The Origin of Valentiile’s Day

熊艳琼

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，世界各地的数百万人会送给爱人们糖果、鲜花、巧克力还有其它可爱的礼物。在许多国家，大大小小的餐馆里，坐满了一对对的情侣，他们想用美味佳肴来庆祝爱情和在一起的快乐。几乎没有哪个年轻人不想充分利用这一天。我们一次又一次地听到“圣·瓦伦丁”这个名字。但这个人是谁呢？情人节的历史可以追溯到公元270年，它起源于一个善良的牧师和一个强大的统治者之间的冲突。

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.

在瓦伦丁生活的年代，罗马帝国的黄金时代已经接近尾声。优秀领导者的缺乏导致了频繁的内战。罗马帝国面临着各方面的危机，由于帝国面积的扩张，以现有的力量已无法抵御外界侵略和内部动乱。自然地，就需要招募越来越多有能力的男性作为为士兵和军官来保护国家。当克劳狄斯成为君主的时候，他觉得已婚男人会更眷恋他们的家庭，因此他们不会成为优秀的士兵。他认为是婚姻削弱了他们的力量。所以为保证士兵质量，他颁布了一项禁婚令。

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.

禁婚令对罗马人来说是一个巨大的冲击，但他们不敢表达自己对强大的君主的抗议。善良的主教瓦伦丁也意识到了法令的不公正。他看到了那些年轻恋人们的痛苦，他们放弃了所有结为连理的希望。所以他秘密计划反抗君主的命令。每当一对恋人想结婚，他们就会去找瓦伦丁。瓦伦丁之后会在一个秘密的地点为他们主持婚礼。但这样的事情隐藏不了多久。克劳狄斯发现这个“恋人们的朋友”以及逮捕他只是时间问题而已。

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.

据说克劳狄斯二世会见瓦伦丁时就对他的人性尊严和坚定信念印象深刻。君主还试图让瓦伦丁转向信奉罗马众神，但都徒劳无功。瓦伦丁拒绝信奉罗马众神，甚至试图让君主也改变信念。这一行为激怒了克劳狄斯二世，于是他下令将瓦伦丁处决了。据说瓦伦丁于公元270年2月14日被执行死刑。

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.

现在情人节在美国是最重要的节日之一，它带来了蓬勃发展的商业上的成功。根据美国贺卡协会统计，每年赠送的贺卡有25%都是情人节卡片。情人节卡片一般都设计成心形来象征爱情。最早的情人节卡片是在公元1415年，由奥尔良公爵查尔斯在被监禁在伦敦塔时送给他的妻子的。现在该卡片被保存在大英博物馆里。

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

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

[5] chaos n. 混乱 [6] forbid v. 禁止

[7] trauma n. 创伤 [8] dignity n. 尊严

[9] booming adj. 兴旺的；繁荣的