圣誕節(jié)新活動：要在圣誕樹下接吻

Mistletoe is the name of a plant often used for decorating at Christmas time. It is actually a parasitic plant that attaches to trees and shrubs and lives off their nutrients…awkward. But culturally mistletoe is used to steal a lover’s kiss at Christmas。

槲寄生常用于裝飾圣誕樹。實際上，它是一種寄生植物，依附在喬木、灌木上，靠樹木的養(yǎng)分生存。在西方文化中，槲寄生則被用來在圣誕節(jié)時偷走愛人的一個吻。

The basic idea: When you and another person are caught standing beneath the mistletoe you have to kiss. No argument, these are the rules so be careful what you walk under until December 25. Of course the tradition has now gone mobile with many men carrying mistletoe with them only to hold it above themselves when in close proximity to a good looking lady, or lad. This takes stealing a kiss to another level。

具體習俗：當你和另一個人正好一起站在槲寄生下時，就必須接吻。規(guī)則就是這樣，沒有商量的余地。所以在12月25日前，都要小心你頭頂?shù)臇|西。當然，這一傳統(tǒng)現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)變靈活了，因為有很多男人隨身帶著槲寄生，好在有美女走近時把它舉到頭上。這給偷吻帶來了新的變化。

But why do people kiss under the mistletoe? It all dates back to pre-Christian Europe where mistletoe was used to symbolise masculinity, including romance, vitality and fertility. This symbolism led to a belief that the mistletoe had mystical powers such as the power to start romance and eventually this started the custom of kissing beneath the magical mistletoe plant. The earliest documented kiss beneath the mistletoe is from 16th Century England…another great invention from the Brits. You are very welcome!

但是，人們?yōu)槭裁匆陂渭纳陆游悄?這要從基督教前的歐洲說起。當時，槲寄生象征著陽剛之氣，象征著浪漫、活力和生育力。這樣的象征意義讓人們相信，槲寄生有神秘的力量，能開始一段浪漫情事，最后就演變成在神奇的槲寄生下接吻的習俗。最早對于在槲寄生下接吻的文字記載始于17世紀的英國——英國人的又一項偉大發(fā)明，好好謝謝我們吧!

So with Christmas approaching it is time to put the lip balm on and pucker up just in case you get caught beneath the mistletoe for a sneaky kiss。

所以，隨著圣誕節(jié)的到來，是時候涂點潤唇膏、撅起小嘴了，說不定什么時候你就會碰巧和身邊的人站在了槲寄生下，即將被TA偷走一個吻。