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Valentine's Day is one of the most famous holidays in the world. It falls on February the 14th and is celebrated across the world. It is the traditional day for lovers to express their love to each other. They do this by sending Valentine’s cards with romantic messages. It is common to leave the card unsigned. Other traditions on this day are buying chocolates and giving red roses. Valentine’s Day used to be an American and European thing, but now it has gone all over the world. It has become very commercial. Companies that make Valentine’s goods even encourage people to send Valentine’s cards to their parents and other family members! In Japan, only women give Valentine’s gifts – to all the men they know.
情人節是全球最知名的節日之一。每年的2月14日為情人節，全球都會慶祝這一節日。對于戀人來說，這是他們向對方表達愛意的傳統節日。他們會送上情人節賀卡，寫上甜言蜜語。通常情況下，賀卡不會署名。其他傳統活動為購買巧克力，贈送紅玫瑰。情人節曾經是美國和歐洲節日，但是如今已經在全球流行開來。它變得更加商業化。公司還制作情人節物品，他們甚至還鼓勵人們將情人節賀卡送給父母和其他家庭成員。在日本，只有女性才將情人節禮物送給他們所認識的所有男性。
There is confusion over which Saint Valentine the day is named after. It is either Valentine of Rome, who lived in the third century, or Saint Valentine, bishop of Terni, from the 14th century. The custom of exchanging romantic messages seems to have started in 19th-century England. In 1847, an American woman, Esther Howland, started producing and selling Valentine cards. Today, over one billion are sent worldwide, with women sending 85 per cent of them. Different companies slowly saw the opportunities to make money from Valentine’s Day. In the 1980s, diamond companies began promoting jewellery as the ultimate Valentine’s gift. French and Italian restaurants are also very busy on this day.
到底是以哪個圣瓦倫丁的名字命名的還存在困惑。他或許是生活在3世紀的羅馬圣教徒瓦倫丁，或者是14世紀的特爾尼大主教圣瓦倫丁。互送甜蜜話的習俗似乎開始于19世紀的英格蘭。1847年，美國女性艾瑟·霍蘭德開始制作并售賣情人節賀卡。如今，有超過10億張賀卡被分發出去，而女性占據了85%。許多公司逐漸將情人節看作是生財的機會。20世紀80年代，鉆石公司開始將首飾作為情人節的終極禮物。法國和意大利的餐館也會在這一天非常忙碌。
譯文屬可可英語原創，未經允許，不得轉載。
