瑞典人新老方法並用抵抗極夜
Sweden uses tradition, technology to banish dark
On Wednesday, girls across Sweden took part in an age-old celebration of light. They donned(1) white robes tied with red sashes(2), settled crowns of candles on their heads, and served their families coffee.
周三，瑞典女孩子們都要參加古老的「光」儀式。她們身穿白色長袍、腰系紅腰帶、頭頂蠟燭花冠、為家人泡咖啡。
Meanwhile, at a white-walled, white-floored cafe in a trendy Stockholm neighborhood, two dozen white-clad Swedes started the day with a more 21st century method of banishing the winter dark – basking(3) in scientifically simulated daylight.
同時，在時尚中心斯德哥爾摩附近的一家白牆白地的咖啡館中，二十幾個身穿白衣的瑞典人正享受二十一世紀科技帶來的人造日光浴，用以驅逐冬日的黑暗。
Light is a preoccupation(4) in this Nordic nation, and in the rest of Scandinavia(5); and for good reason.
在這個北歐國家和其他斯堪地那維亞地區，光是首要之務。
In the north, polar night(6) reigns for much of December. And even in Sweden's south, with up to seven official hours of daylight on the shortest day of the year, the sun is often masked by low clouds and never pushes far past the horizon.
十二月份的大多數日子，北部地區都處於極夜。瑞典南部白晝最短的一天日照本應達到七個小時，但由於低雲層的緣故，日光幾乎不能越過地平線。
Swedes equip themselves for the dark. Dog leashes(7), baby carriages and horse blankets glow with reflectors(8) or florescent(9) tape and fabric. Restaurants burn small fires outside.
瑞典人為抵抗黑暗作了充分的準備。狗鏈、嬰兒車、馬毯不是被貼上反光膠帶就是採用花色材料。飯館前也燃燒起火焰方便路人尋找。
The Lucia Day light festival once appropriately took place on the year's darkest day. According to Folklore(10) expert Bengt af Klintberg, its date is a vestige(11) of the discarded Julian calendar, which set the Winter Solstice(12) on December 13. When Sweden moved to the Gregorian calendar, December 13 stuck.
露西婭曾經在一年中最黑暗的日子舉行。民俗專家Bengt af Klintberg說，12月13日是廢棄的儒略曆中的冬至。雖然瑞典人開始採用公曆，但是12月13日卻被保留了下來。
During the celebration, each Swedish town and school chooses a long-haired girl to wear the candlelit crown of Santa Lucia, patron(13) saint of the blind. Lucia is from the Italian for light.
在儀式中，每個瑞典小鎮和學校選出一名長發女孩，戴上聖露西婭的蠟燭花冠。聖露西婭是抵禦黑暗之神，Lucia一詞來源於義大利語「光」。
Klintberg said the tradition began in the west in the 18th century and spread throughout Sweden.
Klintberg說這個傳統起源於十八世紀的瑞典西部，後傳播到整個國家。
"Swedes are very fond of lighting candles in the winter ... because it creates such a fine atmosphere. When you have darkness outside and lights burning on the table, it makes winter cozier(14) than it would be otherwise," he said.
他說：「瑞典人喜歡在冬天燃蠟燭，因為它能產生美好的氛圍。當窗外一片漆黑，屋內桌子上亮著蠟燭，冬天就溫暖了很多。」
Klintberg said that while the onset(15) of electricity allowed easy illumination(16) in the dark months, electric light did not offer the comfort of candles, or what he called "living light."
Klintberg說隨著電時代的來臨，人們很輕易地在暗月中得到光明，但是電燈並不能產生蠟燭或者我們稱之為「活光」帶來的舒適感。
"Around the mid-20th century, there was an explosion of traditions that have to do with old-time light," he said.
他說：「二十世紀中期產生了大量與舊時代光相關的傳統。」
1. don：穿上
2. sash：腰帶
3. bask：曬太陽
4. preoccupation：當務之急
5. scandinavia：斯堪地那維亞，北歐一地區，包括挪威、瑞典和丹麥，通常芬蘭、冰島和法羅群島也包括在這一地區內
6. polar night：極夜
7. leash：拴狗頸的皮帶
8. reflector：反射體
9. florescent：開花的
10. folklore：民俗學、民間傳說
11. vestige：遺蹟
12. winter solstice：冬至
13. patron：守護神、資助人
14. cozy：舒適的、愜意的
15. onset：開始、進攻
16. illumination：照明