February 14 is Valentine's Day(情人节)---when people in love express their affection(爱) for each other in fun and merry ways.
  People celebrate(庆祝) the day in many ways.The celebration of the day in the past was different from that of today as someone recalls his "good old days" when everything was simpler.
  "All you had to do was to take a piece of paper and draw a heart with an arrow (剑)through it carrying the words 'I love you', and sign it 'Guess who' and put it under the front door of your only beloved and ring the bell and run like a rabbit."
  On Valentine's Day today people usually send romantic (浪漫的) cards to someone they love or  want to be loved by. The cards are called "valentines".They are very colourful ,often decorated (装饰)with hearts, flowers or birds, and have humorous or sentimented words printed inside. The basic message of the words is always "Be My Valentine","Be My Sweet Heart" or "Lover". Cupid , the Roman god of Love , is often printed on the card, who is winged  infant(婴儿) without wearing anything, ready to shoot his arrow into a heart.A  valentine card is anonymous(不署名的)  , or sometimes signed"Guess who". The person receiving it has to guess who sent it.This can lead to interesting speculation(推测).And that's half the fun of valentines.
  The affectionate message might be carried  by a heart-shaped box of chocolate candies,or by a bouquet of flowers tied with red ribbon(装饰带). But in whatever form , the message is the same --"Will you be my valentine?"
  Valentines used to belong to (过去属于) young lovers,but nowadays grandparents ,cousins, friends or even acquaintances of any age take the occasion to express their affection through a small gift or a card which can be found at every stationary store, book shop and news stand.
  The origin of the name,valentine , remains  in doubt. Some historians think the festival commemorates(纪念) the death of a Christian martyr(殉道者) named Valentine on February 14, in the year 270. Others link it to another St.Valentine who became the patron saint(保护神) of lovers after he was imprisoned(监禁) by Emperor Claudius for secretly marrying couples contrary(违背) to the Emperor's order. Still others say the name is "gallant" ( a man who pays great attention to women).
  Whatever the origin , Valentine's Day has had a long and romantic history . The Roman conquerors(征服者) carried the celebration to England , and then the English settlers carried it to America.