贈禮習俗的起源與歷史

譯/李小撒

贈禮習俗的起源與歷史

譯/李小撒

The Origins and History of Gift Giving

贈送禮物是一個歷史悠久的傳統，從人類有記憶開始就已存在，可追溯到數千年前。我們人類是社會動物，喜歡彼此的陪伴，并通過贈予禮物來表達情感。不管是表達真愛、贊賞業績，還是感激友情，贈送禮物是我們與生俱來的習慣。要了解我們為何如此癡迷于贈禮，就需要回到過去，找到人類這一獨有的表達形式的起源。

Gift giving has been a long tradition that dates back thousands of years as far back as man can remember. As human beings, we are social creatures who enjoy each other’s company and expressing our feelings through the giving of gifts. Whether it is an expression of true love, appreciation of a job well done or just to show our gratitude for having someone as a friend, the giving of gifts is engrained1engrain 同ingrain，使根深蒂固。into our DNA. To understand why we are so enamored2enamor 著迷。with giving gifts, it is important to go back in time to find the origins of this unique form of expression that makes us so human.

贈禮習俗的起源

[2]贈送禮物可能是人類最為古老的活動之一，其歷史要比人類文明更為久遠，可能要追溯到我們這個物種出現之時。即便是在原始的穴居文化時期，人們通過贈送禮物來表達對彼此喜愛的行為已經相當普遍。據推斷，贈予禮物還是一種地位的象征，部族的首領會通過這種方式向為部族做出重要貢獻的成員表示嘉許。

Origins of gift giving

[2] The giving of gifts may be one of the oldest of human activities that predates3pre-date在日期上早于（先于）。civilization and may go back to the origin of our species. Even in primitive cavemen culture, the giving of giftswas fairly common as it was used to show love and affection towards one another. The bestowing4bestow給予，獻給。of gifts was also inferred as a status symbol when leaders of tribes or clans would show their appreciation for the contributions of those who were part of an important achievement.

[3]不管是一塊形狀奇特的石頭、一顆動物牙齒、一塊樹皮，或是任何其他自然界的物品，都可能成為饋贈之選。早在人類進入高級文明社會之前，贈禮無疑就已是尋常之舉。后來隨著工具的進化，禮物開始變得更為精致，比如在動物牙齒和石頭上打孔串成項鏈，許多其他物品，也被手工打造出來。

[3] Whether it was an unusually shaped rock, a tooth from an animal, the bark from a tree or some other item that was natural in origin, the giving of gifts was certainly common behavior long before we became an advanced civilization. As tools were developed, the gifts started to become more elaborate, for example holes were drilled5drill鉆孔。into animal teeth and stones so they could be displayed on necklaces and many other objects were fashioned6fashion（尤指手工）制作，使成形，塑造。as well.

[4]后來在古埃及時期，向法老們進獻禮物尤為常見。法老們建造龐大的金字塔為來世儲存財富，還要塑造神像以支持他們的偶像崇拜。到了古羅馬時期，人們會互贈代表幸運的東西，這種做法持續了數百年，后來影響到所有的西方文明。這樣代表幸運之物用作禮物，表示贈予者的喜愛與忠誠，至今依然如此。

[4] Later during the Egyptian era, gifts were most notably given to their pharaohs7pharaoh 法老（古埃及國王）。who built massive pyramids to store their wealth for afterlife and produced idols8idol神像。to support their beliefs of idol worship. In Roman times people would present each other with good luck tokens9token象征，標志。, which lasted for centuries and later in fl uenced all of Western civilization onwards. Such tokens of good luck were used as presents to carry favors and show allegiance10allegiance 忠誠。, which is still the case today.

[5]及至中世紀，禮物是獲得國王青睞的工具，而發生戰事時，則可用來表示效忠。此外，人們訂婚時也會收到禮物，即嫁妝，其形式多樣，可以是錢幣、貴金屬，或者一群牛或羊等。在很多文化中，嫁妝和其他類似的表達形式今天依然存在。

[5] By the Medieval age, gifts were used to secure the personal favor of the king or show allegiance in times of war. Also, personal gifts of betrothals11betrothal 訂婚。were given as dowries which ranged from coins to precious metals to a herd of cattle, goats or sheep. In many cultures, dowries and other similar expressions still exist today.

[6]如今，贈送禮物仍是我們日常文化的一部分，反映出我們是誰以及我們想用禮物傳達的信息。所有的場合和慶祝活動都少不了贈送禮物，這已成為我們互相溝通和自我表達的一種方式。

[6] Today gift giving is still part of our everyday culture and defines who we are and the message we want to send with our gift. Gifts are given for all occasions and celebrations and are a means of us communicating with each other and expressing ourselves.

