关于情人节的那些事儿

二月十四号“情人节”可以说是年度最浪漫的一天。世界各地的情侣们都会借此机会以各种方式来向对方表达自己的心意。可是你知道“情人节”的由来是什么吗？各国情侣会通过什么方式来来表达爱意呢？

情人节的渊源

Although Valentine’s Day has become a global industry with more than 80 million roses sold worldwide, the origins of the day are unclear and hidden in the mists of time.Nobody knows exactly who St Valentine was.

情人节已经是一个全球化的产业。仅情人节这一天，全球玫瑰花的销量就达到八千多万朵。可是情人节究竟是怎么来的，何时开始的，历史上没有很清楚的记载和说明。没有人清楚地知道St Valentine 到底是谁。

The legend has it that St Valentine was a priest in ancient Rome. The emperor had forbidden marriage because he wanted men to fight in his army. Valentine didn’t agree with the emperor, so he married couples in secret and was caught.

据说 St Valentine 是生活在古罗马时代的一名神父。当时的罗马皇帝禁止人们结婚，因为他要更多的男人加入他的军队。Valentine不同意皇帝的决定，秘密的主持了婚礼，成全了很多对新人，但最终还是被发现了。

Valentine was thrown into jail and sentenced to death on 14 February. On the final day, he sent a love letter signed "From your Valentine" to his lover.

Valentine 被捕入狱后，无法幸免死刑的厄运。他被杀害的那天是2月14日。他临死前给爱人写了封信并署名 “寄自你的Valentine”。

It’s thought that the first recorded Valentine’s card was sent by the Duke of Orleans in 1415. He was in prison at the time. He wrote love poems to his wife, so he didn't feel so lonely and isolated in the cell.

据说史上第一张有记载的情人卡 Valentine’s card 是奥尔良公爵于1415年在狱中写的。他被监禁后，以给他妻子写诗的方式寻求安慰。

情人节各国不同的庆祝方式

Valentine’s Day is now celebrated in many countries around the world. However, the traditions often differ from place to place. Did you know that in Japan, it’s the guys who receive chocolates from the girls?

来自世界很多国家的人们现在都会也庆祝2月14日情人节。不过各国庆祝情人节的方式会略有不同。比如，在日本，男孩子们会收到女孩子们送上的甜蜜巧克力。

Also in Japan, unofficially, 14th March is ‘White Day’. Guys who received Valentine gifts and cards in February are supposed to thank those who remembered them, with white chocolate or marshmallows.

同样在日本，约定俗成的另一个非正式地与爱情有关的节日就是“白日White Day”。每年3月14日这一天，那些在情人节2月14日收到贺卡和礼物的男生可以回赠女生白色巧克力或棉花糖，以表谢意。

In Korea, 14th of April is known as ‘Black Day’. It’s a time when the guys who received nothing on Valentine’s Day gather together to eat black noodles, to cheer each other up.
 

而在韩国，4月14日被称为“黑日 Black Day”，这个由情人节演变出来的节日是专为那些在2月14日情人节没有收到任何贺卡、礼物或邀请的男生而设立的。他们在这一天会聚到一起，吃碗黑汁面条，相互安慰。

传统情人节礼物

Roses are a symbol of love traditionally; it’s no surprise that in the UK alone, more than ￡20 million is spent on flowers. For something edible, chocolate is the most popular Valentine gift, in the United States over $1 billion is splashed out on chocolates.
 

玫瑰是传统的爱情标志，难怪仅在英国，情人节这一天就会卖出价值约两千万英镑的玫瑰花。在能吃的情人节礼物中，巧克力自然是首选，在美国，人们会花掉十亿美金买巧克力作为情人节礼物。

情人节怎么会没有表白？

爱情名言

True love is like a fine wine, the older the better.——Fred Jacob

真爱似美酒，愈老愈醇。——弗莱德·雅各布

Love is a perfume you cannot pour onto others without getting a few drops on yourself.——Emerson

爱情像香水，你不可能洒在别人身上自己却得不到一丝一毫。——爱默生

True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen.——Francois de la Rochefoucauld

真爱就像鬼魂，谈论的人多，见过的人少。——拉罗什福科

Everyone admits that love is wonderful and necessary, yet no one agrees on just what it is.——Diane Ackerman

人人都承认爱情是美好的必须的，然而到底什么是爱从没有定论——戴安·艾克曼

What would it be like to swing on a star, or walk on a cloud? Would it be anything like what I feel whenever you are near?——Anonymous

在星星上荡秋千、云中漫步都是什么感觉呢?会像我感觉你在身边的一样吗?——佚名

Marrying for love may be a bit risky, but it is so honest that God can't help but smile on it.——Josh Billings

为了爱情结婚也许有点冒险，但却让上帝除了微笑也无能为力。——乔西·比林斯

I love you without knowing how, why, or even from where...——Patch Adams

我爱你，不知怎么爱上的你，没原因的爱，没来由的爱……——帕奇·亚当斯

I don't want to live; I want to love first, and live incidentally.——Zelda Fitzgerald

我不渴求生命;我首先要爱情，然后顺便活着。——泽尔达·菲茨杰拉德

Life is a flower of which love is the honey.——Victor Hugo

生活是花，爱情如蜜。——维克多·雨果

Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.——Oliver Wendell Holmes

爱情是打开幸福之门的万能钥匙 ——奥利佛·文德尔·荷默斯

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.——Voltaire

爱情是一副以天性为画布、用想象创作的油画。——伏尔泰