英国女王的第63次圣诞演讲2015

女王的圣诞演讲已经成为了英国人圣诞节不可或缺的一部分。自1952年开始,伊丽莎白二世女王每年都会在12月25日这天发表致辞,今年已是第63次。
2015年圣诞演讲,女王身穿一套银白色的粗花呢日间套装,左肩前侧别着一枚镶有钻石的海蓝色襟针,那曾是英女王母亲的饰物。
女王在今年的圣诞致辞中敦促人们在黑暗中寻找希望,与其诅咒黑暗,不如点燃蜡烛。这一年灾难重重,人们面临了极端恐怖分子的袭击,数百万人难民逃离家园。女王在致辞中表示:“确实,今天全世界都曾不得不面对一些黑暗的时刻,不过《约翰福音》中有一段关于希望的篇章,我们常常会在圣诞颂歌中听到:光照自黑暗里,黑暗未曾胜过光’(the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it)”。今年也是第二次世界大战结束70周年纪念,89岁的英女王再次向那些参战的人们表示感谢,感谢他们所作出的贡献和牺牲。圣诞节是一年中“铭记令我们心存感激的一切”的时刻,女王还感谢“那些为我们的生活带来爱与幸福的人们”,首先就是家人。

英女王曾在二战中服役,开救护车送伤员
英女王坐在白金汉宫“18世纪厅”的桌子旁录制她的圣诞讲话,作为少数女王可以公开发表自己看法的场合之一,圣诞致辞一直是人们关注的年度大事,而且一般都是女王亲自动笔写。圣诞致辞的传统可以追溯到1932年,那时女王的祖父乔治五世在圣诞节当天,用广播的形式对一年来的大事件进行总结和展望。然而真正将君主圣诞致辞这一传统巩固下来的是1939年的圣诞演讲。时值二战爆发,世界大部分地区都面临一个不确定的未来。身着海军上将的制服,英王乔治六世在英国民众最需要鼓励和勇气的时候出现在了无线电台,将他的信念通过讲演传达给自己的人民。

1939年圣诞演讲(英王乔治六世)
这位在二战中与英国民众患难与共的国王发表了一次具有里程碑意义的讲话,也就是奥斯卡获奖影片《国王的演讲》中演绎的场景。战时圣诞演讲鼓舞了士气,强化了信念,团结了民众,国王的演讲被称为“世界上最动听的声音”。因此当战争结束时,圣诞讲话理所当然地成为了英国王室传统。
1952年女王第一次进行圣诞致辞
继承父亲的传统,伊丽莎白二世从1952年起开始进行她的第一次圣诞演讲;1957年,圣诞演讲第一次以电视播出的形式面向大众;2012年,女王演讲又以最新的3D形式录制并在电视台上播放,这充分体现了她对于新事物的接纳。女王不仅把每年的圣诞致辞看作一种职责和义务,更是当作和民众直接交流的机会,并借此表达对民众关注的感谢。
2012年女王圣诞演讲首次引入3D制作圣诞演讲的播出时间是25日格林尼治时间下午三点,选择这个时间是因为这是大多数英联邦国家能够收听广播的最佳时间。随着技术的进步,观众们可以从电视、广播、互联网等多种渠道收看女王圣诞演讲,然而播出时间仍然依照传统定在下午三点。很多英国人在圣诞大餐后都会聚在一起准时收看,英女王的讲话同时在视频网站YouTube的皇室专属频道上播出。

2015年女王圣诞致辞全文:

At this time of year, few sights evoke more feelings of cheer and goodwill than the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree.

The popularity of a tree at Christmas is due in part to my great-great grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

After this touching picture was published, many families wanted a Christmas tree of their own, and the custom soon spread.

In 1949, I spent Christmas in Malta as a newly-married naval wife.

We have returned to that island over the years, including last month for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders, and this year I met another group of leaders: The Queen’s Young Leaders, an inspirational group, each of them a symbol of hope in their own Commonwealth communities.

Gathering round the tree gives us a chance to think about the year ahead – I am looking forward to a busy 2016, though I have been warned I may have Happy Birthday sung to me more than once or twice.

It also allows us to reflect on the year that has passed, as we think of those who are far away or no longer with us.

Many people say the first Christmas after losing a loved one is particularly hard. But it’s also a time to remember all that we have to be thankful for.

It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, often read at Christmas carol services: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”.

One cause for thankfulness this summer was marking 70 years since the end of the Second World War.

On VJ Day, we honoured the remaining veterans of that terrible conflict in the Far East, as well as remembering the thousands who never returned.

The procession from Horse Guards Parade to Westminster Abbey must have been one of the slowest ever, because so many people wanted to say “thank you” to them.

At the end of that war, the people of Oslo began sending an annual gift of a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square.

It has 500 light bulbs and is enjoyed not just by Christians but by people of all faiths, and of none. At the very top sits a bright star, to represent the Star of Bethlehem.

The custom of topping a tree also goes back to Prince Albert’s time. For his family’s tree, he chose an angel, helping to remind us that the focus of the Christmas story is on one particular family.

For Joseph and Mary, the circumstances of Jesus’s birth – in a stable – were far from ideal, but worse was to come as the family was forced to flee the country.

It’s no surprise that such a human story still captures our imagination and continues to inspire all of us who are Christians, the world over.

Despite being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life, Christ’s unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one another.

Although it is not an easy message to follow, we shouldn’t be discouraged; rather, it inspires us to try harder: to be thankful for the people who bring love and happiness into our own lives, and to look for ways of spreading that love to others, whenever and wherever we can.

One of the joys of living a long life is watching one’s children, then grandchildren, then great-grandchildren, help decorate the Christmas tree. And this year my family has a new member to join in the fun.

The customary decorations have changed little in the years since that picture of Victoria and Albert’s tree first appeared, although of course electric lights have replaced the candles.

There’s an old saying that “it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”.

There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today.

Christmas is a good time to be thankful for them, and for all that brings light to our lives.

I wish you a very happy Christmas.