Things You Don't Know About Valentine's Day

Things You Don't Know About Valentine's Day

情人節知多少

本篇適合：對話

情人節是不是專屬于情人的節日呢？或許大部分人的答案是肯定的。其實情人節的起源與一位圣人有關，他樂善好施，救人于苦難，卻為此獻出了自己的生命。為了贊頌他，人們把他的忌日設為圣瓦倫丁節，也就是今天的情人節。雖然情人節這天的普遍慶祝方法是情人間互表衷腸，但在不同地區、不同時期，還有很多獨特又有趣的慶祝傳統，我們一起來了解一下吧！

by Sea

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on February 14th. It is not a public holiday in any country, but it is an important cultural celebration in many places.

The Origin of Valentine's Day

About the origin of Valentine's Day, one popular story goes like this: soldiers were forbidden to marry in third-century Rome, but Valentine, a Roman priest, hosted weddings for them. He was imprisoned. In the prison, he healed Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer, and he wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell. He was buried on February 14th.

The Celebration of Valentine's Day

In 18th-century England, the day evolved into a day when lovers expressed their love by sending fowers, sweets, and greeting cards.

In Europe, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart,” and to children, in order to keep away diseases.

Valentine's Day symbols people use today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the fgure of Cupid.

Folk Traditions

Nowadays, Valentine's Day is celebrated as a day of love in most places, but there are still some connections between the saint and the coming of spring.

Valentine['v?l?nta?n] n. 瓦倫丁（羅馬基督教殉道者）；心愛的人

saint[se?nt] n. 圣人

annual['?nj??l] adj. 每年的， 一年一次的

origin['?r?d??n] n. 起源

forbid[f?'b?d] v. 禁止

（過去分詞：forbidden）

priest[pri?st] n. 神父，牧師

host[h??st] v. 主持（過去式：hosted）

imprison[?m'pr?z?n] v. 關押，監禁

（過去分詞：imprisoned）

heal[hi?l] v. 治療（過去式：healed）

jailer['d?e?l?] n. 監獄看守，獄卒

sign[sa?n] v. 簽名（過去分詞：signed）

farewell[,fe?'wel] n. 告別

evolve[?'v?lv] v. 演化，發展（過去式：evolved）invitation[,?nv?'te?∫?n] n. 邀請

Cupid['kju?p?d] n. 丘比特 （羅馬神話中的愛神）

In Slovenia, Saint Valentine was one of the saints of spring and the saint of good health.

A proverb says that “Saint Valentine brings the keys of roots.” Plants and flowers start to grow on this day. Birds also marry on Valentine's Day.

Slovenia[sl??'vi?n??] n. 斯洛文尼亞（東歐國家）proverb['pr?vз?b] n. 諺語，格言

有趣的情人節傳統

英國維多利亞女王時期有一項獨特的情人節習俗：2月14日這一天，情人們將一株生有兩朵花苞的春枝移植在盆內。幾天后，如果這春枝上的雙蕾怒放，便預示這對情人白首偕老；如果雙蕾相向而開，這對情人終將勞燕分飛；如果花開得碩大、燦爛，表示以后子孫滿堂，合家歡樂；倘若一花枯萎凋謝，情人中的一人有早夭之險。

意大利的情侶們則相信，情人節那天在著名景點——朱麗葉愛墻上交換表達愛意的小紙條，就會得到愛神的眷顧。

韓國是情人節最多的國家，一年有12個情人節。

情人節常見的物品和象征物有哪些呢？來連一連測試一下吧！

中文大意及答案請見第44頁。