The Origin of Valentiile’s Day

熊艷瓊

Every year， the fourteenth day of February has millions across the world presenting their loved ones with candy， flowers， chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries， restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with[1] couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious food. There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of[2] the day. We have heard of the name St. Valentine time

and again[3]. But who is this St. Valentine？ The origin of this lovers day goes back as early as

270 A.D. and started with the conflict between a kind priest and a mighty ruler.

每年的2月14日，世界各地的數百萬人會送給愛人們糖果、鮮花、巧克力還有其它可愛的禮物。在許多國家，大大小小的餐館里，坐滿了一對對的情侶，他們想用美味佳肴來慶祝愛情和在一起的快樂。幾乎沒有哪個年輕人不想充分利用這一天。我們一次又一次地聽到“圣·瓦倫丁”這個名字。但這個人是誰呢？情人節的歷史可以追溯到公元270年，它起源于一個善良的牧師和一個強大的統治者之間的沖突。

During the lifetime of Valentine， the golden era of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of good administrators led to frequent civil strife[4]. The Roman Empire faced crisis from all sides. The empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos[5] with existing forces. Naturally， more and more capable men were required to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation. When Claudius became the emperor， he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families， and thus， will not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding[6] marriage to assure quality soldiers.

在瓦倫丁生活的年代，羅馬帝國的黃金時代已經接近尾聲。優秀領導者的缺乏導致了頻繁的內戰。羅馬帝國面臨著各方面的危機，由于帝國面積的擴張，以現有的力量已無法抵御外界侵略和內部動亂。自然地，就需要招募越來越多有能力的男性作為為士兵和軍官來保護國家。當克勞狄斯成為君主的時候，他覺得已婚男人會更眷戀他們的家庭，因此他們不會成為優秀的士兵。他認為是婚姻削弱了他們的力量。所以為保證士兵質量，他頒布了一項禁婚令。

The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their protest against the mighty emperor. The kind bishop Valentine also realized the injustice of the edict. He saw the trauma[7] of young lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He

planned to counter the monarchs orders secretly. Whenever lovers thought of marrying， they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a secret place and performed marriages for them. But such things cannot be hidden for long. It was only a matter of time before Claudius came to know of this “friend of lovers” and had him arrested.

禁婚令對羅馬人來說是一個巨大的沖擊，但他們不敢表達自己對強大的君主的抗議。善良的主教瓦倫丁也意識到了法令的不公正。他看到了那些年輕戀人們的痛苦，他們放棄了所有結為連理的希望。所以他秘密計劃反抗君主的命令。每當一對戀人想結婚，他們就會去找瓦倫丁。瓦倫丁之后會在一個秘密的地點為他們主持婚禮。但這樣的事情隱藏不了多久。克勞狄斯發現這個“戀人們的朋友”以及逮捕他只是時間問題而已。

When Claudius II met Valentine， he was said to have been impressed by the dignity[8] and conviction of him. It is also said

that the emperor tried to make Valentine believe in the Roman gods but he failed. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor. This made Claudius II very angry and he gave the order of execution of Valentine. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14， 270 AD.

據說克勞狄斯二世會見瓦倫丁時就對他的人性尊嚴和堅定信念印象深刻。君主還試圖讓瓦倫丁轉向信奉羅馬眾神，但都徒勞無功。瓦倫丁拒絕信奉羅馬眾神，甚至試圖讓君主也改變信念。這一行為激怒了克勞狄斯二世，于是他下令將瓦倫丁處決了。據說瓦倫丁于公元270年2月14日被執行死刑。

Today， Valentines Day is one of the major holidays in the U.S. and has become a booming[9] commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association， 25% of all cards sent each year are valentines. Valentines Day cards are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. One of the earliest valentines was sent in 1415 AD by Charles， Duke of Orleans， to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.

現在情人節在美國是最重要的節日之一，它帶來了蓬勃發展的商業上的成功。根據美國賀卡協會統計，每年贈送的賀卡有25%都是情人節卡片。情人節卡片一般都設計成心形來象征愛情。最早的情人節卡片是在公元1415年，由奧爾良公爵查爾斯在被監禁在倫敦塔時送給他的妻子的。現在該卡片被保存在大英博物館里。

[1] be filled with 被……充滿 [2] make the most of 充分利用

[3] time and again 一次又一次 [4] civil strife 內亂

[5] chaos n. 混亂 [6] forbid v. 禁止

[7] trauma n. 創傷 [8] dignity n. 尊嚴

[9] booming adj. 興旺的；繁榮的