<<>>
Valentines Day Facts
Saint
Valentines Day is February 14th. It was originally
created by the Catholic church as a remembrance day for three
separate Christian martyrs, all called Valentine, from the second and
third centuries AD. Today though, it is regarded as a day to
celebrate romantic love.
<<>>
The romantic element of Valentines Day most likely began in the middle
ages. The earliest existing reference to it is Chaucer's
"Parlement of Foules" in which he claims it is the date on which birds
choose their mate (the fact that February is winter in England has led
some to speculate that he was using a different calendar).
<<>>
There are several stories about Saint Valentine championing romance,
but it is widely believed that these stories were invented in the
middle ages. The most enduring is the legend that Valentine
was a priest who defied the orders of a Roman emperor (Claudius II).
The story is that Valentine performed secret marriage
ceremonies, even though the emperor had made marriage illegal
for young people in the belief that single men made better soldiers.
<<>>
The earliest known Valentine message was written in the 15th century by
a Frenchman, the Duke of Orleans, imprisoned in the Tower of
London, to his wife:
Je
suis desja d'amour tanné
Ma
tres doulce Valentinée...
It is held in the manuscript collection of the British Library.
<<>>
Valentine's Day is mentioned by Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet (Act
IV, Scene 5):
To-morrow
is Saint Valentine's day,
All in
the morning betime,
And I
a maid at your window,
To be
your Valentine.
<<>>
Valentines Day Facts
In
Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated
around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth
century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to
exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the 19th
century Valentines cards were so popular that they were made in
factories. Some were made with lace and ribbons.
<<>>
Today almost 200 million Valentines cards are bought and sent each year
in the USA.
If you include home-made cards the figure becomes approximately 1
billion.
<<>>
About 85% of Valentines cards are bought by women
<<>>
15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.
<<>>
3% of pet owners give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.
<<>>
Valentines Day Facts
Valentine's
Day is celebrated in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France,
Australia and the Great Britain
<<>>
Cupid, the Roman god of desire, has became associated with Valentines
Day. He was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. He is
usually depicted depicted with wings, a bow, and a quiver of arrows.
The legend has it that whoever he shoots with an arrow falls
in love.
<<>>
The traditional Valentine's heart shape possibly derives from the shape
of the seed of the silphium plant, used in ancient times as a herbal
contraceptive. Early visual representations in religious art made the
heart look more like a pine cone.
<<>>
Back
to Happy Valentines Day from Valentines Day Facts
|
