英语学习资料：情人节的起源和习俗

Western Holidays Celebrated in China 西方节日在中国 China has become more commercialized and less ideological,and the Chinese are enjoying more relaxed social control中国变得越来越商品化,缺乏独立的思想体系 As a result,they have adopted some Western holidays因此,他们采纳了很多西方节日While Chinese,mostly young people,celebrate them for fun,businessmen see a great opportunity to make money与此同时,大多数年轻人为了好玩而庆祝这些节日,商家却看到了这个赚钱的大好机会Valentine's Day 情人节 It has become as big a holiday among the young Chinese as it does in the rest of the world它已经像在世界其他国家一样,成为中国年轻人中一个很重要（或流行）的节日Greeting cards and flowers,predominantly roses,are sold in the millions祝福卡片和花,尤其是玫瑰花,简直天价出售The Chinese,however,limit the present giving to their spouses,lovers,and sex partners while in the West,candies can be given to friends and colleagues然而,在中国,只限于送礼物给他们的配偶,爱人,和性伴侣,但在西方,节日的甜蜜可以给朋友或同事This difference may be attributed to the mis-translation of Valentine's Day as qingrenjie,in which,qingren means lovers这大概是由于把Valentine's Day错译为情人节了吧,而情人在中国意味着爱人There are cries for replacing this foreign celebration of love with the traditional Chinese Qixi (Seventh Day of the Seventh Lunar Month),a day that commemorizes the legendary Cowherd and Weaving Girl也有关于用中国的七夕节（农历七月的第七天）这个传统的有着牛郎织女美丽传说的关于爱的节日代替情人节的呼声Christmas 圣诞节 The Chinese,particularly the young generation,embrace Christmas without paying attention to its religious background中国人,尤其是年轻的一代,欣然接受圣诞节,而忽略了它的宗教背景They decorate their homes with Christmas trees and lights,giving their children Christmas gifts,and go to parties to enjoy a carnival-like night他们用圣诞树,灯装饰他们的屋子,给他们的孩子圣诞礼物,还举行舞会来享受狂欢般的夜晚Christmas atmosphere is only too evident in the busy streets of major cities where shops,restaurants,and hotels show their best to allure customers圣诞节的最引人注目的标志是大多数城市里忙碌的大街小巷,商店,旅馆,餐馆等等都拿出他们最好的商品来招引顾客Santas,mostly played by young women,are their best "tools" of promotion大多少女们都爱玩的圣诞老人是他们热销的玩具

情人节，又叫圣瓦伦丁节或圣华伦泰节（St Valentine's Day），即每年的2月14日，是西方的传统节日之一。男女在这一天互送巧克力、贺卡和花，用以表达爱意或友好。

关于情人节的起源，大致有2种不同说法：

说法一：

公元3世纪，罗马帝国皇帝克劳迪乌斯二世在首都罗马宣布废弃所有的婚姻承诺，当时是出于战争的考虑，使更多无所牵挂的男人可以走上争战的疆场。一名叫瓦仑廷（Sanctus Valentinus）的神父没有遵照这个旨意而继续为相爱的年轻人举行教堂婚礼。事情被告发后，瓦仑廷神父先是被鞭打，然后被石头掷打，最后在公元270年2月14日这天被送上了绞架被绞死。14世纪以后，人们就开始纪念这个日子。现在，中文译为“情人节”的这个日子，在西方国家里就被称为Valentine's Day，用以纪念那位为情人做主而牺牲的神父。

与此相关的其他传说，包括这位神父帮助天主教徒从罗马监狱里逃脱而被处死。

在这个神父在监狱里时，据说他送出了第一个“情人节”祝福。据说他爱上了曾来监狱看望他，狱长失明的女儿亚斯得莉斯，并奇迹地治好了她的眼睛，使之重见光明。在他临刑前，给女孩一封信，署名“from your Valentine”（这个表达现在还在使用）。尽管这些传说不真切，但是却表达了他的富有同情心、英雄气概、以及最重要的浪漫主义的人格。

说法二：

来源于古罗马的牧神节（Lupercalia Festival）

这个说法是基督教会庆祝这一天是为了把古罗马的牧神节（每年的2月15日庆祝，为了保佑人、田、牲畜的生产力）基督教化。在古罗马，2月春天的开始，被认为是纯洁的。按照一定的仪式打扫房屋，然后把盐水和一种小麦洒遍房间。

牧神节，是为了庆祝罗马的农神Faunus 和罗马的奠基人Romulus和Remus。这个节日开始时，Luperci的成员（也就是罗马祭司的一种）会聚集在一个神圣的山洞里。这个山洞被认为是还是婴儿的Romulus和Remus待过的地方。在这个洞里，他们由一头母狼，lupa，照料。祭司们会牺牲一头羊，为了生殖；一只狗，为了纯洁。

然后男孩子会把羊的皮撕成小条，蘸上神圣的血后，跑到街上用它轻轻的抽打女人和田里的庄稼。罗马的女人不仅不会害怕，反而会乐意被羊皮条接触，因为据说这样她们在这一年里就会生殖力旺盛。后来，根据传说，这个城市所有的女人会把自己的名字放到一个花瓶里。单身汉们会从里面选一个。这样这一年里，他们就是一对。通常他们会结婚。

教皇在大约公元498年宣布2月14日是情人节。罗马人的这种婚配方式被基督教徒认为是不合法的。中世纪时，在英国和法国，通常认为2月14日是鸟交配的季节。因此就把此日增加了一个内容，那就是它应该是一个浪漫的日子。最早的情人节礼物是奥尔良的公爵，查理斯在伦敦塔狱中写给他妻子的诗。因为他在Agincourt战役中被俘虏了。现在这个写于1415年的祝福被收藏在伦敦的大英博物馆。几年以后，英皇亨利五世雇John Lydgate写了一首曲子给Catherine of Valois作为情人节礼物。

Saint Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day is on February 14 It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other; sending Valentine's cards or candy It is very common to present flowers on Valentine's Day The holiday is named after two men, both Christian martyrs named Valentine The day became associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines" Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards The US Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines[1]

In the United States, the marketing of Valentine's Day has tagged it as a "Hallmark holiday" A recent trend has been to refer to February 14 as Singles Awareness Day

At least three early Christian Roman martyrs named Valentinus are known (see Saint Valentine for more details) In the two most prominent Valentinus traditions, represented by late fictionalized acta that were both included in Bede, the martyrs were venerated on the same day, February 14, though the years, as they represent two traditions, varied according to the source[2] An overview of attested traditions relevant to the holiday is presented below, with the legends about Valentine himself discussed in the end

[edit] February fertility festivals

It has been hypothesised [specify][citation needed] that Graeco-Roman holidays devoted to fertility and love might be related to St Valentine's Day, since there is some correspondence between the time when they were celebrated

On the ancient Athenian calendar, the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion, dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera

In Ancient Rome, February 15 was Lupercalia Plutarch wrote:

Lupercalia, of which many write that it was anciently celebrated by shepherds, and has also some connection with the Arcadian Lycaea At this time many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs And many women of rank also purposely get in their way, and like children at school present their hands to be struck, believing that the pregnant will thus be helped in delivery, and the barren to pregnancy[5]

The word Lupercalia comes from lupus, or wolf, so the holiday may be connected with the legendary wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus Priests of this cult, luperci would travel to the lupercal, the cave where the she-wolf who reared Romulus and Remus allegedly lived, and sacrifice animals (two goats and a dog) The blood would then be scattered in the streets, to bring fertility and keep the wolves away from the fields [6] Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome The more general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier "or "the chaste Juno," was celebrated on February 13-14 Pope Gelasius I (492-496) abolished Lupercalia Some historians [specify][citation needed] argue that Candlemas (then held on February 14, later moved to February 2) was promoted as its replacement, but this feast was already being celebrated in Jerusalem by AD 381 The pope also declared in 496 that the feast of St Valentine would be on February 14

[edit] Chaucer's love birds

A portrait of English poet Geoffrey Chaucer by Thomas Hoccleve (1412) The earliest known link between Valentine's Day and romance is found in Chaucer's poetryThe first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer:[3]

For this was on seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese [choose] his make [mate]

This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia[7] A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381[8] (When they were married eight months later, he was 13 or 14 She was 14)

On the liturgical calendar, May 2 is the saints' day for Valentine of Genoa This St Valentine was an early bishop of Genoa who died around AD 307[9][10] Readers incorrectly assumed that Chaucer was referring to February 14 as Valentine's Day However, mid-February is an unlikely time for birds to be mating in England[4]

Chaucer's Parliament of Foules is generally set in a supposed context of an old tradition, but in fact there was no such tradition before Chaucer The speculative explanation of sentimental customs, posing as historical fact, had their origins among eighteenth-century antiquaries, notably Alban Butler, the author of Butler's Lives of Saints, and have been perpetuated even by respectable modern scholars Most notably, "the idea that Valentin'e Day customed perpetuated those of the Roman Lupercalia has been accepted uncritically and repeated, in various forms, up to the present"[5]

[edit] Medieval and modern times

Swedish calendar showing St Valentine's Day, February 14, 1712Using the language of the law courts for the rituals of courtly love, a "High Court of Love" was established in Paris on Valentine's Day in 1400 The court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women Judges were selected by women on the basis of a poetry reading[11][12]

The earliest surviving valentine is a fifteenth-century rondeau written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his "valentined" wife, which commences

Je suis desja d'amour tanné

Ma tres doulce Valentinée… (Charles d'Orléans, Rondeau VI, lines 1–2)

At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415[6]

Valentine's Day is mentioned ruefully by Ophelia in Hamlet (1600-01): "Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's Day"

In 1836, relics of St Valentine of Rome were donated by Pope Gregory XVI to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland In the 1960s, the church was renovated and relics restored to prominence[13]

In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feastday of Saint Valentine on 14 February was removed from the General Roman Calendar and relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on 14 February"[7] The feast day is still celebrated in Balzan and in Malta where relics of the saint are claimed to be found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Vatican II calendar

Valentine's Day postcard, circa 1910

Tree decorated for Valentine's DayValentine's Day was probably imported into North America in the 19th century by British settlers In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts Her father operated a large book and stationery store, and she took her inspiration from an English valentine she had received Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary"

In the second half of the twentieth century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United States, usually from a man to a woman Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry

The day has come to be associated with a generic platonic greeting of "Happy Valentine's Day"

In some North American elementary schools, students are asked to give a Valentine card or small gift to everyone in the class The greeting cards of these students often mention what they appreciate about each other

[edit] The evolving legend

The Early Medieval acta of either Saint Valentine were excerpted by Bede and briefly expounded in Legenda Aurea,[8] According to that version, St Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead Because of this, he was executed Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer

Legenda Aurea still providing no connections whatsoever with sentimental love, appropriate lore has been embroidered in modern times to portray Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single The Emperor supposedly did this to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men When Claudius found out about this, he had Valentine arrested and thrown in jail On the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he wrote the first "valentine" himself, addressed to a young girl variously identified as his beloved,[9] as the jailer's daughter whom he had befriended and healed,[10] or both[11] It was a note that read "From your Valentine"[9]

In another apparently modern embellishment[citation needed], while Valentine was imprisoned, people would leave him little notes, folded up and hidden in cracks in the rocks around his cell He would find them and offer prayers for them

Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St Valentine But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions e from Find out about the history of this centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian England

每年2月14日，在美国和全世界其他地方，爱人们都会以圣瓦伦丁的名义互赠糖果、鲜花和礼物。但是这个神秘的圣人到底是谁？这些习俗又是从哪儿冒出来的？本文从古罗马礼仪探索到了英国维多利亚女王时代的习俗，寻找到了关于这个古老节日的历史。

The Legend of St Valentine

一、圣人瓦伦丁的传说。

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he bee associated with this ancient rite

情人节的历史、以及其背后那位圣人的故事一直迷雾重重。我们知道二月份一直都是一个庆祝爱情的月份，而情人节，正如我们今天所知道的，包含了基督教和古罗马传统两者的痕迹。但是圣瓦伦丁究竟是谁？他是怎么和这个古老节日联系在一起的？

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death

今天，罗马天主教认为至少有三个叫做瓦伦丁或者瓦伦丁诺斯的圣徒为教义献身了。有一个传说认为瓦伦丁是公元三世纪一名罗马牧师。当时罗马皇帝克劳狄二世禁止年轻男子结婚，因为他认为未婚男子可以成为比有家室男子更加优良的士兵。瓦伦丁意识到了这项法令的不公，于是违反克劳狄二世的命令，继续秘密地为年轻情侣主持婚礼。当瓦伦丁的行为被发现之后，克劳狄二世下令将他处死。

Origins of Valentine’s Day: A Pagan Festival in February

二、情人节的起源：一个2月份的异教徒节日。

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to memorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around AD 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus

虽然有人认为2月中旬庆祝情人节是为了纪念瓦伦丁的死或他的葬礼（这大约发生在公元270年左右），但是其他人则表示说这是基督教会有意将圣瓦伦丁的节日安排在2月中旬，目的是为了把异教徒的牧神节“基督教化”。牧神节是一个古罗马生育节，每年2月15日举行，人们会在这一天献祭罗马农神福纳斯、以及罗马的建立者罗穆卢斯和瑞摩斯。

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide Far from being fearful, Roman women weled the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the ing year Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and bee paired for the year with his chosen woman These matches often ended in marriage

在庆典开始时，参加牧神节的人们会受罗马祭司命令，聚集在一个神圣的山洞里，人们认为罗马的建立者罗穆卢斯和瑞摩斯就是在这个山洞里被一只母狼养大的。祭司会献祭一只山羊祈求生育，献祭一条狗祈求涤罪。然后他们会把山羊皮切成条，蘸上祭品的鲜血后走上街头，用带血的羊皮轻轻拍打妇女和农田。罗马妇女们非但不害怕，还非常欢迎人们用羊皮打自己，因为人们认为这会让妇女们来年更能生育。据传说，在那一天晚些时候，城市里所有年轻女性都会把她们的名字放到一个大瓮里。城里的单身汉们每个人都会选一个名字，和挑到名字的女人成为一年的伴侣。配对的人往往最后都会结婚。

Valentine’s Day: A Day of Romance

三、情人节：一个浪漫的节日。

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St Valentine’s Day It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love During the Middle Ages, it was monly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance

基督教刚刚兴起时牧神节还得以保留了下来，但是在公元5世纪末牧神节被宣布为非法（牧神节被视为“非基督徒”节日），当时教皇拉西厄斯宣布2月14日为圣瓦伦丁节。但是后来隔了不久，这个节日和爱情联系了起来。在中世纪，人们普遍认为法国和英国鸟儿交配季从2月14日开始，这也增强了人们有关圣瓦伦丁节应该是一个有关爱情的节日这一想法。

Typical Valentine’s Day Greetings

四、经典的情人节问候。

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century By the middle of the 18th, it was mon for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange all tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings

除了美国之外，加拿大、墨西哥、英国、法国和澳大利亚也会庆祝情人节。在英国，情人节在17世纪开始流行开来。到18世纪中期，各个阶层的朋友和爱人们互赠一些爱情信物和手写的便条已经很常见了。而到了20世纪，由于印刷技术的进步，印刷出来的卡片取代了手写的信件。在那个不提倡直接表达自己感情的年代，现成的卡片就成了人们表达自己情感的一种简单方法。而更加便宜的邮费也有助于情人节贺卡的普及。

：You've got a very beautiful smile

你的笑容好美。

: I got it from you

❤️我从你那里学到的。

：My girlfriend is like Google

我的女票就像谷歌。

：Because she knows everything

因为她什么都知道

：No Because she has everything I’m searching for

不，因为我想找寻的都在她那里。

: What should I wear

我穿哪件好看

: Wear me!

❤️穿我呀!

: Wear you!

穿你!

: Ah chooo!!!

❤️啊切!!

: Here Take my scarf

来，围我的围巾。

: This scarf is so nice!

这个围巾很舒适哦。

: Sure It’s made of boyfriend material

❤️当然了。这是优质男票牌围巾。

Boyfriend material意思是：对于某人而言，这个人集合了优质男友的所有品质。在这个漫画中是一语双关。

: Am I too early

❤️我是不是太早啦

: It’s never too early to see your face

能越早看到你越好。

: Babe, I wanna wear couple outfit!

❤️亲爱的，人家想穿情侣装!

: But we don’t have any couple outfit

可是我们没有呀。

: We have one now!

❤️现在有了!

以上就是关于中国节日与西方节日哪个好英文作文全部的内容，包括:中国节日与西方节日哪个好英文作文、情人节的来历(要中英文结合的)、英语学习资料：情人节的起源和习俗等相关内容解答，如果想了解更多相关内容，可以关注我们，你们的支持是我们更新的动力！