可怕的习俗Christmas is supposed to be a peaceful and joyous time of year with festivities filled with love and kindness。 But this frightening tradition that terrifies children in parts of Europe smashes all of the warm and fuzzy feelings associated with the holidays。
圣诞节应该是一年中最安宁快乐的时刻，充满着爱与美好，然而欧洲一些地区的圣诞节传统是“恐吓”孩子，这种传统完全粉碎了圣诞节那种温暖又感人的感觉。
Every year in countries such as the Czech Republic naughty boys and girls are visited by Saint Nicholas and the devil。 The evil figure carries a stick and is tasked with punishing children who have misbehaved over the past year - although his presence alone is enough to scare them straight。
每年捷克共和国等国调皮的男孩女孩会受到“圣·尼古拉斯”和“魔鬼”的“光顾”，“魔鬼”手拿棍子，惩罚那些在过去一年中顽皮的孩子—尽管“魔鬼”本身的样子就足够吓到孩子。
Footage from the Czech Republic shows the unlikely pair of Saint Nicholas and the devil， given the nickname Bertik， visiting a home in the run-up to Christmas。 Young children are left in hysterics as they cower under their beds and run to their parents in a bid to get away。
捷克共和国的视频显示不可能出现的一对—“圣·尼古拉斯”和“魔鬼”，又叫“贝蒂克”，在平安夜“光顾”了一户人家，年幼的孩子歇斯底里地尖叫着，急忙往床下藏又或跑向父母的怀抱，希望可以逃脱。
While Saint Nicholas gives his attention to good boys and girls， the devil warns the “bad kids” they could be put in his sack and taken to hell。 Children are forced to entertain the devil with a song or dance， but they’re often too terrified to make a move。
“圣·尼古拉斯”关注听话的男孩女孩，魔鬼则警告那些“坏孩子”，他们将会被放到他的袋子里，然后带到地狱去。孩子们不得不给魔鬼唱歌或跳舞，逗魔鬼开心，然而他们通常太害怕了，动都动不了。
Similar traditions occur in a number of European countries， and the most common form is Krampus， a Christmas goat-demon which punishes naughty children。 The terrifying horned beast with long dark hair and fangs， and carries a stick to swat the kids who haven’t been nice。
欧洲许多国家都留有这样的传统，最常见的形象是“克拉普斯”—圣诞节的半羊半魔鬼的形象。这个恐怖的长着角的怪物头顶黑长发，嘴里长着獠牙，手持手杖，责打不听话的孩子。
He will even lick them with his evil snake tongue。 The mythical creature was born in Austrian folklore and even has his own parade in countries such as Germany， Croatia and Slovenia。
甚至还会用那邪恶的像蛇信似的舌头舔孩子。这个神秘的怪物来源于奥地利的民间传说，甚至在德国、克罗地亚和斯洛文尼亚等国还有其游行。
来源：外研社的博客 查看原文
责任编辑：王淳
