西方风情录

说起西方风情，总让人想起地中海的阳光、夏威夷的沙滩、意大利的比萨饼以及法国的葡萄酒。的确，《西方风情录》要献给读者的不是严肃而沉重的交响乐，而是西方文化中轻松而雅致的一面。 在《西方风情录》一书中，不论是复活节的彩蛋，还是感恩节的故事，或是古老的斯堪的纳维亚乡村民俗，都似乎使人感受到一种遥远的呼唤。 　　本书从休闲、饮食、人文、风俗等 6个方面以全新的角度透视了西方主要国家的风土人情。那些可爱的北欧人，乐观浪漫的罗马人，饱含春天般激情的法国人，还有那些生气勃勃、不懈追求的美国人……他们的兴趣爱好，他们的艺术和宗教，以及他们的饮食和休闲都能让读者从中能领略到欧美人生活的情趣。

　　说起西方风情，总让人想起地中海的阳光、夏威夷的沙滩、意大利的比萨饼以及法国的葡萄酒。的确，《西方风情录》要献给读者的不是严肃而沉重的交响乐，而是西方文化中轻松而雅致的一面。在《西方风情录》一书中，不论是复活节的彩蛋，还是感恩节的故事，或是古老的斯堪的纳维亚乡村民俗，都似乎使人感受到一种遥远的呼唤。
　　本书从休闲、饮食、人文、风俗等 6个方面以全新的角度透视了西方主要国家的风土人情。那些可爱的北欧人，乐观浪漫的罗马人，饱含春天般激情的法国人，还有那些生气勃勃、不懈追求的美国人……他们的兴趣爱好，他们的艺术和宗教，以及他们的饮食和休闲都能让读者从中能领略到欧美人生活的情趣。

第一章　风俗与节日
　1. 复活节的彩蛋
　2. 愚人节的趣闻
　3. 感恩节和它的故事
　4. 阿拉斯加的鲸鱼节
　5. 西方的婚礼传统
　6. 瑞典的风俗和节日
　7. 丹麦乡村人的订婚、结婚、和生子
第二章　人文和地理文化
　8. 住在市郊的美国人
　9. 性情可爱的瑞典人
　10. 可爱的意大利人
　11. 意大利的男性世界
　12. 今日的法国妇女
　13. 法国人的家庭
　14. 充满传奇的世界——蒙大拿州
　15. 内华达州——美国的游乐场
第三章　社会与文化
　16. 美国人为什么喜欢枪支？

Easter Eggs/复活节的彩蛋
1. Easter Eggs
When the first spring flowers blossom, Easter comes. It is the oldest Christian feast, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Along with the traditional Easter walk or outing, the giving of Easter eggs and, more recently, of Easter presents is a main feature of the feast. Parents give their children "Easter eggs" -- colored and boiIed eggs, chocolate eggs,marzipan eggs--Easter bunnies ,sweets, and other gifts. In some German regions, children virtually "collect" Easter eggs from their relatives, especially their godparents.
Usually, the Easter eggs arecarefully hidden in the garden or in the house and the chiIdren must search for them on the morning of Easter Sunday. They are told that the Easter bunny has brought them.This nonymous, mysterious bunny is like Santa Claus at Christmas.But it is less of an "educational" figure than Santa Claus is, since the eggs are not given to children as rewards for being good.
Some Easter egg games have been preserved at certain places in Germany or have even been newly developed. Children try to outdo each other in rolling colored eggs down grassy slopes , for instance,or they knock the eggs' pointed ends together and the child whose eggs does not shatter gets the broken one,too. In some places, this custom was even used as the name of a local festival .
Easter presents furnish interesting stories of cultural and social
change. The first historical mention of colored eggs goes back to the year
1230 A.D. In the 16th and 17th centuries colored eggs were given as
Easter presents. In the Baroque period it became customary for young people who wanted to become engaged to give each other colored and decorated eggs. This remained a rural custom in some regions of central and eastem Europe for a long time.
The origin of the "Easter egg" custom is not fully known. One reason for it is that around Easter time the ru
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