你一定知道明天——2月14日是什么日子，因为那就是举世共知的“情人节”。但是，你知道为什么这一天是情人节吗？为什么它的英文是“Valentine’s Day”而不是“Lovers’ Day”？
那么，这位“圣·瓦伦坦”究竟有着什么故事呢？
In ancient Rome, the Emperor Claudius II found it hard to get soldiers and felt the reason was men did not wish to leave their wives and families. As a result Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.
A romantic at heart priest, Valentine, defied Claudius's unjustified order. He secretly married couples. When his defiance was discovered, Valentine was imprisoned.
During Saint Valentine’s imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. After that, he fell in love with her. Before his death Valentine wrote a farewell letter to his sweetheart from the jail and signed ‘From your Valentine'. The expression became quite popular amongst love struck and is still very much in vogue.
Finally, Valentine was killed on February 14, about 270 AD. That’s the day, the Saint Valentine’s Day.
不畏强权，为爱坚守，这是St. Valentine给人最深刻的印象。这也就是为什么后世的人为了纪念他、表达对爱情的珍重而将他死去的2月14日定为“Saint Valentine’s Day”的原因了。历经了从古罗马到21世纪的漫长演变，实际上情人节要庆祝的“爱”也变得更广义了。爱，从来不应该被束缚在简单的爱情中。
爱，对爱人的情爱，对家人的亲爱，对挚友的友爱。西方的人们真正在庆祝的，是对身边之人的博爱。那么，老外们究竟在情人节这天有什么庆祝的风俗和习惯呢？
1. Looking for Dates
One of the most popular customs of Valentine's Day observed worldwide is to go on a date with your sweetheart. Those without a date start looking for one days before the festival.
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2. Wishing ‘Happy Valentine's Day' to all We Love
People take opportunity of the day to wish ‘Happy Valentine's Day' to anyone they love be it father, mother, teachers, siblings, friends, co-workers or just anyone special to them. The idea behind this tradition is to celebrate love, get love and give love to everyone around us.
3. Valentine's Day Custom of Exchanging Notes
One of the most monly observed Valentine's Day customs is the exchange of notes and greeting cards called ‘Valentines'. Most monly used pictures in Valentine's Greetings include red roses, hearts and Cupid - the god of love.
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4. Valentine's Day Tradition of Exchanging Gifts
Some of the most popular gifts exchanged between lovers on Valentine's Day are fresh flowers - mainly roses, chocolates and teddy bears. Fine jewelry is increasingly being a popular St Valentine's Day gift for women. Candies are also gifted to dear ones including grandparents, parents, siblings, teachers and friends. This is because Valentine's Day is increasingly being regarded as the festival that celebrates love between two individuals and not just lovers.
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5. An Occasion to Dine and Wine
The other most traditional way to celebrate Valentine's Day is to go for romantic candlelight dinners with one's Valentine. Many also choose to propose their dates in such a romantic setting and say the golden words, ‘I love you'. Many people also organize Valentine's Day Couple's parties in their homes where lovers have a blast in the pany of friends. Those without a partner organize Valentine's Day Single's Party and have a good time dancing and playing games with other friends who are single.
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6. Valentine's Day Celebrations in Schools
In several countries including United States and Canada there is a tradition to organize Valentine's Day classroom parties in schools. In such parties children exchange chocolates and Valentine's Day cards with their friends. Senior school children usually organize Valentine's Day dance parties and have fun with friends.
看过老外过情人节的6个风俗习惯，你是不是发现庆祝情人节的方式更多样了？两个有情人可以不单独约会，而是与有对象的亲朋好友一起聚会；一个人单身的话也不用感到寂寞，因为可以组织单身派对；在情人节可以表达的爱的对象不仅仅是爱人，更可以是自己身边所有爱的人。