西方情人节传统 Valentine's Day

St Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 of each year, the reason why it is celebrated on this day is because this was the day that the Patron Saint of Lovers "St Valentine" was supposedly executed on.

情人节是每年的2月14日，它在这一天庆祝的原因是因为这一天是恋人的保护神“圣瓦伦丁”定下来的。

On this day lovers all around the world mark this occasion as a day for sending poems, cards, flowers or candy, etc. They might also be a social gathering or ball to mark the occasion.

这一天世界各地的情侣都以赠送诗歌、卡片、鲜花和糖果等等来庆祝。他们也可能以社交聚会或举行舞会来纪念这个日子。

Many Valentine's Day customs involved ways that single women could learn who their future husbands would be. Englishwomen of the 1700's wrote men's names on scraps of paper, rolled each in a little piece of clay, and dropped them all into water. The first paper that rose to the surface supposedly had the name of a woman's true love.

许多情人节风俗涉及到单身女性可以获悉他们未来的丈夫是谁呢。1700年的英格兰女性把男人的名字写在纸片上，把每一小块放在泥里滚，然后把他们全都丢进水里。第一个浮出水面的就被认为是真爱。

Also in the 1700's, unmarried women pinned five bay leaves to their pillows on the eve of Valentine's Day. They pinned one leaf to the center of the pillow and one to each corner. If the charm worked, they saw their future husbands in their dreams.

同样在1700年代，未婚女性会在情人节前夕把五片桂叶别在她们的枕头上。她们别 一片叶子在中间之后把另外四片别到四个角落。如果有效的话，她们会在梦里看到她们未来的丈夫。

One of the oldest customs was the practice of writing women's names on slips of paper and drawing them from a jar. The woman whose name was drawn by a man became his valentine, and he paid special attention to her. Many men gave gifts to their valentines. In some areas, a young man gave his valentine a pair of gloves. Wealthy men gave fancy balls to honor their valentines.

最古老的风俗是把女人的名字写在纸片上，然后就把它们从一个罐子里面拖出来。那个被拖出来的女人的名字就会成为他的情人，他也会对她特别的关注。许多男人把礼物送给他们的情人。在一些地方，年轻的小伙子会给他的情人节一副手套。富有的男人会举行舞会来纪念他们的情人。

Valentine cards became popular in Great Britain in the nineteenth century. Noted artist Kate Greenaway created cards which featured joyful children and beautiful gardens. Esther Howland was one of the first Valentine card manufacturers in the United States.

情人节卡片在十九世纪的英国变得越来越受欢迎。艺术家凯特格林纳指出创建卡片是以快乐的儿童和美丽的花园为特点的。

Inspired by a British card, she began production in 1847. Her cards featured lace and paper flowers and leaves. Other card manufacturers emphasized Cupid, the pudgy, winged son of Venus, the goddess of love. In Roman lore, Cupid is known as Eros, the son of Aphrodite.

受英国卡片的鼓舞，她在1847年开始制作她自己的。她的卡片以蕾丝边、纸花和叶子为特色。其他卡制造着强调丘比特是胖的、维纳斯有翼的儿子、爱神。在罗马帝国，丘比特是以爱神阿佛洛狄忒的儿子闻名的。

In the United States and Canada, children exchange valentines with their friends. In some schools, the children hold a classroom party and put all the valentines into a box they have decorated.

在美国和加拿大，孩子们和他们的朋友交换情人。一些学校中，孩子们举行一个班级派对把所有的情人塞进他们已经装饰过的盒子里。

At the end of the day, the teacher or one child distributes the cards. Many children make their own valentines from paper doilies, red paper, wallpaper samples, and pictures cut from magazines. Sometimes they buy kits that include everything needed to make valentines. Many children send their largest, fanciest cards to their parents and teachers.

在一天将要结束的时候,老师或着一个孩子会分发卡片。许多孩子们从红色的纸桌布、墙纸样本、和从杂志上剪下的图片中找到了自己情人。有时他们会买一些装备，里面包括了所有找情人需要的东西。还有很多孩子们把他们最大、最花俏的卡片给了他们的父母和老师。

In Europe, people celebrate Valentine's Day in many ways. British children sing special Valentine's Day songs and receive gifts of candy, fruit, or money. In some areas of England, people bake valentine buns with caraway seeds, plums, or raisins. People in Italy hold a Valentine's Day feast.

在欧洲，人们有多种庆祝情人节的方式。英国的孩子们会唱特别的情人节歌曲和接受糖果、水果、金钱礼物。在英格兰的某些地方，人们烤情人节小面包准备李子、或葡萄干。意大利人会举行的情人节大餐。

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