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  3. Valentine History, Traditions and Customs Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged betwee

Valentine History, Traditions and Customs Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged betwee

admin2010-04-12  43
问题                    Valentine History, Traditions and Customs
    Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious Saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine’s Day is covered in mystery.
    But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains traces of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient practice? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were killed.
    February 14 is Valentine’s Day. It is celebrated as a lovers’ holiday today, with the giving of candy, flowers, or other gifts between couples in love. Valentine’s Day has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages. In Rome it’s said that it originated in 5th Century as a tribute (称赞) to St. Valentine, a Catholic bishop (主教).
    For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentine’s Day, the Romans had practiced a special celebration in mid-February commemorating (纪念) young men’s passage to the god Lupercus. The celebration featured a lottery (抽彩) in which young man would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man in that manner would be his female companion during the remaining years.
    In an effort to do away with the special festival, Pope Gelasius ordered a slight change in the lottery. Instead of the names of young women, the box would contain the names of saints. Both men and women were allowed to draw from the box, and the game was to imitate the ways of the saint they drew during the rest of the year, Needless to say, many of the young Roman men were not too pleased with the rule changes.
    Instead of the god Lupercus, the Church looked for a suitable patron saint (守护神) of love to take his place. They found an appropriate choice in Valentine, who, in A.D. 270 had been killed by Emperor Claudius. Claudius had determined that married men made poor soldiers. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Valentine would secretly marry young men that came to him.
    When Claudius found out about Valentine, he first tried to change him. But Valentine reversed the strategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. When he failed, he was killed.
    During the days that Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. His love for her, end his great faith, managed to amazingly heal her from her blindness before his death. Before he was taken to his death, he signed a farewell message to her, "From your Valentine." The phrase has been used on his day ever since.
    Although the lottery for women had been banned by the church, the mid-February holiday in honor of St. Valentine was still used by Roman men to seek the affection of women. It became a tradition for the men to give the ones they admired handwritten messages of affection, containing Valentine’s name.
    Another Valentine was an Italian bishop who lived at about the same time, A.D. 200. He was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the Roman emperor. Some legends say he was burned at the stake.
    February 14 was also a Roman holiday, held in honor of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to attend the festivities. The custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through Europe in the Middle Ages, and then to the early American colonies. Throughout the ages, people also believed that birds picked their mates on February 14!
    In A.D. 496 Saint Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as "Valentine’s Day". Although it’s not an official holiday, most Americans observe this day. The first Valentine card grew out of this practice. The first tine Valentine card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.
    Cupid, another symbol of the holiday, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. He is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards.
    Whatever the unusual mixture of origins, St. Valentine’s Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Or you can send roses, the flower of love.
    Many Valentine’s Day customs involved ways that single women could learn who their future husbands would be. Englishwomen of the 1700s wrote men’s names on pieces 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.
    Also in the 1700s, unmarried women fastened five tree leaves to their pillows on the eve of Valentine’s Day. They fastened 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.     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.
    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. Inspired by a British card, she began production in 1847. Her cards featured cord and paper flowers and leaves. Other card manufacturers emphasized Cupid, the plump (圆胖的), winged son of Venus, the goddess of love.
    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. At the end of the day, the teacher or one child distributes the cards. Many children make their own valentines from paper table cloth, red paper, wallpaper samples, and pictures cut from magazines. Sometimes they buy kits (成套工具) that include everything needed to make valentines. Many children send their largest, fanciest cards to their parents and teachers.
    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 bread mils with seeds, plums, or dried grapes. People in Italy hold a Valentine’s Day feast.
Esther Howland began to produce Valentine card after she saw a British one.
选项 A、Y
B、N
C、NG
答案A
解析 文中十八段提到“Esther Howland was one of the first Valentine card manufacturers in the United States. Inspired by a British card, she began production in 1847.” Esther Howland是美国最早生产情人卡的厂商之一，从一张英国卡得到启发，她于1847年开始制作情人卡。本题符合文中的说法。
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