情人节 英文

WhatisValentine'sDay?

Valentine'sDayisacelebrationofromanticloveoccurringannuallyonFebruary

ghitsoriginisassociatedbylegendwithaCatholicsaintnamedValentine,

thefactisValentine'sDayisnotareligiousholidayandneverreallyhasbeen.

Valentine'sDayhashistoricalrootsmainlyinGreco-Romanpaganfertilityfestivals

toryof

exchangingcardsandothertokensofloveonFebruary14begantodevelopinEngland

andFranceinthe14thand15thcenturiesandbecameespeciallypopularintheUnited

elastdecadeorso,Valentine'sDay

obrvancehavenspreadtotheFarEast,India,andtheMiddleEast.

WhatistheHistoryofValentine'sDay?

TheoriginofassociatingthemiddleofFebruarywithloveandfertilitydatesto

entAthens,theperiodbetweenmid-Januaryandmid-February

wasthemonthofGamelion,whichwasdedicatedtothesacredmarriageofZeusand

entRome,February15wasLupercalia,thefestivalofLupercus(or

Faunus),ofthepurificationritual,thepriestsof

Lupercuswouldsacrificegoatsandadogtothegod,andafterdrinkingwine,they

wouldrunthroughthestreetsofRomestrikinganyonetheymetwithpiecesofthe

omenwouldcomeforthvoluntarilyfortheoccasion,believingthat

enwouldalsodraw

namesfromanurn,choosingtheir"blinddate"494ADthe

ChristianchurchunderPopeGelasiusIappropriatedthesomeaspectsoftheriteas

stianity,atleastthreedifferentsaintsnamed

ValentineorValentinus,allofthemmartyrs,arementionedintheearlylivesofthe

heValentineslivedinItalyinthethird

century:oneasapriestatRome,ebothsaidto

ine

llegends

havedevelopedaroundoneormoreoftheValentines,twoofwhichareespecially

ingtooneaccount,EmperorClaudiusIIoutlawedmarriageforall

inedefied

Claudiusandcontinuedtoperformmarriagesforyoungcouplesandwasputtodeath

edlegendhasValentinewritinglettersfromprisonto

hisbeloved,signingthem"FromyourValentine."However,theconnectionbetweenSt.

Valentineandromanticloveisnotmentionedinanyearlyhistoriesandisregardedby

inewasfirstdeclared

idthepopecreatedthe

daytocounterthepracticeheldonLupercalia,butthisisnotattestedinanysources

ine'sDaywithromantic

lovewasinthe14thcenturyinEnglandandFrance,whereitwasbelievedthat

readinGeoffrey

Chaucer's(c.1343-1400)ParliamentofFowls,believedtobethefirstValentine's

Daypoem:

ForthiswasonsaintValentine'sday,

Wheneveryfowlcomestheretochoohismate.

ItbecamecommonduringthateraforloverstoexchangenotesonValentine'sDay

andtocalleachothertheir"Valentines."ThefirstValentinecardwasntby

Charles,dukeofOrleans,tohiswifein1415whenhewasaprisonerintheTowerof

ine'obablethat

inedevelopedduringthisperiod(eabove).By

the1700s,verslike"Rosarered,violetsareblue"1850s,

romanticsinFrancebeganembellishingtheirvalentinecardswithgiltpaper,ribbons

andlace.

GirlsmakingValentine'sDaycards.

Valentine'sDaywasprobablyimportedintoNorthAmericainthe19thcenturywith

nitedStates,thefirstmass-producedvalentinesof

embosdpaperlacewereproducedandsoldshortlyafter1847byEstherA.

Howland(1828-1904)ofWorcester,heroperatedalarge

bookandstationerystore,andshetookherinspirationfromanEnglishvalentineshe

19thcentury,ineweredonatedbyPope

GregoryXVItotheWhitefriarStreetCarmeliteChurchinDublin,Ireland,whichhas

1969,aspartofalarger

efforttoparedownthenumberofsaintdaysoflegendaryorigin,theChurch

ine'sDayasanofficialholidayfromitscalendar.

