平安夜圣善夜 [在奥地利聆听“平安夜,圣善夜”]

　　每年圣诞节,人们总是忙着为亲朋好友挑选礼物,为今年的开销头痛一番。但在欧洲的奥地利,当地人似乎更重视节日本身的内涵。这里与别不同的生活气息、浓厚的节日气氛让人置身于浪漫的气息当中――在寒冷的天气里,四处飘来的圣诞颂歌温暖着人们的心房……还等什么?一起到奥地利聆听别样的《平安夜》吧!
　　
　　I longed for the Christmas celebration pictured on an old-fashioned European greeting card. I wanted to ride about an old town’s 1)cobbled streets in a horse-drawn 2)carriage, listening to cathedral 3)carillons with the sweet voices of a youthful 4)choir singing “Silent Night, Holy Night.” I wanted to see children skate on a frozen pond as their parents and friends wish each other a Merry Christmas.
　　On a weeklong visit to Austria last year during
　　December, I found all of these 5)evocative expressions of Christmas cheer. Throughout city and country parks, fragrant 6)fir trees stand tall, decorated simply with white candles. The sun sets early; Christmas lights twinkle all over town; chestnuts are roasting over a small fire; snow is 7)imminent; the air 8)crackles with the cold.
　　At Christmastime, the cities of Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck 9)steep their celebrations with enough texture, taste and tradition to make even a hardened 10)cynic a believer.
　　I flew to Vienna, and traveled by train within this country. Frequent connections and short distances
　　between the three cities means it is easy to travel here on your own. Many people speak English.
　　In Salzburg, I took the 11)tram to the top of the Old Fortress for an evening candlelight concert of Mozart’s
　　music. The concert was held in a cozy room that had an 12)arched ceiling and walls that were more than five feet thick. In Innsbruck, costumed musicians performed
　　an all 13)brass evening of Christmas carols and
　　14)contemporary songs.
　　The capital of the province of Tyrol, Innsbruck is jumping with winter activities. Talking there with some college students, I learned that the University of
　　Innsbruck’s sister school is the University of New
　　Orleans. Why was I not surprised? The sense of 15)festivities is equal in both locations!
　　Many religious events take place in the weeks before Christmas, and the beautiful music of Mozart, Brahms and Strauss can be heard coming from the
　　local churches. On Christmas Eve, as many as 10,000 people attend Midnight Mass at the cathedral in
　　Salzburg’s Old Town, just a few hundred meters from Mozart’s birthplace.
　　Salzburg, a city of 115,000 people, has 48 churches, some dating back to the 1200s. During Advent注1, 16)organ 17)recitals and 18)chorale performances add to the 19)majesty of the chapels and cathedrals.
　　Among the many treasured Austrian holiday
　　festivals are the famous Christmas Markets, which date back 700 years. Even if you are not interested in shopping, you’ll discover that the Markets are not an
　　ordinary shopping experience. Rather, they are a feast of 20)authentic sights and sounds and smells and tastes.
　　Beginning in late November and lasting for five weeks, the Markets offer hand-crafted items that will become
　　family treasures. Artisans create dolls, toys and clothing as you watch. The Markets are found in the center of the city near the
　　cathedral, the Town Hall or even in front of one of the many
　　21)imperial palaces.
　　You can hear Advent carols while you walk among dozens of decorated stalls where 22)vendors sell 23)frosted glass tree 24)ornaments, pretty hand-knit wool scarves and hats, children’s wooden toys, even musical instruments and carved chess sets.
　　In addition, outside every city hall you can find musicians
　　entertaining the crowds who happily sing along. Cheerful families and groups of friends gather for an outdoor walkabout, stopping here to sample a 25)sausage, there to down a cup of Gluhwein (26)literally glow-wine).
　　Unlike some of the other cities of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, Vienna turns a cold shoulder to change. This is not a city of construction 27)cranes and kids with blue hair and 28)pierced noses. The society that Empress Maria Theresa注2 foresaw for her 16 children still lives on in the Opera, Waltz Evenings, 29)fancy dress balls and other romantic musical events. Performances in the three main cities are so numerous that it is always possible to 30)snag a ticket. In Vienna, I enjoyed a magnificent performance of La Traviata注3, and the cost was only $40.
　　Last December, Time magazine reported that 91% of
　　Americans feel that Christmas is too commercialized. For many, things like 31)canned music, plastic trees, online shopping and
　　suburban mall Santas add up to an 32)artificial 33)take on this important holiday.
　　By choosing a Christmas visit to Austria, you can capture the charm of a European Christmas. Tour
　　operators offer packages that include tickets to
　　performances in castles and fortresses by costumed musicians who recreate music written centuries ago for kings and queens.
　　Be sure to visit some of the country’s many villages, usually just a local tram ride from the cities. Residents observe Christmas 34)rituals, such as caroling and
　　candle-making, much as their grandparents did in the last centuries.
　　In the small town of Obendorf, I visited the chapel where Silent Night was first performed. The tiny 35)baroque building has six small 36)pews and a guest book with signatures of people from all over the world. I added my own with a wish for many more beautiful Christmases.
