Christmas Day) and children eagerly await thenight-time arrival of Father Christmas, or SantaClaus, who brings them presents. The Christmasseason traditionally runs until 6th January, when the3 Kings or Wise Men were supposed to have come tothe stable in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem, where, as the story goes, Jesus was born, bringingrich and rare presents. The date was chosen by early Christians to coincide with the WinterSolstice of pagan times, as many Northern cultures already celebrated the middle of winter byfeasting and partying, celebrating the shortest days of the year and looking forward to thereturn of the longer, lighter days. The Christmas tree, and plants holly and mistletoe, which arebrought into the house at this time, are part of pre- Christian mythology, and FatherChristmas, who rides in a sleigh drawn by reindeer and enters houses down the chimney, is acombination of an old Dutch folk character, 'Sinta Claus', and the Christian Saint Nicholas. Christians go to church at Christmas and in Christian and other countries nowadays, Christmasis a time for reunion of family and friends, exchanging cards and presents, eating and drinking, singing Christmas carols and maybe watching 'traditional' Christmas films or cartoons on T.V. European missionaries introduced Christianity to Asia, but there are still relatively smallnumbers of Asian Christians (except in the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country). Beginning in the early 20th century, increased interest in Western culture has led many Asiansto celebrate the holiday however, particularly in Japan. Businesses and retail outlets welcomethe commercial activity generated by Christmas gift giving, and traditional decorationstransform stores during the holiday season. In Hong Kong, Western Christmas and New Yearcelebrations precede those of Chinese New Year, so the city is covered in decorations tocelebrate both festivals.