IN SOME HOMES, CHRISTMAS TREES WERE HUNG. 有的人家会把圣诞树挂起来

陈小将

In southwest Germany during the 17th and 18th centuries, it was popular, particularly among the lower classes, to hang smaller trees from the ceiling or rafters. This allowed for a flashy display and kept the goodies in the tree out of the reach of children. Some families even hung the tree upside-down, since “pointing the root toward heaven was supposed to imbue the tree with divine powers,” according to Bernd Brunner, author of Inventing the Christmas Tree.
在17、18世纪的德国西南部，很多家庭，尤其是平民百姓家，喜欢把小圣诞树挂在天花板上或房梁上。这样一来既可以展示漂亮的装饰，也能让孩子们够不到圣诞树里的糖果点心。有些家庭甚至会把圣诞树倒着挂，据《发明圣诞树》的作者贝恩特·布鲁纳说，这样做是因为“树根朝向天堂会赋予树神圣的力量”。