第210期：Hygge文化：席卷全球的“丹麦风”

想成为我们的主播，欢迎加微信 xdfbook 投稿。 一段美文，一首英文歌，或是一点生活感想，全由你做主。 《Hygge文化：席卷全球的“丹麦风”》 The Year of Hygge, The Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy The Oxford Dictionaries’ 2016 “word of the year” shortlist was heavy on neologisms1) that one wishes didn’t have to exist: “alt-right2),” “Brexiteer,” and this year’s winning term, “post-truth3).” Among the finalists, though, there was one bit of solace: “hygge,” a Danish term defined as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality4) that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Pronounced “hoo-guh,” the word is said to have no direct translation in English, though “cozy” comes close. It derives from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga, meaning “to comfort” or “to console,” which is related to the English word “hug.” Associated with relaxation, indulgence, and gratitude, hygge has long been considered a part of the Danish national character. In a 1957 “Letter from Copenhagen” in The New Yorker, the writer Robert Shaplen reported that hygge was “ubiquitous” in the city: “The sidewalks are filled with smiling, hyggelige people, who keep lifting their hats to each other and who look at a stranger with an expression that indicates they wish they knew him well enough to lift their hats to him, too.” In the past year, this concept of Scandinavian coziness has made inroads5) with an international audience. At least six books about hygge were published in the United States this year, with more to come in 2017. Helen Russell, a British journalist who wrote The Year of Living Danishly, defines the term as “taking pleasure in the presence of gentle, soothing things,” like a freshly brewed cup of coffee and cashmere socks. Signe Johansen, in a cookbook and wellness guide, How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life, links hygge to food and drink like cardamom6) buns, muesli7) “ne plus ultra8),” and triple cherry9) gløgg10), a Scandinavian mulled wine with cardamom pods and star anise11); she calls it “healthy hedonism12).” Louisa Thomsen Brits, the author of The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection, calls it “a practical way of creating sanctuary in the middle of very real life” and “a cure for SAD13)”—seasonal affective disorder—“in book form.” Winter is the most hygge time of year. It is candles, nubby14) woolens, shearling15) slippers, woven textiles, pastries, blond wood, sheepskin rugs, lattes with milk-foam hearts, and a warm fireplace. Hygge can be used as a noun, adjective, verb, or compound noun, like hyggebukser, otherwise known as that shlubby pair of pants you would never wear in public but secretly treasure. Hygge can be found in a bakery and in the dry heat of a sauna in winter, surrounded by your naked neighbors. It’s wholesome and nourishing, like porridge; Danish doctors recommend “tea and hygge” as a cure for the common cold. It’s possible to hygge alone, wrapped in a flannel16) blanket with a cup of tea, but the true expression of hygge is joining with loved ones