VOA慢速英语2018--世界各地的情人节传统

 Valentine's Day Traditions Around the World

Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day each year on February 14. Images of hearts are everywhere, as are red roses and boxes of chocolates to give to that special person. You could say that “love is in the air.”

Many other countries celebrate Valentine’s Day, too, each in their own way. Here is a look at four countries’ Valentine’s Day traditions.

Japan

For Japanese people, Valentine’s Day is all about chocolate! On February 14, women in Japan give out two kinds of chocolate. One is called Giri-choco. The other is Honmei-choco.

Giri-choco is not very costly¹. Women give these chocolates to friends and male coworkers. And in schools, female students prepare bags of Giri-choco on February 14 to pass out to friends.

Women make homemade Honmei-choco to give to someone special. They may offer Honmei as a way to express their love to that person.

One month after Valentine’s Day, Japan celebrates White Day on March 14. Men who received chocolates on February 14 return the favor with white-colored treats for women. Japan celebrated² the first White Day in 1978. Candy manufacturers pushed the creation of the holiday as a way to sell more of their sweets.

Several other Asian countries also celebrate White Day, including Vietnam and South Korea.

Denmark

Valentine’s Day is a new holiday in Denmark. Young people in the country began celebrating it in the early 1990s.

While Americans give red roses, young Danes celebrate Valentine’s Day with white flowers called “snowdrops.” They give the flowers to both friends and lovers.

One of the biggest Danish Valentine’s Day traditions is the exchange of a lover’s card. In the past, these cards showed a photograph of the card-giver offering a gift to their lover. Today, though, any kind of card exchanged on Valentine’s Day is called a lover’s card.

Also on February 14, Danish men often give women something called a “gaekkebrev.” In English, this translates to a “joke letter.” They are often written as a poem on specially³ created cut paper. But the writer does not sign the letter using his name. Instead, he uses dots – one for each letter in his name. According to tradition, if the woman correctly guesses who sent her the joke letter, she gets an Easter egg that same year.

Brazil

In Brazil, the country’s huge Carnival⁴ celebration overshadows Valentine’s Day. So Brazilians mark a similar day later in the year, on June 12. The holiday is called Dia dos Namorados, or Lovers’ Day. Brazilians celebrate with gifts of cards, flowers and chocolates, in the same way as Americans. But instead of celebrating Saint Valentine, they celebrate Saint Anthony.

The following day, June 13, is Saint Anthony’s Day. The Portuguese⁵ Catholic priest was known for helping⁶ couples in their relationships. For that reason, Saint Anthony is considered the marriage and matchmaking saint.

Philippines

The Philippines celebrates Valentine’s Day in a big way – with large group weddings. In fact, in recent years, February 14 has become one of the most common wedding anniversaries in the country.

Hundreds, or even thousands, of Filipino couples gather in one place to say “I do” during a public ceremony. Local government officials may lead the mass weddings. The ceremonies are often free, and include flowers, a wedding cake and sometimes even wedding rings.

Does your country celebrate Valentine's Day or a day like it? Let us know in the comments section.

I'm Caty Weaver⁷.

And I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

romantic – adj. of, relating to, or involving love between two people

dot - n. a small round mark

overshadow - v. to cause (something or someone) to seem less important or impressive when compared to something or someone else

saint – n. one of God’s chosen and usually Christian⁸ people

mass – adj. involving, affecting, or designed for many people

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

4 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

5 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。