九大不同寻常的情人节习俗

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九大不同寻常的情人节习俗

作者：宋怡秋

来源：《新东方英语·中学版》2013年第02期

从古至今，情人节的习俗可谓花样繁多，不仅包括大伙儿抽签配对、姑娘们吟诗表白、孩子们唱歌谣捣乱，还有人权组织上街游行、健康教育积极开展……话说，这真的是情人节吗？ 1. Ballot Box： In ancient Rome， when Valentine's Day was still a pagan2） festival， young women would put their names in a box， to be randomly chosen by men—who， according to one account3）， \leaders tried to discourage the practice by substituting saints' names for women's， but the tradition persisted.

A traveler's diary from the early 18th century notes： \， an equal number of maids and bachelors4） get together； each writes his or her true or some feigned5） name upon separate billets6）， which they roll up， and draw by way of lots， the maids taking the men's billets， and the men the maids'.... Fortune having thus divided the company into so many couples， the valentines give balls and treats to their mistresses [and] wear their billets several days upon their sleeves.\

2. Gloves & Love： Prior to the Elizabethan era， gloves were worn almost exclusively by men. But， by the late 16th century， gloves became a traditional Valentine's Day gift for women. In fact， it became custom for a young woman to approach her man of choice and utter the verse： \） Valentine， I go today/To wear for you， what you must pay/A pair of gloves next Easter Day.\）， the man was expected to send the woman a gift of gloves to wear on Easter Sunday. Sometimes men sent women gloves without an invitation. If the lady wore the gloves on Easter， it was a sign that she favored the gentleman's romantic overtures9）. 3. Sweet Dreams： In the 1700s， rural English-women would pin10） five bay11） leaves to their pillows—four on the corners， one in the middle—on the evening before Valentine's Day. By doing so， it was said， they would see their future husbands in their dreams. A variation of this tradition called for women to sprinkle12） bay leaves with rose water13） and lay them across their pillows. \， put on a clean nightgown turned wrong side outwards，\folkloric account， \， lying down， say these words softly to yourself： 'Good Valentine， be kind to me. In dreams let me my true love see.'\

4. Sing Out Loud： In the 18th and 19th centuries， British children celebrated Valentine's Day by going door to door， singing songs and sometimes begging for treats， such as fruit， pennies and cakes. Folklorists and historians have preserved the lyrics of some of these tunes： \， morrow， Valentine/I'll be yours if you'll be mine/Please to us a Valentine\； and \，