　　
　　我一直很向往旧时欧式贺卡上描绘的那种圣诞节庆。我想乘着马车在老城铺满鹅卵石的街道上兜风,在教堂钟乐的伴奏下听少年唱诗班用甜美的嗓音唱着“平安夜,圣善夜”。我想看着孩子们在结了冰的池塘上溜冰,听他们的父母和朋友在一旁祝福彼此圣诞快乐。
　　去年十二月,在一次为期一周的奥地利之旅中,我找到了所有这些能够唤起圣诞喜庆气氛的情景。在整个城市和所有乡村公园里,芬芳的冷杉树高高耸立,树上只是简单地装点着白色蜡烛。太阳早早下山了,城里到处闪烁着圣诞彩灯,小小的炉火上烤着栗子,雪花就要飘落,空气寒冷得仿佛能发出噼噼啪啪的响声。
　　圣诞节期间,维也纳、萨尔茨堡和因斯布鲁克这几个城市的庆祝满载着质感、味道和传统,足以让铁石心肠的愤世嫉俗者成为信徒。
　　我乘飞机到达维也纳,然后坐火车在该国旅行。这三座城市之间的转接点很多,距离也很短,这意味着即使独自旅行也是很轻松的事。很多人都会讲英语。
　　在萨尔茨堡,我坐有轨电车去古要塞听了一场莫扎特的烛光音乐会。音乐会在一个温暖舒适的房间里举行,房间的天花呈拱形,墙壁有五英尺厚。在因斯布鲁克,盛装打扮的音乐家们用纯管乐演绎了圣诞颂歌和当代音乐。
　　作为蒂罗尔州首府的因斯布鲁克呈现出一派热闹的冬季活动景象。在和一些大学生的交谈中,我了解到因斯布鲁克大学的姐妹学校是新奥尔良大学。为什么我不感到吃惊?因为这两个地方的节日气氛
　　不相上下!
　　在圣诞节的前几周人们会举行很多宗教活动。你可以在当地教堂听到莫扎特、勃拉姆斯和施特劳斯美妙的音乐。在平安夜,多达一万人来到萨尔茨堡旧城区的教堂参加午夜弥撒,这里距离莫扎特的出生地只有几百米远。
　　萨尔茨堡这个仅有11.5万人的城市拥有48座教堂,其中有些的历史可以追溯到公元13世纪。在降临节期间,风琴独奏会和赞美诗献唱更为小礼拜堂和大教堂平添了几分庄严与神圣。
　　奥地利众多受到重视的节日庆典中还有著名的圣诞集市,其历史已有700年之久。即使你对购物不感兴趣,你还是会发现去圣诞集市的购物体验非同一般。事实上,这是一场真正的视觉、听觉、嗅觉和味觉的盛宴。
　　圣诞集市从11月下旬开始,持续五周。那里有各种值得家庭珍藏的手工艺品出售。你可以看着艺术家们在你眼前制作布偶、玩具和服饰。圣诞集市通常在市中心的大教堂、市政厅附近甚至某一座皇宫前面举行。
　　你可以一边听着降临节的颂歌,一边徜徉在小贩们精心装扮的摊档之间。摊档上出售磨砂玻璃圣诞树饰品、漂亮的手织毛线围巾和帽子、儿童木制玩具,甚至还有乐器和雕刻而成的棋具。
　　此外,每个市政厅外都聚集着许多音乐家为人们表演,而周围的人群也高兴地跟着唱和。兴高采烈的亲朋好友齐聚一堂,一起出门到处逛逛,到这儿停下来试试一种香肠,到那儿喝一杯温酒(字面意思为“热红酒”)。
　　维也纳和其他一些旧奥匈帝国城市不同,并不喜欢改变。这不是一个充斥着建筑起重机的城市,这里的孩子也不会把头发染成蓝色或者穿鼻环。玛莉亚・特雷西亚当年为自己的16个孩子设想的社会至今依然可以在歌剧、华尔兹之夜、化妆舞会和其他浪漫的音乐活动中找到。这三个主要城市的表演多不胜数,所以要抢到一张票也不难。我在维也纳欣赏了一场无与伦比的《茶花女》,票价只要40美金。
　　去年十二月,《时代》杂志报导说91%的美国人认为圣诞过于商业化。对许多人而言,罐头音乐(录制的音乐)、塑料树、网上购物和郊区商场的圣诞老人等等都使这个重要的节日蒙上了一层人工味。
　　去奥地利过圣诞,你可以捕捉到欧洲圣诞节的魅力。旅行社会提供各种套餐,其中包括到城堡和要塞观看表演的门票――盛装打扮的音乐家为你重现数个世纪前为国王和皇后所写的音乐。
　　记得一定要去奥地利的村庄看看,从市区一般只需乘坐当地的有轨电车即可到达。当地居民奉行圣诞节的仪式,例如唱圣诞颂歌、制作蜡烛,正如几百年前他们的祖父母所做的一样。
　　在小镇奥本多夫,我参观了《平安夜》这首颂歌首次演出的教堂。这座小小的巴洛克建筑只有六排长凳和一本宾客留言簿,上面有来自世界各地的人的签名。我也写上了自己的名字,暗自许愿以后能度过更多美妙的
　　圣诞节。
　　
　　注1:“Advent”来自拉丁文“adventus”, 意为“来临”。降临节是指自圣诞节前四星期的星期日起至圣诞节止、为迎接耶稣的诞生和他将来的复临这段时期。