Love Filled the Sky
It's that time of the year when couples show their love for each other by sending cards, flowers and chocolates. But Valentine's Day is not only about public displays of affection, in recent years it has also become big business.
In the UK alone, more than ￡20 million is spent on flowers, whilst in the United States over $1 billion is forked out on chocolates.
Although Valentine's Day has become a global industry with more than 80 million roses sold worldwide, the origins of the day are unclear and hidden in the mists of time. Nobody knows exactly who St Valentine was, although some historians suggest he was a Roman martyred in the third century AD by a Roman Emperor.
It is said that the first recorded Valentine's card was sent by the imprisoned Duke of Orleans in 1415. It is believed that he sought solace from his confinement by writing love poems to his wife.
Valentine's Day, or its equivalent, is now celebrated in many countries around the world. However, the traditions often differ from place to place. In Japan, for example, it is customary for the woman to send chocolates to the man, whilst in Korea April 14th is known as ‘Black Day’ and is when the unfortunate men who received nothing on Valentine’s Day gather to eat noodles and commiserate with each other.
Technological developments have also played their part in keeping Valentine's Day relevant in the 21st century. Valentine’s e-cards have been all the rage in recent years. However, internet security experts urge web users to be wary as malicious hackers could use e-cards to spread viruses and spyware.
Valentine's cards can also be used for less than romantic purposes. This year police in the UK city of Liverpool sent Valentine’s cards to criminals who failed to appear in court or have not paid fines.
The cards contained the verse, “Roses are red, violets are blue, you've got a warrant, and we'd love to see you.”
Who says romance is dead?
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爱意弥漫天空
每年的这一天，情侣们都会相互赠送卡片、鲜花、巧克力，向对方表达自己的爱意。但是，情人节不仅仅被人们用于公开地吐露心声，表达爱意，如今的圣诞节已经成为一个巨大的产业。
仅在英国，就有两千多万英镑被用于购买鲜花。而在美国，在巧克力上的花销也达到了十多亿美元。全球范围内，在情人节售出的玫瑰达到了八千多万朵，情人节已经成为一个全球性行业。但是对于情人节的起源在历史上却没有明确的记载。虽然有历史学家说圣？瓦伦丁是公元三世纪罗马帝国的一位传教士，但是没有人知道他到底是什么人。据说，有历史记录的第一张情人节卡片是在1415年，由身陷囹圄的奥尔良大公寄出的。据说奥尔良大公在狱中就是通过跟爱妻写情书来倾诉自己的苦闷，获得安慰。很多国家都有类似情人节这样的节日。但是，各地的传统却各有不同。比如日本的传统是女性送给男性巧克力，而在韩国，2月14日被称为“黑色情人节”，因为在这一天没有收到任何礼物的倒霉男性会聚在一起吃面条，相互安慰。技术的不断发展，也使得二十一世纪的情人节更加多彩。圣诞节电子贺卡在近几年尤为盛行。然而，网络安全专家却警告网络用户，警惕别有用心的网络黑客利用电子贺卡传播病毒和间谍软件。情人节贺卡除了表达爱意之外，还有别的用途。今年，英国利物浦的警方就向无法出庭或未交罚款的违法者发送了一张贺卡，上面写道：“玫瑰是红色的，紫罗兰是蓝色的，这是您的收据，迫切希望见到您！”浪漫怎么会消失呢？
