Is it a time for romance?

是浪漫時節？

Or just a way for companies to sell flowers and cards?

還是只是企業銷售花和卡片的手段？

Listen, we can't tell you if that special someone loves you or loves you not.

我沒辦法告訴你那個人是否愛你。

This is just a video asking you to watch it.

這只是個邀請你觀看影片的請求。

It's the seven things you didn't know about Valentine's Day.

關於情人節你不知道的七件事。

In ancient Roman times,

在古羅馬時代，

Valentine was a very popular name and there are several stories of St. Valentinian martyrdom.

瓦倫丁 (情人) 是個非常受歡迎的名字，還有幾個聖瓦倫丁殉難的故事。

According to one tradition,

根據傳說，

the Roman Emperor Claudius II declared that Roman soldiers were not allowed to marry and then made weddings illegal.

羅馬皇帝克勞迪烏斯二世宣布羅馬士兵不得結婚，並將婚禮列為非法活動。

A Christian priest named Valentine found this to be quite a buzzkill and continued to perform marriages in secret.

一位名為瓦倫丁的基督徒牧師認為這實在太過過分，並繼續秘密舉行婚禮。

According to another story, a different Valentine was imprisoned for helping Christians and fell in love with the jailer's daughter.

還有另一個傳說，一個也叫瓦倫丁的人因幫助基督徒而入獄，並愛上了獄卒的女兒。

He signed his final letter to her, "Love, your Valentine."

在給她的最後一封信上，他署名到：「愛你的，瓦倫丁。」

Apparently, they were both beheaded on February 14th.

而很顯然，他們都在 2 月 14 日被斬首了。

Some say the church scheduled the Feast of Saint Valentine during the pagan festival of Lupercalia in an attempt to Christianize the sexy holiday,

有人說教會在異教徒的牧神節期間安排了聖瓦倫丁節，試圖將這個性感的節日基督教化，

which included spanking women with goatskin to promote fertility in the coming year.

其節慶活動包括用山羊皮打婦女屁股以促進來年生育。

However, the most direct descendant of our modern Valentine's Day that's associated with love and romance is from English poet Geoffrey Chaucer.

然而，與愛情和浪漫有關，最直接影響現代情人節的由來與英國詩人傑弗里·喬叟息息相關。

In 1375, he wrote "Parliament of Fowls," which contained the line,

1375年，他寫了《眾鳥之會》，其中包含以下詩句：

"For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird comes there to choose his mate."

「情人節之故，眾鳥匯集覓尋良伴。」

Inspired, the nobles of the 1400s began writing poems to their love interests as valentines,

受其啟發，14 世紀貴族們開始為情人寫詩。

a brutal practice at the time, because it would take weeks to know if they'd been ghosted.

這在當時實在殘酷，因為你得花好幾個星期才能知道對方是不是已讀你。

Although you may recognize them more from their eggs during Easter,

雖然你對這間公司的印象可能是復活節巧克力蛋。

give the Cadbury chocolate company a rose for creating the match made in heaven, V-Day and chocolate.

但吉百利巧克力公司其實是將情人節與巧克力連接起來的大功臣。

Founded in Birmingham, England, in 1824 by John Cadbury, who was a Quaker,

1824 年，貴格會教徒約翰·吉百利在英國伯明翰創立了吉百利公司。

the company was originally a coffee and tea manufacturer,

該公司最初是咖啡及茶品製造商。

John hoping that his drinks would serve as an alternative to alcohol.

約翰希望他們公司的飲料能成為酒類飲品的替代品。

Drinking chocolates were all the rage back then.

飲品巧克力在當時是很流行的。

And during the 1860s, Cadbury sold 16 varieties of the stuff.

在 1860 年代，吉百利販賣 16 種巧克力品項。

The main byproduct was cocoa butter, which Cadbury began selling as "eating chocolates,"

主要的副產品是可可脂，而後吉百利開始以「食用巧克力」的名義銷售，

chocolate-covered nougats, bonbons, caramels and more.

包含巧克力牛軋糖、巧克力球、焦糖巧克力等。

In a red-hot marketing move to promote their variety of chocolates,

為推廣各種巧克力商品，吉百利採取了一個火爆的營銷手法。

John's son Richard sold them in heart-shaped boxes so that even when the chocolates were gone,

約翰的兒子理查德將巧克力裝在心形盒子裡出售，如此，即便巧克力沒有了，

people could save the box to keep their memories and valentines.

人們也可以留著盒子，保存珍貴記憶和情人節禮物。

Chocolate was already viewed as essential indulgence,

巧克力早已被看作是必不可少的美食，

but this got the world's sweet tooth hot and bothered in a whole new way.

但這項改變以全新的方式讓世界上的嗜甜者熱血沸騰。

We already know that Chaucer was the first to start a centuries-long tradition

我們已經知道，喬叟是開啟這個長達幾世紀傳統的人。

of students handing out cartoon-clad notes to their whole fourth-grade class and inspiring those magical 11 words:

這個讓年輕學生們傳遞卡通紙條給對方的傳統，也引出那個經典問題：

"You bought this card at CVS on your way home, didn't you?"