in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. In The Little Book of Hygge, the best-selling of the current crop of books, Meik Wiking, the C.E.O. of a Copenhagen think tank called the Happiness Research Institute, shares a story about a Christmas Day spent with friends in a woodsy cabin. After a hike in the snow, the friends sat around the fireplace wearing sweaters and woolen socks, listening to the crackle of the fire, and enjoying mulled wine. One of his friends asked, “Couldn’t this be any more hygge?” Everyone nodded when one woman replied, “Yes, if a storm were raging outside.” Like many of the best things from Scandinavia, hygge might seem to come with a whiff of17) smugness. The term is often mentioned in the same paragraph that reminds us that Danes (or, depending on the year, Norwegians and Swedes) are the happiest people in the world. Perhaps Scandinavians are better able to appreciate the small, hygge things in life because they already have all the big ones nailed down: free university education, social security, universal health care, efficient infrastructure, paid family leave, and at least a month of vacation a year. With those necessities secured, according to Wiking, Danes are free to become “aware of the decoupling18) between wealth and wellbeing.” “After our basic needs are met, more money doesn’t lead to more happiness,” he said. “Instead, Danes are good at focusing on what brings them a better quality of life.” 《牛津词典》2016“年度词汇”入选词语中充斥着许多人们宁愿其不必存在的新词：“另类右翼”“英国脱欧支持者”以及今年(编注：英文原文发表于2016年12月)获选的“后真相”。不过，入选榜单中倒是有个词给人带来了些慰藉——hygge。这个丹麦语词汇的意思是“一种惬意、舒适、快活的品质，能让人产生满足感或幸福感”。这个词读作“hoo-guh”，英文中没有直接的翻译，虽然cozy (中文意思：舒适的)和它意思接近。 该词从16世纪的挪威语单词hugga演变而来，意为“使舒适”或“安慰(某人)”，和英文单词hug (中文意思：拥抱)有一定关联。Hygge让人联想到放松、享受和感恩，长期以来一直被视为丹麦国民性格的一部分。1957年刊登在《纽约客》上的《哥本哈根来信》一文中，作者罗伯特·夏普兰描述了这座城市“无处不在”的hygge文化：“人行道上随处可见hygge的人们，每个人脸上都洋溢着笑容，大家互相脱帽打招呼。他们看到陌生人时流露出的神情表明，他们希望熟识对方，从而也能脱帽与其打招呼。” 过去的一年，这种斯堪的纳维亚人追求舒适生活的理念已经风靡全球。今年美国出版了至少六本关于hygge的书，2017年还会出版更多。英国记者海伦·拉塞尔著有《像丹麦人一样生活的一年》一书，书中将hygge定义为“在柔和、使人平静的事物中享受快乐”，比如喝上一杯刚刚煮好的咖啡，或是穿上开斯米羊毛袜。 西格纳·约翰森在一本名为《如何Hygge生活：解密北欧幸福生活》的饮食与健康指南中将hygge和饮食联系在一起：吃着豆蔻面包和顶级的穆兹利，再来杯三合一樱桃格洛格(斯堪的纳维亚一种加了小豆蔻和八角茴香的热葡萄酒)。她称这种生活状态为“健康的享乐主义”。《Hygge之书：满足、舒适与关系的丹麦艺术》的作者路易莎·汤姆森·布里茨称之为“在极为真实的生活中建造庇护所的切实可行之法”，以“书本的形式治疗SAD─季节性情绪失调”。 冬季是一年中最hygge的时光：烛光、粗线羊毛衫、羊绒拖鞋、手工织品、酥皮点心、原木色家具、羊皮地毯、心形奶泡拿铁以及温暖的壁炉。Hygge可以用作名词、形容词、动词或复合名词，比如hyggebukser (译注：bukser是丹麦语，中文意思为“裤子”)，就是那种你永远不会在公众场合穿却私下里十分珍惜的很难看的裤子。在面包店，你可以感受到hygge；冬天和邻居们一起裸身蒸高温桑拿时，你可以感受到hygge。 Hygge是健康和营养，就像粥一样；丹麦医生会建议人们通过“喝热茶并享受hygge”来治疗普通感冒。独自一人你也可以hygge：裹着法兰绒毛毯，手捧一杯热茶。但是hygge最真实的表现形式是，在轻松悠闲、舒适温馨的氛围中和心爱的人共度美好时光。迈克·维金是哥本哈根一家名为“幸福研究所”的智库的CEO。他在《Hygge小书》(当下同类书籍最畅销的书)中讲述了自己和朋友们在森林小木屋里共度圣诞节的场景：雪地远足之后，大家穿着线衫、毛袜围坐在火炉旁，一边品味着热葡萄酒，一边听着炉火噼啪作响。 其中一位朋友问道：“没有比这更hygge的了吧？”大家一致点头赞同，这时一位女士答道：“有的，如果外面有暴风雪的话，那就更hygge啦。” 如同许多斯堪的纳维亚最美好的东西一样，hygge的出现可能似乎有点嘚瑟的意味。提及hygge的段落经常也会告诉我们，丹麦人(有时是挪威人或瑞典人，因年份不同而有所变化)是世界上最幸福的人。也许斯堪的纳维亚人能够更好地享受生活中细微的hygge，因为他们所有重大的事情都得到了解决：免费的大学教育、社会保险、全民医保、完善的基础设施、带薪探亲假，以及至少一个月的年假。维金指出，因为这些生活必需的保障都到位了，丹麦人就有闲暇去“注意到物质财富和幸福生活之间没有关联”。 “我们的基本需求得到满足之后，更多的钱并不会带来更多的幸福，”他说道，“因此，丹麦人擅于关注什么能提高他们的生活品质。” ………… 文章摘自：《新东方英语》杂志2017年4月号