Valentine'sDayCustomsandTraditions

Photo:JanineHealy.

ine'sDayisthemutualexchangeof

symbolsonvalentinesarehearts,thecolorsred

andpink,nginthe19thcentury,the

practiceofhandwritingnotesbegantogivewaytotheexchangeofmass-produced

ardsarenolongergivenjusttolovers,butalsotofriends,

family,inecardsareoftenaccompaniedbytiny

etingCard

Associationestimatesthatapproximatelyonebillionvalentinecardsarent

worldwideeachyear,makingValentine'sDaythecondlargestcard-ndingholiday

oftheyear,ociationalsoestimatesthatwomenpurcha

ast50yearsorso,especiallyinthe

UnitedStates,thepracticeofexchangingcardshasbeenextendedtoincludethe

givingofgifts,tpopular

Valentine'nginthe1980s,thediamond

industrybegantopromoteValentine'sDayasanoccasionforthegivingoffine

uplesalsoschedulearomanticdinnerdateonValentine'sDay.

Valentine'sDayinChinaandJapan

Thankstoaconcentratedmarketingeffort,Valentine'sDayhamergedinJapanas

sbecomeformany

women–especiallythowhoworkinoffices–anobligation,andtheygivechocolates

toalltheirmaleco-workers(especiallytheboss),sometimesatsignificantpersonal

ocolateisknownasgiri-choco,whichtranslatesas"chocolateof

obligation."

:amanda.

Byafurthermarketingeffort,areciprocaldaycalledWhiteDayhamergedin

day(March14),menaresuppodtoreturnthefavorbygiving

somethingtothowhogavethemchocolatesonValentine'n,however,

tshouldbewhite(hencethename)andisoften

ine'sDayisalsocelebratedinChina,asistherelatedDaughter's

ldonthe7thmonthand7thdayofthelunarcalendarandcelebrates

alovestorybetweentheventhdaughteroftheEmperorofHeavenandan

orphanedcowherd,whowerenttoparatestarsandonlyallowedtoeeach

tDaughter'sFestivalwillbeonAugust11,

2005.

Valentine'sDayControversyinIndiaandtheMiddleEast

Valentine'sDayonlyarrivedinIndiaafewyearsago,butithasquicklygained

popularityamongyoungurbanpeoplealongwithagreatdealofcontroversyamong

ionalHinduculturediscouragespublicdisplaysof

affectionbetweenthexes,includinghand-holding,whichValentine'sDay

encourages,andValentine'sDayisalsorentedbysomeasaChristianandwestern

2004,militantHindunationaliststhreatenedtobeatthefacesandshave

theheadsofthowhoparticipatedinValentine'sDaycustoms."Wewillnotallow

inewasaChristianandcelebrating

Valentine'sDaywouldbeaviolationofIndianculture,"saidVedPrakashSachchan,of

themilitantHinduorganizationBajrangDal,rly,aleaderof

theradicalHindugroupShivSenahascondemnedtheholidayas"nothingbuta

WesternonslaughtonIndia'sculturetoattractyouthforcommercialpurpos."

MembersofthegrouphavestolenValentine'sDaygreetingcardsfromastoreand

rValentine'sDaybacklashhasoccurredinmany

stanin2004,theJamaat-e-Islamiparty,anIslamist

organization,calledforabanonValentine'tsleadersdismisditas"a

shamefulday"whenWesterners"arejustfulfillingandsatisfyingtheirxthirst."

Alsoin2004,thegovernmentofSaudiArabiaissuedanedictdeclaringthat"there

areonlytwoholidaysinIslam-Eidal-FitrandEidal-Adha-andanyotherholidays...

areinventionswhichMuslimsarebannedfrom."Policeclolymonitoredstoreslling

ethisofficialopposition

fromauthorities,manypeopleinMiddleEasterncountriesemtobeenjoyingthe

pper,buyingaredheart-and-rocardforherson-in-law,is

reportedashavingdismisdthebacklashas"onlyrigidityandculturalbackwardness.

Throughthecrackdown,theyonlybuypeople'sgreaterhatredandenmity."