Why Do We Give Red Roses for Valentine’s Day?情人節(jié)為什么送的是紅玫瑰？

For people in satisfying and committed relationships， theres Valentines Day， a holiday in which warm feelings are represented by a fresh bouquet of red roses.

But why roses？ And why red？ How did they come to be synonymous with Valentines Day？

“Some stories say that the first red rose was created when the Greek goddess Aphrodite was scratched by a white roses thorn， causing that rose to turn red，” folklorist Sara Cleto said. “Others say that the first red rose grew on the ground where Adonis， Aphrodites lover， died and the goddesss tears fell.”

情人節(jié)是那些戀情甜蜜又穩(wěn)定的情侶的節(jié)日。在情人節(jié)，新鮮的紅玫瑰花束成了愛情的代言者。

但為什么送的是玫瑰，而且一定要是紅玫瑰呢？紅玫瑰是怎么成為情人節(jié)的代名詞的呢？

民俗學者薩拉·克萊托說道：“一些傳說中講到，希臘女神阿芙洛狄特被一株白玫瑰的刺劃傷了，從而誕生出第一朵紅玫瑰。還有一些版本的說法是，第一朵紅玫瑰是在阿芙洛狄特的眼淚掉落在她的情人阿多尼斯死去的地方時長出來的?！?/p>

Properly dramatic， but the ascent of red roses as a romantic gift really grew in 19th-century England， when the idea of assigning meaning to different varieties of flowers grew. For those wishing to communicate their romantic interest in a potential mate， that meant sending floral bouquets.

Red roses in particular began to have connotations with love because， at the time， red dye was expensive and seen as a luxury. That a red rose provided similar visual appeal made it seem special.

Practically speaking， the idea has endured because unlike other flowers， red roses tolerate transportation pretty well. Theyre a good blend of aesthetics and hardiness， two good traits for flowers that need to be portable as well as striking.

Roses are， of course， expensive， and you can find other ideas that can express your affection without contributing to the floral industry.

傳說挺有戲劇性的，但是紅玫瑰作為浪漫禮物的傳統(tǒng)其實源于19世紀的英格蘭，那個年代的人們開始給不同種類的花賦予不同的意義。那時候人們借由送花束向心上人求愛。

在各種鮮花中，紅玫瑰和愛情的聯(lián)系尤為緊密，因為當時紅色染料很昂貴，被視為奢侈品。一朵紅玫瑰在視覺上給人帶來同樣的奢侈感，從而顯得很特別。

從務實的角度來說，紅玫瑰和愛情之間的關聯(lián)之所以如此持久，是因為與其他鮮花不同，紅玫瑰在運輸中可以保存得很好。送人的鮮花既要便攜又要引人注目，而紅玫瑰則美感和堅韌兼具。

當然，玫瑰價格不菲，你可以想想其他點子來表達你的愛，不用非買花不可。

Word Bank

synonymous /s?'n?n?m?s/ adj. 同義的

Wealth is not necessarily synonymous with happiness.

connotation /'k?n?'te??n/ n. 含義；隱含意義

endure /?n'dj??（r）/ v. 持續(xù)；持久

Somehow the language endures and continues to survive.