贈禮的心理因素

[7]時至今日，贈禮習俗遍及全球所有文化，不論是慶祝生日和周年紀念日、祝愿他人好運或身體早日康復、表達愛與喜歡、抑或只是說聲謝謝，都少不了贈送禮物。我們會送禮物給家庭成員、朋友、同事乃至鄰居。現在，禮品的生產和銷售已形成大規模的產業，即便在最繁忙的時刻，人們也能找到合適的禮物，滿足不同原因、不同場合的需要。

The psychology behind gift giving

[7] Today, gift giving is spread across all cultures around the world, from celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, offering good luck, best wishes for getting well, showing love and affection, or just saying thanks. Gifts are given to family members, friends, those we work with and even neighbors. There are large industries dedicated to creating and selling gifts that allow people even in the busiest of times to fi nd the right type of present to give someone for many different reasons and occasions.

[8]為何送禮物讓人覺得如此有意義？答案很簡單：它能使人們建立連接。送禮之人通過贈送禮物表達內心的感受和情緒，希望與收禮之人分享，收禮之人相應地接收到這些感受和情緒，一種連接就此得以建立。與周圍人互通情感給我們一種目標感和滿足感。這種感覺能照亮靈魂，使我們表現出身上最好的品質。常言道，“給予比接受更有福”，這句話對給予者而言意義特別，因為給予能令其大受裨益。

[8] The psychology of why gift giving is so rewarding is simple—it allows people to connect. The giver of a giftexpresses their feelings and emotions by sending a gift with the hope of being able to share these with the receiver of the gift. The receiver of the gift in turn receives the feelings and emotions and with this a connection is made. Making connections with people around us gives us a sense of purpose and feeling of satisfaction. This feeling is one that enlightens the soul and brings out the best in us. There is an old saying “it is better to give than receive” and it has a special meaning as regards to the benefi ts that it provides to those who give.

送禮物為何重要？

[9]將禮物送與掛懷之人時，幸福感油然而生，數年來對此已有相當數量的研究。送禮物頗有益處，從穴居時代至今一直如此，或許這就是它為何能經得起時間的考驗。以下是送禮物對于我們而言非常重要的幾個原因：

Why is it important to give gifts?

[9] There has been a considerable amount of research over the years into the feelings of wellbeing that occurs when we give gifts to those we care about. From as early as cavemen days gift giving has been rewarding, which may be the reason it has stood the test of time. Here are some reasons as to why:

[10]我們會感到快樂：簡單說來，送禮物不僅讓收到禮物的人感到高興，也讓送出禮物的人自我感覺更好。有些研究要求實驗對象向他人贈送禮物，結果發現，給予其實讓人感覺生活更美好也更快樂。

[10]We Feel Happy:Simply put, the giving of gifts can make a person feel happier about themselves as well as to the person that has received their gift. In studies where people were asked to give gifts as a part of an experiment, the result was that people actually felt better and happier about their own lives.

[11]改善精神狀態：研究表明，送禮物可能有助于改善人的精神狀態。如果送出一份禮物讓你有了目標感，從而變得更快樂，那就必然會提振你的精神狀態。

[11]Improve State of Mind:Research suggests that giving gifts may improvea person’s state of mind. If giving a gift makes you feel happier with a sense of purpose then this may inevitably improve your state of mind.

[12]更密切的社會關系：送禮物不僅讓你表達了自己的感受，還讓你與那個人建立起更緊密的聯系。收禮之人會感覺自己與送禮之人之間的距離更近了，反之亦然。社會聯系由此變得更為密切，這也意味著送禮人的精神狀態和整體幸福感將得以提升。

[12]Greater Social Connection:By giving a gift, you not only express your feelings but build a stronger connection to that person as well. Not only does the person receiving the gift feel closer to the giver, but vice versa as well. This greater social connection also means an improvement in the state of being as well as overall happiness.

[13]有傳染性：一個人向別人贈送了禮物，收到禮物的人會變得更愿意付出，見證這一舉動的人也會紛紛效仿。這在某種程度上是由于身體分泌內啡肽的緣故，這不僅有益于送禮之人，收禮之人和見證這一舉動的人同樣也會感到這份快樂。□

[13]It’s Contagious:When a person starts giving gifts, not only will the recipient become more likely to give, those around them who see this act will start giving as well. This is in part due to the release of the endorphins12endorphin 內啡肽，一種具有止痛功能、讓人感覺愉悅的內分泌激素。, which not only benefits the giver, but is also felt by those who receive and see the act of giving as well.

（譯者單位：南京信息工程大學語言文化學院）