《天之节律与人之节日》

直到半个世纪前，中华各民族传统社会里还普遍存在着“形象授时”现象。

现象 —— 通过观察草木虫鱼的行迹，理解天地日月的流转；

授时 —— 通过标刻时光流动的节奏，把握宇宙运行的规律。

这是一种古老的东方哲学，是古代中国人的宇宙观。在这样的观念之下，天地之“节”便与人之“节”达成一致：

天地交合、转接的时间节点，是自然的“节” —— 节律、节奏；

人对自然节律的投入、感悟、应和，转化为人的“节” —— 节日、节庆。

归于天地的节，是节令、节气；归于人的节，是节日、节庆。天地之“节律”因此化作为人之“节晶”。

对于中华传统文化来说，节日是人踩着宇宙节律而歌，伴着自然鼓点而舞。

这是中华传统文化关于“节”的哲学。

今天，2月14日，Valentine's Day，也是一个节日，虽然算不上是我们的节日，但也是一种传统文化，是西方国家的传统节日之一。

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14.  Originating as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early saints named Valentinus, Valentine's Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.

Martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14 are presented in martyrologies, including a written account of Saint Valentine of Rome imprisonment for performing weddings for soldiers, who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire.  According to legend, during his imprisonment Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his judge, and before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.

The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").  Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. In Europe, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart", as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady).