Mundane Traditions with Strange Origins尋常的習(xí)俗，不尋常的起源

加思·桑德姆

Sometimes， there are things we do as part of a tradition without really considering where the practices may have started. It’s easy to forget that many of the rituals that we automatically take part in today had their roots in something entirely different—and sometimes surprising. Let’s take a look at these and some other seemingly normal practices that may have unexpected origins. You’ll never look at your favorite traditions the same way again！

Kissing under the mistletoe

The Ancient Celts used mistletoe as an animal aphrodisiac1， or more specific-ally， to increase the fertility of sheep. Such became the mythic power of mistletoe that in addition to bringing a lambful spring， mistletoe was hung over doorways to ward off fire， lightning and evil spirits. But despite its protective properties， mistletoe couldn’t shuck2 its fertile past， and even though it was hung in people’s doorways， it seemed as if something romantic should occur in its presence.

Thus the kissing.

Did you know that mistletoe’s power runs out？ Every time a man steals a kiss under the mistletoe， he must pay by plucking3 one of its berries. When the berries are gone， no more smooching4.

Pinky swear

Who hasn’t， at some point or another， made a pinky swear with a best friend or a child？ The pinky swear is the highest of all promises， an unbreakable oath—and， in fact， what you’re saying with this oath is that if you break it， the wronged party may cut off your pinky. The gist5 of the custom （if not the bloody follow-through） is a recent immigrant to the United States， having originated with the Japanese mafia， or Yakuza.

The Japanese roots of the pinky swear are evident in its common use in anime films， where it is known as yubikiri6 or “finger cut off.”

Birthday candles

What celestial7 body does a round， iced cake most resemble？ If you said the moon， then you agree with the Ancient Greeks， who first put candles on cakes offered to Artemis， goddess of the moon. Some historians think the candles were used simply to lend the cake a moon-like glow. Others think that when the candles were blown out， their smoke was supposed to carry the birthday man’s or woman’s wishes skyward to the goddess.

Whatever the case， candles cause more than 15，000 residential fires every year. There is no data describing the presumably uncountable annual toll of birthday candles on kids’ hair and eyebrows.

New year’s resolutions

When the calendar flips over to January 1， we start to make promises to ourselves. This year， we’ll lose weight. We’ll be more organized. We’ll spend more time with our families. But why is this the time for resolutions？

The Roman god Janus had two heads—one that looked forward into the future and one that looked into the past. And while many Roman rulers made a land grab for the months of the year—see August and July8—Janus stood strong at the beginning of the year. This is January. And on the first day of January， we look back at the year past and then ahead at the year to come.

The Detroit Red Wings Octopus

In 1952， it took exactly eight wins—two best-of-seven series—to win the Stanley Cup9. And so it seemed only natural that fishmongering brothers Pete and Jerry Cusimano10 threw an octopus onto the ice at the beginning of that year’s playoffs， each tentacle symbolizing a needed win. In 1952， they got them—all eight in a row， sweeping the playoffs and solidifying the enigmatic11 cephalopod’s12 presence on playoff ice from that point forward.

Notably， during the 1995 playoffs， fishmongering co-workers Bob Dubisky and Larry Shotwell13 threw a 50-pound （22.7-kilogram） octopus onto the ice during the national anthem before the conference finals.

有時候，我們遵傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗行事，卻未加思索該習(xí)俗源自何處。有一點極易為人忽略：很多在今時已習(xí)慣成自然的風(fēng)俗，其舊時緣起其實大相徑庭，甚至頗顯怪異。我們現(xiàn)在來了解一下這類習(xí)俗——它們表面看來平淡無奇，背后的起源卻可能出人意外。我相信，下次你再談起自己最喜愛的習(xí)俗時，心態(tài)定當(dāng)迥然不同。

槲寄生下的接吻

古時候，凱爾特人使用槲寄生作為動物催情劑——更準(zhǔn)確地說，是用它來提高羊群的生育力。后來，槲寄生的神秘力量擴(kuò)展開來，不僅能在春天為牧人帶來羊羔豐收，人們還將它懸掛于門楣用以防火、避雷、驅(qū)邪。但在槲寄生這一系列護(hù)佑特質(zhì)的背后，其助力繁殖的夙好猶在，因此即使是掛在門楣處，似乎也理應(yīng)由它來見證某種浪漫場景。

于是有了在槲寄生下接吻的習(xí)俗。

不過你知道嗎？槲寄生的魔力會慢慢耗盡。每有男性在槲寄生下竊得一吻，他必須摘一枚槲寄生上的果實;果子摘盡，便不能再擁吻。

小指拉鉤的約定

人生在世，誰未曾與自己最好的朋友或某個孩子勾過小指，來一場“拉鉤約定”呢？小指拉鉤是最高形式的承諾，代表此約絕不可廢——事實上，小指拉鉤的含義就是：如違背誓言，對方可以切下你的小指頭。這一習(xí)俗的要旨（非其后續(xù)血腥懲罰）源自日本黑幫，較近期才傳入美國。

小指拉鉤約定的情節(jié)在動畫片中隨處可見，這也進(jìn)一步揭示了其日本起源。動畫片里，該習(xí)俗稱作yubikiri，或“指切り” 。

生日蛋糕上的蠟燭

表面裹有糖霜的圓形蛋糕最形似哪種天體？如果你的答案是月亮，那你與古希臘人不謀而合——正是他們最先在蛋糕上插上蠟燭，獻(xiàn)祭給月神阿耳特彌斯。有歷史學(xué)家認(rèn)為，這是因為蠟燭燃燒時能使蛋糕如月亮一般發(fā)出光亮;其他人則認(rèn)為，這是因為蠟燭熄滅時散發(fā)煙霧，人們期望壽星的愿望能隨之一同升上天空，達(dá)至女神耳中。

無論初衷如何，實際情形是：燃燒生日蠟燭每年導(dǎo)致的居家火情超過15000起，所致的兒童毛發(fā)燒傷事例雖無明確數(shù)據(jù)記載，想必也是數(shù)不勝數(shù)。

新年立下的決心

當(dāng)日歷翻至新年的第一天，人們紛紛開始立志表決心：我今年要減肥！我要更有條理！我要花更多時間陪家人！不過為何偏要選這個時候來立志呢？

古羅馬神祇雅努斯的頭部前后有兩副面孔，一副面向未來，一副望向過去。雖然羅馬統(tǒng)治者一向熱衷于借月份命名謀取存在感（例見八月、七月的命名），但雅努斯則一直穩(wěn)穩(wěn)地居于一年之首——這就是一月。在一月一日這天，人們回首舊歲，展望新年。

底特律紅翼隊的章魚

1952年，搶奪斯坦利杯的冰球隊需要在兩個系列中分別7戰(zhàn)4勝，即總共恰好贏得8場勝利，方能奪冠。所以，皮特·庫西馬諾和杰里· 庫西馬諾兩兄弟的舉動似乎不難理解：這兩位販魚為生的球迷在當(dāng)年季后賽開賽前，往球館冰面上扔下一只章魚，章魚的8條腿象征紅翼隊需要贏得的8場比賽 ——這一年紅翼隊果然做到了：他們連贏8場，橫掃季后賽，捧回斯坦利杯，而章魚出現(xiàn)在季后賽上的傳奇習(xí)俗也就此誕生，延續(xù)至今。

值得一提的是，1995年季后賽期間，魚販鮑勃·杜比斯基和拉里·肖特韋爾曾在決賽前的國歌演奏期間，將一只重達(dá)50磅（22.7公斤）的章魚扔到冰面上。

（譯者為 “《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎選手）