情人节送巧克力有什么含义，现在心形盒装巧克力已经成为情人节的标配，这种美味甜食是怎么和浪漫情人节联系到一起的呢？这要从公元前500年的玛雅婚俗说起。

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二月份出去逛街，必然会在每个街角的零售店看到各种粉色和红色的巧克力盒。巧克力已经和鲜花、珠宝一样成为一种标准的情人节礼物，但是这一美食不是一夜之间被打上浪漫标签的，而是经过了数个世纪的传说、营销和传统才被写进情人节历史。

The first people to connect love and chocolate were the Mayans. They started brewing drinks made from cocoa beans around 500 BC—centuries before the first Feast of St. Valentine. This early hot chocolate was an important part of Mayan wedding rituals. The bride and groom would exchange sips of the beverage during the ceremony，foreshadowing chocolate's future status as a universal expression of love.

第一个将巧克力和爱情联系到一起的是玛雅人。玛雅人从公元前500年左右开始用可可豆酿造饮料，比第一顿情人节大餐早了数个世纪。这种早期的巧克力热饮是玛雅人婚礼仪式的一个重要部分。新娘和新郎会在婚礼上喝交杯巧克力热饮，这预示着巧克力未来将成为通用的爱情表达方式。

情人节送巧克力代表着甜蜜的爱情。送巧克力表达的最初心愿是浪漫、青春、健康、力量、关心和愉悦。情人节是来自英国某地的一种习俗，互相爱慕的男女会在这一天表白，男生会送女生玫瑰表达爱意，象征着纯洁的爱情，而女生则会送。

The Aztecs had a less wholesome view of the ingredient. According to legend，the emperor Montezuma II binged huge quantities of cocoa beans to fuel his romantic affairs. Chocolate does contain small amounts of tryptophan and phenylethylamine，two chemicals associated with feelings love and desire，but scientists say there isn't enough of either substance to make chocolate a strong aphrodisiac.

阿兹特克人对巧克力的看法就没有这么纯洁了。传说蒙提祖马二世皇帝会吃大量的可可豆来刺激性欲。巧克力确实含有少量的色氨酸和苯基乙胺，这两种化学物质都和性欲有关，但科学家表示两种物质的含量都不足以让巧克力成为春药。

aphrodisiac[ˌæfrəˈdɪziæk]: n. 春药；催欲剂

Stories of chocolate's effects in the bedroom persisted nonetheless，which might explain why candy-sellers embraced the sweet treats when Valentine's Day became popular. Cadbury debuted the first heart-shaped box of chocolates in 1861，and it was an instant success. The package was embellished with cupids and roses to appeal to customers shopping for Valentine's Day gifts. And once the box was empty，it could be used to store keepsakes like love letters and locks of hair.

keepsake[ˈkiːpseɪk]: n. 纪念品

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吉百利没有为心形巧克力盒申请专利，所以其他糖果厂商开始各自生产类似的包装盒。不久后，巧克力就成了近年被商业化的情人节的代名词。

Valentine's Day chocolates are exchanged around the world，but they're attached to interesting traditions in some countries. Thanks to a successful marketing campaign，women in Japan have to give "obligation chocolates" to all the men they know on February 14.

世界各地都在交换情人节巧克力，但某些国家有一些有趣的传统。拜成功的营销活动所赐，日本女性必须在2月14日给所有认识的男性送“义理巧克力”。

可以。情人节的巧克力也是不可或缺的。巧克力自它诞生以来就于情爱有着千丝万缕的联系。相爱的人们用甜蜜的巧克力表达对爱人的浓浓情谊。爱是巧克力，爱是熔化的心。巧克力在情人节礼物中与玫瑰花相比是不分伯仲的巧克力在玛雅。

英文来源：Mental Floss

翻译&编辑：丹妮