Mundane Traditions with Strange Origins寻常的习俗，不寻常的起源

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，我们遵传统习俗行事，却未加思索该习俗源自何处。有一点极易为人忽略：很多在今时已习惯成自然的风俗，其旧时缘起其实大相径庭，甚至颇显怪异。我们现在来了解一下这类习俗——它们表面看来平淡无奇，背后的起源却可能出人意外。我相信，下次你再谈起自己最喜爱的习俗时，心态定当迥然不同。

槲寄生下的接吻

古时候，凯尔特人使用槲寄生作为动物催情剂——更准确地说，是用它来提高羊群的生育力。后来，槲寄生的神秘力量扩展开来，不仅能在春天为牧人带来羊羔丰收，人们还将它悬挂于门楣用以防火、避雷、驱邪。但在槲寄生这一系列护佑特质的背后，其助力繁殖的夙好犹在，因此即使是挂在门楣处，似乎也理应由它来见证某种浪漫场景。

于是有了在槲寄生下接吻的习俗。

不过你知道吗？槲寄生的魔力会慢慢耗尽。每有男性在槲寄生下窃得一吻，他必须摘一枚槲寄生上的果实;果子摘尽，便不能再拥吻。

小指拉钩的约定

人生在世，谁未曾与自己最好的朋友或某个孩子勾过小指，来一场“拉钩约定”呢？小指拉钩是最高形式的承诺，代表此约绝不可废——事实上，小指拉钩的含义就是：如违背誓言，对方可以切下你的小指头。这一习俗的要旨（非其后续血腥惩罚）源自日本黑帮，较近期才传入美国。

小指拉钩约定的情节在动画片中随处可见，这也进一步揭示了其日本起源。动画片里，该习俗称作yubikiri，或“指切り” 。

生日蛋糕上的蜡烛

表面裹有糖霜的圆形蛋糕最形似哪种天体？如果你的答案是月亮，那你与古希腊人不谋而合——正是他们最先在蛋糕上插上蜡烛，献祭给月神阿耳特弥斯。有历史学家认为，这是因为蜡烛燃烧时能使蛋糕如月亮一般发出光亮;其他人则认为，这是因为蜡烛熄灭时散发烟雾，人们期望寿星的愿望能随之一同升上天空，达至女神耳中。

无论初衷如何，实际情形是：燃烧生日蜡烛每年导致的居家火情超过15000起，所致的儿童毛发烧伤事例虽无明确数据记载，想必也是数不胜数。

新年立下的决心

当日历翻至新年的第一天，人们纷纷开始立志表决心：我今年要减肥！我要更有条理！我要花更多时间陪家人！不过为何偏要选这个时候来立志呢？

古罗马神祇雅努斯的头部前后有两副面孔，一副面向未来，一副望向过去。虽然罗马统治者一向热衷于借月份命名谋取存在感（例见八月、七月的命名），但雅努斯则一直稳稳地居于一年之首——这就是一月。在一月一日这天，人们回首旧岁，展望新年。

底特律红翼队的章鱼

1952年，抢夺斯坦利杯的冰球队需要在两个系列中分别7战4胜，即总共恰好赢得8场胜利，方能夺冠。所以，皮特·库西马诺和杰里· 库西马诺两兄弟的举动似乎不难理解：这两位贩鱼为生的球迷在当年季后赛开赛前，往球馆冰面上扔下一只章鱼，章鱼的8条腿象征红翼队需要赢得的8场比赛 ——这一年红翼队果然做到了：他们连赢8场，横扫季后赛，捧回斯坦利杯，而章鱼出现在季后赛上的传奇习俗也就此诞生，延续至今。

值得一提的是，1995年季后赛期间，鱼贩鲍勃·杜比斯基和拉里·肖特韦尔曾在决赛前的国歌演奏期间，将一只重达50磅（22.7公斤）的章鱼扔到冰面上。

（译者为 “《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖选手）