關于圣誕節英語演講
before jesus births, joseph and mary came to quirnius was governing syria. so all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. joseph also went up out of galilee, out of the city of nazareth, into judea, to the city of david, which is called bethlehem, because he was of the house and of the lineage of david, to be registered with mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. so it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to bedelivered. and she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
and that, christmas is the feast of the nativity of jesus, is on 25th, december every year. but nobody know the actual birthday of jesus. and the christmas has become popular when christmas cards appeared in 1846 and the concept of a jolly santa claus was first made popular in nineteenth century.
情人節的由來英文版-the origin of st valentine's day
st. valentine's day has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages. one of the earliest popular symbols of the day is cupid(愛神丘比特), the roman god of love, who is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow.
three hundred years after the death of jesus christ, the roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in the roman gods. valentine, a christian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. on february 14, valentine was beheaded(斬首), not only because he was a christian, but also because he had performed a miracle. he supposedly cured the jailer's daughter of her blindness. the night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter a farewell letter, signing it "from your valentine." another legend tells us that this same valentine, well-loved by all, received notes to his jail cell from children and friends who missed him.
another valentine was an italian bishop who lived at about the same time, ad 200. he was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the roman emperor. some legends say he was burned at the stake.
february 14 was also a roman holiday, held in honor of a goddess. young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities. the custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through europe in the middle ages, and then to the early american colonies. throughout the ages, people also believed that birds picked their mates on february 14!
in ad 496 sain pope gelasius i named february 14 as "valentine's day". although it's not an official holiday, most americans observe this day.