一場從歐洲走向全球的流行音樂盛會

When the Eurovision Song Contest opens in Lisbon today, it will be part of the largest edition yet of the zany annual pop competition. Forty-three countries will compete for the top prize, which is awarded in a grand final√ on Saturday.

歐洲歌唱大賽(Eurovision Song Contest)今天將在里斯本開幕，這將是這場年度流行音樂大賽迄今爲止最盛大的一屆。43個國家將角逐週六總決賽的最高獎項。

At the first contest, in Switzerland in 1956, there were 14 entries, all of them from Western Europe. But in 1961, socialist Yugoslavia joined, and the competition has steadily become ever more international and inclusive.

1956年，瑞士舉行的第一屆比賽共有14個參賽項目，而且全部來自西歐。但到了1961年，社會主義國家南斯拉夫加入，競爭日益變得國際化和具有包容性。

Israel first appeared in 1973; Australia, which used to broadcast the competition without taking part, has been sending contestants since 2015.

以色列在1973年首次參賽；澳大利亞曾經只轉播比賽而沒有參加，但自2015年以來，該國一直在派出參賽選手。

Despite its distinctly “euro” sensibility — which can be puzzling to the uninitiated — Eurovision is now a global phenomenon with fans all over the world.

儘管它有着明顯的“歐洲”感——這可能會讓不熟悉的人感到困惑——但歐洲歌唱大賽現在已經成爲一個全球現象，粉絲遍佈世界各地。

From the moment Eurovision was first broadcast in Australia, in 1983, Maria Bresic, who grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, said she and her parents, who were from Croatia, were hooked.

在悉尼郊區長大的瑪利亞·佈雷西奇(Maria Bresic)說，自從1983年，歐洲歌唱大賽首次在澳大利亞播出的那一刻起，她和她來自克羅地亞的父母都被迷住了。

“We would often stay up until ridiculous times to watch it,” Ms. Bresic, 50, said. (This year, the grand final√ begins at 5 a.m. Sydney time.)

現年50歲的佈雷西奇說：“爲了看比賽，我們經常熬夜直到荒唐的時候。”（今年的總決賽將從悉尼時間早上5點開始。）