一到情人節，戀愛中的女孩們就會開始期待收到男朋友送的紅玫瑰花。為什么情人節要送紅玫瑰？紅玫瑰是從什么時候起成為愛情的象征的？這要從古希臘的神話傳說講起。

For people in satisfying and committed relationships—or at least pretending to be—there’s Valentine’s Day, a holiday in which romance comes with a price tag attached and warm feelings are represented by a fresh bouquet of red roses.

情人節是那些戀情甜蜜又穩定（或表面看來是如此）的情侶的節日。在情人節，浪漫被貼上了價格標簽，新鮮的紅玫瑰花束成了愛情的代言者。

But why roses? And why red? How did they come to be synonymous with Valentine’s Day?

但為什么是玫瑰花而且一定要紅玫瑰？紅玫瑰是怎么成為情人節的代名詞的？

According to Reader’s Digest, red roses became entangled with love in Greek lore. “Some stories say that the first red rose was created when the Greek goddess Aphrodite was scratched by a white rose’s thorn, causing that rose to turn red,” folklorist Sara Cleto, PhD, told the outlet. “Others say that the first red rose grew on the ground where Adonis, Aphrodite’s lover, died and the goddess’s tears fell.”

據《讀者文摘》介紹，紅玫瑰和愛情的關聯源于希臘傳說。民俗學者薩拉·克萊托博士說道：“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。”

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.

傳說挺有戲劇性的，但是紅玫瑰作為浪漫禮物的傳統其實源于19世紀的英格蘭，那個年代的人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。

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.

在各種鮮花中，紅玫瑰和愛情的聯系尤為緊密，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覺，從而顯得很特別。

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

從務實的角度來說，紅玫瑰和愛情之間的關聯之所以如此持久，是因為紅玫瑰在運輸中可以保存得很好，與其他鮮花不同。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二者兼具。

Roses are, of course, expensive, and if you’re more into the sentiment than the cash layout, you can find other ideas that can express your affection without contributing to the floral industry.

當然，玫瑰花價格不菲，如果你只想談情說愛而不想砸錢，你也可以想想其他點子來表達你的愛，不用非買花不可。

英文來源：Mental Floss

翻譯&編輯：丹妮