为什么把玫瑰花香弥漫的那天叫Valentine's Day？

　February has long been a month of romance. With the sweet smell of roses in the air, romantic films hit cinemas and love stories fill newspapers and magazines.

　　　二月作为浪漫的月份由来已久。在这个时节，空气中弥漫着玫瑰花的芳香，影院里放映浪漫的电影，而爱情故事充斥了各种报纸和杂志。

　On the 14th day, it is customary for a boy to take his girlfriend out to dinner, buy her flowers and chocolates, write poems, sing to her or even spell out her name with rose petals!

　　　在2月14日这一天，男孩通常都要邀请女朋友共赴正餐。除此之外，男孩还要为女朋友买花和巧克力，为她写诗，为她歌唱，甚至还要用玫瑰花瓣拼出女孩的名字。

　This is the scene that greets you on Valentine's Day, named after Valentine who was a priest in third century Rome. When the emperor decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives, he banned marriage.

　　　映入你眼帘的这幕情景就是情人节。情人节又名瓦伦丁节，是以公元三世纪一名罗马牧师的名字命名的。当时的罗马皇帝认为单身男人比有老婆的男人更适合当兵打仗，于是他下令禁止结婚。

　But Valentine continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, the emperor had him put to death..　　　但是瓦伦丁继续秘密地为年轻的爱人们举行结婚仪式。当他的行为被发现后，皇帝判处瓦伦丁死刑。

　While in prison, it is said that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his prison guard. Before his death, he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your Valentine", an expression that is still in use today.

　　　据说在狱中，瓦伦丁与狱卒的女儿坠入爱河。临死前，瓦伦丁给她写了一封信，信中他签上了“来自你的瓦伦丁”。这一措辞沿用至今。

　Valentine died for what he believed in and so was made a Saint, as well as becoming one of history's most romantic figures.

　　　瓦伦丁为他的信仰而牺牲，因而被奉为圣徒，并且成为历史上最浪漫的人物之一。

　Nowadays, Valentine's Day wins the same popularity among Chinese young people. It is a time when students "don't want to be alone" according to Gao Shunjie, a student reporter for 21st Century Teens in Jinling High School, Nanjing. Some of her classmates are planning to make Valentine's cards for parents, teachers and friends. Others want to hold parties at which they will exchange small gifts and eat heart-shaped cakes. The idea is to have fun and encourage people to share in the spirit of St. Valentine.

　　　现在，情人节在中国青年人中间也得到了同样程度的普及。《21世纪中学生英文报》在南京金陵中学的学生记者高顺洁说，情人节已经成为学生们“不愿独处”的时分。她的一些同学计划为父母、老师和朋友制作情人节贺卡。其他人想要举办聚会，届时他们可以互换小礼物，品尝心型蛋糕。这些活动创意的目的就是营造轻松愉快氛围，鼓励人们共享圣瓦伦丁精神。

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