Christmas is a beloved holiday and for good reason is a time of parties, delicious seasonal beverages,feasting, gifts, and for many, a time of homecoming, but beneath the surface of festivity, there's quite a bit going on,sociologically speaking. What is it that makes Christmas such a good time for so many, and a let down for others?

圣诞节之所以备受喜爱，这背后自有缘由。圣诞期间，人们热衷举办派对，品尝时令饮品，共享盛宴，互赠礼品，很多人还会选择回家团聚。不过，从社会学视角来看,在这节日欢庆表象之下，实则大有玄机。圣诞节何以成为大多数人眼中一段如此美好的时光，同时又让另外一些人倍感失落呢？

The social value of rituals

仪式的社会价值

Classical sociologist Émile Durkheim' can help shed light on these questions. Durkheim, as a functionalist,developed a still widely used theory for explaining what holds society and social groups together through his study of religion. Durkheim identified core aspects of religious structure and participation that sociologists today apply to society in general, including the role of ritu als in bringing people together around shared practices and values; the way participation in rituals reaffirms shared values, and thus reaffirms and strengthens the social bonds between people (he called this solidarity); and the experience of "collective effervescence," in which we share in feelings of excitement and are unified in the experience of participating in rituals together. As a result of these things, we feel connected to others, a sense of belonging, and the social order as it exists makes sense to us. We feel stable, comfortable, and secure.

古典社会学家埃米尔·涂尔干的理论或可有助于阐明这些问题。作为功能主义学派的代表人物，涂尔干通过对宗教的研究，提出了一套至今仍被广泛应用的理论，用以阐释维系社会及社会群体凝聚的要素。涂尔干指出了宗教结构和宗教参与的关键特征，这些特征现在已被社会学家应用于对整个社会的分析之中，具体包括：其一，仪式促使人们围绕共同的实践方式和价值观聚集起来；其二，参与仪式可以重申共享的价值观，从而巩固并且强化人们之间的社会纽带—涂尔干称之为“团结”；其三，仪式能够催生“集体欢腾”的体验，即人们通过一起参与仪式，共享兴奋情绪，并且在这种体验中实现情感上的统一。正是由于这些因素，我们得以体会与他人之间的联结，产生归属感，进而认识到既有社会秩序的合理性，最终心生稳定、舒适和安全之感。

Secular rituals of Christmas

圣诞节的世俗仪式

Christmas, of course, is a Christian holiday, celebrated by many as a religious holiday with religious rituals,values, and relationships. This schema for understanding what holds society together also applies to Christmas as a secular holiday.

当然，圣诞节本是基督教节日。许多人将其作为宗教节日来庆祝，相关庆祝仪式、价值观和社群关系都带有宗教属性。但如前文所述，用于解读社会凝聚力来源的分析框架，对作为世俗节日的圣诞节同样适用。

Let's start by taking stock of the rituals involved in either form of celebration: decorating, often together with loved ones; using seasonal and holidaythemed items; cooking meals and baking sweets; throwing and attending parties; exchanging gifts; wrapping and opening those gifts; bringing children to visit Santa Claus; watching for Santa on Christmas eve; leaving milk and cookies for him; singing Christmas carols;hanging stockings; watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music; performing in Christmas pageants;and attending church services.

我们首先来盘点宗教与世俗两种欢庆形式均会涉及的仪式，其中包括：装饰房屋，酒常会与挚爱的人一起来做；便用应季的节日主题物品；烹制美食和烘焙甜点；举办和参加派对；互赠礼物；包装和拆开礼物；带上孩子拜访圣诞老人;平安夜守候圣诞老人；为圣诞老人留下牛奶与饼干；吟唱圣诞颂歌；悬挂长筒袜；观看圣诞电影和欣赏圣诞音乐；参与圣诞庆典演出；参加教堂礼拜。

Why do they matter? Why do we look forward to them with such fervor and anticipation? Because what they do is bring us together with the people we hold dear and give us an opportunity to reaffirm our shared values. When we participate in rituals together, we call to the surface of interactions the values that underlie them. In this case, we can identify the values that underlie these rituals as the importance of family and friendship, togetherness, kindness, and generosity. These are the values that undergird the most beloved Christmas movies and songs, too. By coming together around these values through participation in Christmas rituals, we reaffirm and strengthen our social ties with those involved.

这些仪式为何重要？我们又为何如此热情、如此急切地期待它们？只因它们能将我们与内心珍视之人紧密相连，并为我们再次确认那些共有的价值理念提供了契机。当我们共同参与庆典仪式，潜藏于其中的价值观便在互动中浮出水面。就圣诞节而言，我们可以发现，这些仪式所承载的价值观体现为对家庭与友谊的珍视、对团圆的向往、对仁慈的践行以及对慷慨的推崇。这些价值观，同样也是那些最受喜爱的圣诞电影与圣诞歌曲的精神基石。我们参与圣诞仪式，围绕这些价值观凝聚在一起，得以再次确认并且强化彼此之间的社会联结。

The magic of Christmas

圣诞节的魔力

This is the magic of Christmas:it performs a deeply important social function for us. It makes us feel like we are part of a collective, whether that be with kin or chosen family. And, as social beings, this is one of our fundamental human needs. Doing this is what makes it such a special time of year,and why, for some, if we don't achieve this at Christmastime, it can be a real downer.

这便是圣诞节的魔力：它为我们承担着至关重要的社会功能。它让我们感受到自己是集体的一部分，无论是血缘至亲还是自己选择的家人。人类本来就是社会性存在，这种归属感恰是我们最基本的需求之一。正是这样的仪式感，才让这个时节如此与众不同；也正因如此，对某些人来说，若未能在此时获得这份归属感，便不免深感失落。

It's easy to get wrapped up in the hunt for gifts, the desire for new goods,and the promise of letting loose and partying during this time of year. So,it's important to remember that Christmas will be most enjoyable when it is designed to foster togetherness and the sharing and reaffirming of the positive values that bind us together. The material stuff is really quite incidental to these important social needs.

这个时节，人们容易沉溺于挑选礼物与追逐新品，或者陶醉在对放纵狂欢的期待里。因此，重要的是要记住：唯有以促进团聚、共享并巩固那些凝聚彼此的积极价值观为宗旨，圣诞节才能带来最深沉的愉悦。相较于这些重要的社会需求，物质层面的追求只是次要的。

（译者单位；中央民族大学）