Valentine's Day · Worksheet 1
Who Gives Chocolate to Whom?
Read the story. 英文を読もう。
1In February 1958, a chocolate company held a Valentine's sale in a Tokyo department store. In three days, it sold only three chocolate bars and one card. Almost nobody in Japan knew about the day then. Today, stores in Japan are full of chocolate every February.
2Valentine's Day is on February 14. It takes its name from Saint Valentine, a Christian man in ancient Rome. He was killed for his beliefs, probably in the third century. People tell many love stories about him. But most of them are legends, or old stories that may not be true.
3The day became a day of love much later. In the 1380s, the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem about birds. In his poem, the birds choose their partners on Saint Valentine's Day. Soon, people in England and France began to send love poems on this day. Some of the oldest ones were written by a French duke in an English prison.
4In the United States, men and women both give gifts. They send cards, red roses, and chocolate to their partners. Children often give small cards to every classmate. Some people even buy presents for their dogs and cats!
5Japan is different. Here, women traditionally give chocolate to men. Honmei choco is for the person you really love. Giri choco is for co-workers, and giri means duty. Today, many students give tomo choco to friends, and many adults buy chocolate for themselves. Then on March 14, White Day, people give gifts back.
- saint 聖人
- legend 伝説
- belief 信念、信仰
- poet 詩人
- partner 相手、パートナー、恋人
- duke 公爵
- prison 刑務所、牢屋
- classmate 同級生
- traditionally 伝統的に、昔から
- co-worker 同僚、職場の仲間
- duty 義務、務め
- department store デパート、百貨店