"這張卡是你回家路上在超商買的，對吧？"

But the oldest known Valentine as we would recognize it came in 1415 from the romantic confines of prison.

但目前所知最古老的「情人」源自 1415 年一所監獄圍牆中。

Charles, Duke of Orleans, referred to his wife, Bonne of Armagnac, as his "valentine" in a letter he wrote to her

查理一世在寫給妻子阿馬尼亞克的波內的信中，稱她為他的「情人」

while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London during the Hundred Years' War.

當時正值百年戰爭，而他正被囚禁於倫敦塔中。

Translated to English, Charles' poem reads...

查理一世的詩翻譯成英文是這樣的：

"My very gentle Valentine,

「我柔情的戀人啊

Since for me you were born too soon,

我趕不及你降臨世間

And I for you was born too late.

而於你，我又來得太遲

God forgives him who has estranged

神啊，請寬恕疏離之人

Me from you for the whole year.

你我分別整整一載

I am already sick of love,

已無力承受情愛

My very gentle Valentine."

我柔情的戀人啊」

So, less a valentine and more the lyrics of an emo band from 2003,

所以少點情人節禮物，多點 2003 年情緒搖滾樂團的歌詞吧。

but still pretty good for the Middle Ages.

但這對中世紀來說，還是很不錯的。

In a not-so-happy ending, Charles was imprisoned for 25 years and Bonne died before he was released.

但查理一世結局卻不太幸福快樂，他被監禁了 25 年，而波內在這期間離世了。

Turns out the practice of trolling in the comments section far predates the Internet, all the way back to the Victorian era.

事實證明，在評論區噴人這件事早在網路出現前就存在了，這可一直追溯到維多利亞時代。

Back in the 1800s, in addition to the valentine sent as a profession of love,

早在 19 世紀，情人節送卡片除了可以表達愛意外，

people would send vinegar valentines, often anonymously, to people they didn't like.

還有種東西叫「刻薄情人卡」，人們往往會匿名寄送這些卡給不喜歡的人。

The sentiments ranged from a lighthearted jab to seriously harsh.

程度從輕微嘲諷到嚴重辱罵都有。

Scorned lovers would call out liars, cheaters, and alcoholics.

火大的戀人會公審騙子、出軌渣男，還有酗酒者。

Others insulted their enemy's intelligence or physical attributes.

其他人則會侮辱死對頭的智力或外表。

Many of the day's suffragettes received vinegars by the bagaload.

當時許多女權運動者都會收到成袋的「刻薄情人卡」。

Mailing valentines was so popular that British postal workers were given special meal allowances

寄送情人節卡片這件事熱門到英國郵政工人還因此獲得特別膳食津貼，

to keep them going during the days leading up to February 14th.

用以鼓勵他們在 2 月 14 日前夕加緊工作。

Card manufacturing had become much cheaper and easier during this time.

現在，卡片製造變得更加便宜、簡單。

And one company in particular emerged to capitalize on the greeting card craze:

特別是有家公司利用賀卡熱潮應運而生：

Hallmark.

那就是 Hallmark。

The shape of the red heart has become a universal symbol for love,

紅色心型現已普遍用來象徵愛。

but where did the heart symbol come from?

但心形符號是怎麼來的？

The one that's used on everything from playing cards to emojis to ill-conceived chest tattoos?

心型被廣泛使用，從撲克牌到表情符號，再到構思不當的上胸紋身。

Scholars theorize it could have originated during ancient times with a plant,

學者們認為，它可能起源於在古代一種植物。

possibly a giant fennel called Silphium.

可能是種叫做羅盤草的巨型茴香。

The Greeks and Romans used the plant as a form of birth control,

希臘人和羅馬人使用該植物避孕。

and it became so popular as contraception and associated with sex that it was quickly farmed into extinction.

作為避孕用途，且與性有關，它變得十分流行，以至於很快就被種植到滅絕。

The ancient city of Cyrene, in present-day Libya, became so rich from farming Silphium

昔蘭尼古城，位於今天的利比亞，因種植羅盤草而變得十分富有。

that it used the plant's shape on its currency, which bore a striking resemblance to our modern-day heart symbol.

這座城市在其貨幣上使用了這種植物的形狀，與現代的心形符號有著驚人的相似之處。

Others believe the symbol emerged in medieval times when scientists attempted to illustrate Aristotle's ancient writings on anatomy,

其他人則認為這個符號出現在中世紀，當時科學家們試圖說明亞里斯多德的古代解剖學著作，

where he described the human heart as having three valves with a dent in the middle.

他將人的心臟描述為有三個瓣膜，中間有一個凹痕。

Some just believe the symbol bears resemblance to the breast or buttocks.

還有人認為該符號與乳房或臀部相似。

Imagine your mom sending you a "Thanks for cleaning your room!!!" text with a peach emoji?

想像一下，你媽媽給你發了一則「謝謝你打掃房間！」的簡訊，後面加上桃子表情符號。

Thanks for saving us the embarrassment, Aristotle.

謝謝你讓我們免於尷尬，亞里斯多德。

Valentine's Day in a few Middle Eastern countries brings a whole new meaning to the phrase,

而一些中東國家卻給情人節帶來了全新含義。

"You shouldn't have."

「你不應該這麼做。」

Celebrating the holiday in Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia could get you severely punished.

在巴基斯坦、馬來西亞、印尼和沙烏地阿拉伯慶祝情人節可能會讓你受到嚴厲懲罰。

The belief generally comes from Muslim officials within these countries who see Valentine's Day as a Christian holiday

這種看法通常來自這些國家的穆斯林官員，他們將情人節視為基督教節日。

or believe that it is un-Islamic and promotes casual sex and drinking alcohol, which are prohibited in the traditional Muslim faith.

認為情人節不符合伊斯蘭教義，覺得其提倡隨意性行為和飲酒，而這些在傳統穆斯林信仰中都是被禁止的。

In the Indonesian province of Aceh, just the sale of gifts could have you publicly caned.

在印尼的亞齊特區，僅僅是出售禮物就可能被當眾鞭刑。

In Malaysia, the Islamic Morality Police raided several hotels on Valentine's Day of 2011,

在馬來西亞，伊斯蘭紀律警察於 2011 年情人節突擊搜查了數家旅館，

arresting 80 Muslims because they were sharing rooms while unmarried.

逮捕了 80 名穆斯林，因為他們未婚合住一間房間。

In Saudi Arabia, five men were discovered dancing with six women they weren't related to on Valentine's Day,

在沙烏地阿拉伯，五名男子被發現在情人節與六名無血緣關係的女性共舞，

and were sentenced in 2014 to a total of 39 years in prison.

並於 2014 年被判處共計 39 年徒刑。

And in India, groups have pushed the idea of ditching the celebration of romantic love and replacing it with a parents' worship day.

而在印度，一些團體提出了將該節日從慶祝愛情改為感謝父母的想法。

Talk about a glow down.

說到形象崩壞。

The cute little cherubic cloud baby we know as Cupid used to be a strapping young hunk named Eros.

我們稱為丘比特的可愛雲間天使寶寶曾經是個身材魁梧的年輕帥哥，名叫厄洛斯。

Eros is from Greek mythology, which predates the Romans' Cupid.

厄洛斯來自希臘神話，早於羅馬神話的丘比特。

He was arguably one of the most powerful of all of the gods,

他可以說是所有神中最強大的一位，

for he controlled the most powerful emotion:

因為他控制著最強大的情感：

love.

愛。

His quiver contained two types of arrows:

他的箭筒裡有兩種箭：

golden ones to strike overwhelming love and lead ones to invoke hate.

金箭會引起令人癡狂的愛，鉛箭則會導致仇恨。

He wielded his weapons like a mythological cuff boy, creating disastrous matches of godly proportions.

這個神話中的男孩在一旁揮舞著武器，創造了一連串災難性配對。

In one story, he shot a golden arrow at Apollo, who fell madly in love with the nymph Daphne,

在一個故事中，他向阿波羅射出一支金箭，使他瘋狂愛上了仙女達芙妮。

then shot Daphne with a lead arrow, causing her to be repulsed by Apollo,

然後用鉛箭射達芙妮，讓她對阿波羅退避三舍。

leading to a whole lot of drama.

導致了一大堆戲劇性事件。

Classic Greeks.

典型希臘神話。

Some scholars believe that the infantilization of Eros was simultaneous with the fall of the social status of women in Athenian society.

有學者認為，愛神的嬰兒化與雅典社會女性社會地位衰弱相關。

The Greeks were intimidated by this god who could control their love lives,

希臘人被這個可以控制他們愛情生活的神嚇倒了，

but they weren't intimidated by women.

但他們並不懼怕被婦女。

So by transforming Eros into a cute little baby who always obeyed his mother, Aphrodite,

因此，通過將厄洛斯變成一個服從其母親阿芙蘿黛蒂命令的可愛小嬰兒，

they were much more at ease.

他們才得以安心。

There was no reason to be afraid, and now we've got an adorable chubby cherub to fawn over.

不必害怕，現在我們只要討好這個可愛、胖乎乎的小天使就可以了。

Dear viewer, you are as special as the moment I first saw you, eight minutes ago.

親愛的觀眾，你是如此特別，就如我八分鐘前第一次見你時一般特別。

No matter what day it is,

無論今天是什麼日子。

I hope it's full of chocolates and golden arrows,

我希望你的生活充滿巧克力和金色箭矢，

with no vinegar in sight.

無須面對酸言酸語。

Thank you for sticking with me for all these minutes.

謝謝你陪著我的這些分鐘。

It means the world to me.

這對我意義非凡。

Love, Video.

愛你的，影片君。